Thomas Layton, Former CEO of Metaweb and OpenTable, Joins Benchmark Capital as Entrepreneur-in-Residence

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MENLO PARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Benchmark Capital, an early-stage technology venture capital firm, today announced that Thomas Layton, an entrepreneur instrumental to the growth and success of OpenTable, Metaweb and CitySearch, has joined Benchmark as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence. Layton was most recently CEO of Metaweb Technologies, a company he led for 3 years until its recent acquisition by Google. Benchmark was a lead venture investor in Metaweb, and Benchmark General Partner Kevin Harvey served as chairman of the company's board.

Thomas also spent more than six crucial years as the CEO of OpenTable (NASDAQ: OPEN). Layton is credited for expanding the service’s restaurant partners from 500 to more than 7,000 between 2001 and 2007, growing online reservations to more than 2 million per month, and transforming the way diners make reservations. OpenTable’s rapid growth and success laid the foundation for its successful IPO in 2010 and current enterprise value of nearly $2B. He currently serves on the board. Benchmark was also the lead VC investor in OpenTable, and Benchmark General Partner Bill Gurley continues to serve on the company's board of directors with Layton.

“I am thrilled to be partnering again with Benchmark Capital,” said Mr. Layton. “I enjoy helping take early-stage companies from the idea stage through to proven success. Benchmark's small senior team of General Partners not only shares that passion for early-stage identification, they also provide access to their deep network and a level of service and commitment that is unparalleled. I know they'll be there when I need them.”

“We are extremely excited to be working with Thomas again,” said Gurley. “Thomas is a remarkable operating executive and serial entrepreneur as well as someone with a proven eye for identifying disruptive opportunities. His passion for helping to successfully build early stage venture-backed companies is a perfect fit for what we do at Benchmark."

Prior to OpenTable, Thomas served as president and chief operating officer and was co-founder of CitySearch, Inc.

Thomas is a member of the board of directors of Ancestry.com <http://Ancestry.com>, a co-founder of MAPLight.org <http://MAPLight.org>, and a member of the boards of directors of three private companies. Mr. Layton holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.