Benjamin Ling
About Benjamin Ling
Benjamin Ling holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from UC Berkeley and an M.S. and PhD in Computer Science from Stanford. Before investing full time he held senior operating roles at Google, YouTube, Facebook and Badoo.
At Google he was Senior Director of Search and Local Business Products. He also founded and ran Google's commerce group, which included Google Wallet and Shopping. At YouTube he was Senior Director of Partnerships and Platform. At Facebook he was Director of Platform and helped build Facebook Connect. Sources also list him as COO at Badoo.
He later became a partner at Khosla Ventures, then founded Bling Capital, which one profile dates to 2018. Forbes ranked him #5 on its 2024 Midas Seed List, according to VC Sheet.
Ling's bio on Gold House says he has early stakes in Airtable, Lyft, Square, Palantir, Quora, Gusto and Udemy. It also says Bling Capital has backed 10 unicorns. Crunchbase lists 79 personal investments, and its dated entries include Lever (2012), Delighted (2014) and Merlin Labs (2021).
Aitan is the AI round on the Lounge deals desk: a $15M seed in July 2026. Crunchbase also shows Ling in a later Aitan round in September 2026.
NFX Signal tags his investing with AI at both seed and Series A. Its record shows Bling Capital rounds in Maneva (seed March 2025, Series A June 2026), Klutch.ai (seed June 2025) and Parambil (seed January 2026). Crunchbase lists Ling as a lead investor in Vise's seed round.
Ling invests at seed and Series A, and some data sources also list pre-seed and later rounds. Public profiles list sectors including AI, SaaS, fintech, consumer, marketplaces and education.
VC Sheet gives a Bling Capital check range of $400K to $3M. NFX Signal gives the same range with a $1M sweet spot. Those figures describe the fund, not his personal angel checks, which are not public.
He has said he looks for companies solving "hair on fire" problems, per VC Sheet. That source also says he looks for solutions that are about ten times better than existing options.
- Aitan: AI company that raised a $15M seed in July 2026, with a later round in September 2026.
- Maneva: Bling Capital invested in the March 2025 seed and the June 2026 Series A, per NFX Signal.
- Klutch.ai: Bling Capital seed investment, June 2025.
- Vise: Crunchbase lists Ling as a seed lead.
- Odyssey: Bling Capital invested in the October 2022 seed and the May 2024 Series A, per NFX Signal.
- Airtable: low-code workflow and app development platform; early angel stake.
Investing activity
Benjamin Ling appears in 1 AI deal tracked by the Lounge deals desk, rounds totalling $15M. The rounds are mostly Seed, with a median round size of $15M. The most recent is Aitan (Seed, $15M, Jul 2026).
Benjamin Ling most often invests alongside Gokul Rajaram and Kevin Weil, and the companies they back on Lounge are mostly in AI.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Benjamin Ling
Does Benjamin Ling invest in AI startups?
Yes. He took part in Aitan's 2026 rounds, and Bling Capital invested in Maneva and Klutch.ai. NFX Signal tags his investing with AI at seed and Series A.
What is Benjamin Ling's check size?
His personal angel check size is not public. Bling Capital's range is listed as $400K to $3M, with a $1M sweet spot on NFX Signal.
What stage does Benjamin Ling invest in?
Mainly seed and Series A. Some data sources also list pre-seed and later rounds.
What does Benjamin Ling look for in a startup?
He has said he looks for companies solving urgent "hair on fire" problems, according to VC Sheet. He also looks for products that are far better than the alternatives.
Who is Benjamin Ling?
He is the founder and general partner of Bling Capital and a former Khosla Ventures partner. Earlier he held senior roles at Google, YouTube and Facebook.
How can founders contact Benjamin Ling?
He lists LinkedIn and X (@bling0) publicly, and Bling Capital hosts his profile page. Check them for current contact routes.
Is Benjamin Ling an angel investor?
Yes. Benjamin Ling invests personally as an angel.
What AI companies has Benjamin Ling invested in?
Benjamin Ling's AI investments include Aitan. The 1 round on Lounge are listed on this page with amounts, dates and co-investors.
What stage does Benjamin Ling invest at?
In the rounds tracked on Lounge, Benjamin Ling has invested at Seed, with a median round of $15M.
Who does Benjamin Ling co-invest with?
Benjamin Ling's most frequent co-investors on Lounge are Gokul Rajaram (1 deal) and Kevin Weil (1 deal).