The former CEO of online staffing firm oDesk, Gary Swart, joined venture capital firm Polaris Partners.

Redwood City, Calif.-based ODesk ranked as one of the largest online staffing firms. It merged with Elance, another of the largest firms in the space, in a deal that was announced last December.

Swart will join Polaris as a venture partner, and will begin investing with the Polaris team in September. Swart will focus on the West Coast.

“To Polaris, Gary Swart represents the quintessential partner,” said Polaris Managing Partner Dave Barrett. “He has proven himself to be an accomplished entrepreneur, leader and mentor in the technology industry. He is incredibly generous with his time and deep knowledge of marketplaces and workplaces. And — most importantly — Gary is passionate about making an impact on a grand scale.”

Prior to joining oDesk, Swart was vice president of worldwide sales for Intellibank.

Polaris has offices in Boston, San Francisco and Dublin.