Leah Busque | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | November 15, 1979 |
| Education | Sweet Briar College |
| Occupations | General Partner at Fuel Capital; Founder of TaskRabbit |
| Spouse | Michael Breyer[1] |
Leah Solivan [2](née Busque; born November 15, 1979) is an American entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and founder of TaskRabbit.[3]
She is a general partner at Fuel Capital and serves on several corporate and nonprofit boards, including PetMed Express.[4]
Biography
[edit]Solivan graduated from Sweet Briar College in 2001, earning a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Computer Science. She previously served on the college's board of directors.[5] Prior to RunMyErrand, Solivan was an IBM Corp. engineer.[6][7][8]
Career
[edit]Solivan has held several governance and leadership positions. In June 2024 she joined the board of directors of PetMed Express, later becoming chair of the Compensation and Human Capital Committee and a member of the Governance and Nominating Committee.[9] She has remained closely connected to Sweet Briar College through committee and trustee service.[10] A long-time member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO), she has received the organization’s Alexander Capello Award and chairs the Pacific U.S. Regional Board.[2]
IBM and TaskRabbit
[edit]While still living in Boston in 2008, Solivan founded RunMyErrand, which she later described as an attempt to create a system for outsourcing everyday tasks after realizing there was no easy way to get simple errands done.[11] Under Solivan’s leadership, TaskRabbit raised more than $50 million in venture funding, expanded to over 40 cities, and became one of the first major companies in the emerging gig economy.[12] She served as CEO until 2016 before transitioning to Executive Chairwoman, and in 2017 IKEA acquired the company.[13]
Fuel Capital
[edit]In 2017, Solivan joined Fuel Capital as a general partner, where she manages multiple early-stage funds and invests in technology, consumer products, marketplaces, retail, education, and hardware.[14]
Precedent Collective
Solivan has launched Precedent Collective, a new investment initiative focused on supporting early-stage investors from underrepresented groups. Solivan serves as managing director.[15]
References
[edit]- ^ "Playbook: The two profiles everyone’s talking about". Politico. .
- ^ a b "Finalist: Leah Solivan". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2025-11-24.
- ^ Shibu, Sherin (2024-08-19). "How to Start, Sell a Million-Dollar Company: TaskRabbit Founder | Entrepreneur". Entrepreneur. Archived from the original on 2025-08-06. Retrieved 2025-11-24.
- ^ Etherington, Darrell (2021-04-07). "How to kick the 10 worst startup habits with Fuel Capital's Leah Solivan". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2025-11-24.
- ^ "SBC Board of Directors".
- ^ Moore, Galen (2010-04-08). "RunMyErrand changes name to TaskRabbit". BizJournals.com (Boston Business Journal).
- ^ Bruder, Jessica (2012-12-19). "A Wave of Start-Ups Helps Small Companies Outsource Their Tasks". The New York Times.
- ^ "TaskRabbit's founder has joined a VC firm, as the company continues to explore a sale". Recode. Retrieved 2017-11-27.
- ^ "PetMed Express, Inc. Announces Management Changes". The Manila Times. 2025-08-13. Retrieved 2025-11-24.
- ^ "TaskRabbit founder and CEO Leah Busque '01 is Sweet Briar College's 2016 commencement speaker". www.sbc.edu. Retrieved 2025-11-24.
- ^ News, A. B. C. "TaskRabbit founder on the pressure entrepreneurs face to succeed". ABC News. Retrieved 2025-11-24.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ Etherington, Darrell (2021-02-17). "Join Fuel Capital's Leah Solivan at TC Early Stage and hear how to avoid early founder mistakes". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2025-11-24.
- ^ rohlfing (2025-08-06). "TaskRabbit Founder and FUEL Capital General Partner Leah Solivan to Keynote at TIA 2025 Technovations". TIA. Retrieved 2025-11-24.
- ^ "VCs had an idea of what successful founders looked like, and they didn't look like me". Fast Company. 2021-07-15. Archived from the original on 2022-05-19. Retrieved 2025-11-24.
- ^ "Why tech investors need to look beyond seed-stage SPVs". Fast Company. 2023-01-24. Archived from the original on 2023-01-26. Retrieved 2025-11-24.
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