Out of Dog Food, Into the Gig Economy
One night she ran out of dog food. She wished a neighbor could help. TaskRabbit was born.
Leah Busque was born on November 15, 1979.
She is half Puerto Rican.
Her father came from Cayey, Puerto Rico.
The family settled near Boston, Massachusetts.
She calls Boston her hometown.
She grew up in an English‑speaking home.
She visited Puerto Rico often as a child.
At age ten she started a non‑profit called Pollution Solutions.
She founded it with her sister and cousin.
Early Life
Leah showed an entrepreneurial spirit early.
She loved solving problems for people.
Education
Leah attended Sweet Briar College.
She graduated in 2001.
She earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Computer Science.
She graduated magna cum laude.
She also minored in dance.
Early Career
Leah began work at a small Boston startup.
The startup was later bought by Lotus and then IBM.
She spent about eight years at IBM.
She worked in the messaging and collaboration division.
She helped build products like Lotus Notes and Domino.
She also co‑founded Linkedup LLC before starting TaskRabbit.
Founding TaskRabbit
In February 2008 Leah and her husband ran out of dog food.
They were leaving for dinner in Boston.
The inconvenience sparked an idea.
She imagined an online marketplace for errands.
She spent four months researching the concept.
She talked often with Scott Griffith, CEO of Zipcar.
He encouraged her to quit IBM.
Leah cashed out her pension in June 2008.
She spent ten weeks coding the first version.
The site was first called RunMyErrand.com.
She launched it in Charlestown, Boston.
She recruited her first 30 Taskers at a local coffee shop.
Working mothers and professionals used the service early.
She bootstrapped for a year.
She later secured seed funding after an incubator in California.
Growth and Later Work
TaskRabbit changed from an auction model to direct booking in 2013.
The change improved efficiency for users.
The company raised about $50 million in venture funding.
It was acquired by IKEA in 2017.
Leah stepped down as CEO in 2016 and became Executive Chairwoman.
She faced health challenges while leading the company.
Stress caused colitis and a near‑burst colon.
She managed a closing from a hospital bed.
The 2008 economic climate made fundraising tough.
Early hiring decisions were difficult.
In 2014 the company pivoted to direct hiring, drawing criticism.
After TaskRabbit, Leah joined Fuel Capital as a General Partner.
She manages a portfolio of more than 116 companies.
She founded Precedent Collective to help under‑represented investors.
She also started Shine Together to highlight behind‑the‑scenes contributors.
Leah serves on the board of The Walt Disney Company.
She sits on the board of PetMed Express.
She chairs the YPO Regional Board.
She hosts the podcast Breaking Precedent.
She speaks publicly about AI and the future of work.
Founding Story
Leah Busque was born on November 15 1979 in Boston Massachusetts.
She grew up visiting Puerto Rico where her father was from.
She started a non profit called Pollution Solutions when she was ten.
She earned a B.S. in Mathematics and Computer Science from Sweet Briar College in 2001.
She worked as a software engineer at IBM for about eight years.
In February 2008 she and her husband ran out of dog food before dinner.
The problem sparked the idea of an online errand marketplace.
She spent four months researching the concept while talking with Zipcar CEO Scott Griffith.
She quit IBM, cashed out her pension and coded the first version in ten weeks.
She launched the site as RunMyErrand.com in Charlestown Boston.
First Customers and Product
Leah recruited her first 30 Taskers by interviewing people at a local coffee shop.
The early users were mostly working mothers and busy professionals.
Taskers were paid to run errands like grocery trips and dog walks.
The platform was an auction style where users posted jobs and Taskers bid.
Early Struggles
The 2008 economy made fundraising very hard.
Leah dealt with stress induced colitis and once managed a closing from a hospital bed.
Hiring the right people was a constant challenge.
The auction model drew criticism from workers in 2014.
Key Turning Points
In 2011 Leah spoke at LeWeb in Paris to raise awareness.
In 2013 the company switched from an auction model to direct booking.
The change improved efficiency and reduced worker friction.
Leah stepped down as CEO in 2016 and became Executive Chairwoman.
Growth, Funding and Numbers
TaskRabbit raised about $50 million in venture funding over 11 rounds.
Revenue quadrupled in 2015 compared to the previous year.
The service expanded to dozens of U.S. cities and later to Europe.
In 2017 IKEA bought TaskRabbit for an undisclosed amount.
After the Exit
Leah did not take TaskRabbit public.
She joined Fuel Capital as a General Partner.
She now manages a portfolio of over 116 companies.
She also founded Precedent Collective to help underrepresented investors.
She sits on the boards of Disney and PetMed Express.
She hosts the podcast Breaking Precedent and speaks on AI and the future of work.
You have to write your own playbook while you’re playing the game. (Leah Busque)
Setbacks
Leah Busque faced health problems while running TaskRabbit.
She got stress‑induced colitis.
The condition almost burst her colon.
She managed a company closing from a hospital bed.
The early years were also tough financially.
The 2008 economy was weak.
Hiring was hard.
She had to lay off staff.
Criticism and controversies
In 2014 TaskRabbit changed its model.
It moved from an auction system to direct hiring.
Workers said the new model hurt them.
They worried about lower earnings.
Leah explained the change was to improve efficiency.
The shift drew media attention.
Some investors questioned the decision.
Recent changes
Leah stepped down as CEO in 2016.
She became Executive Chairwoman.
In 2017 IKEA bought TaskRabbit.
The company stayed private.
Leah left the board in 2020.
She started a venture firm called Fuel Capital.
She also founded Precedent Collective.
She said, "You have to write your own playbook while you’re playing the game."
Where she is now (2026)
Leah Solivan is a General Partner at Fuel Capital.
She manages a portfolio of more than 116 companies.
She runs Precedent Collective to help under‑represented investors.
She sits on the board of The Walt Disney Company.
She also serves on the board of PetMed Express.
She chairs the YPO Regional Board.
Leah hosts the podcast Breaking Precedent.
She still speaks about AI and the future of work.
Why the story matters
Leah shows that a small problem can become a big business.
She proves health issues do not stop a leader.
She shows how a pivot can be controversial but still succeed.
She demonstrates the power of giving back to the community.
She reminds us to write our own playbook while we’re playing the game.
The Record
Founder: TaskRabbit (2008)
CEO tenure: 2008‑2016
Acquisition: IKEA, 2017
Current role: General Partner, Fuel Capital (2026)
Board seats: The Walt Disney Company, PetMed Express
Timeline
2001 to Graduated magna cum laude from Sweet Briar College.
2008 to Launched RunMyErrand.com in Boston.
2010 to Renamed RunMyErrand to TaskRabbit.
2013 to Switched to direct‑booking platform.
2014 to Faced criticism over business model pivot.
2015 to Revenue quadrupled.
2016 to Became Executive Chairwoman.
2017 to IKEA acquired TaskRabbit.
2020 to Left TaskRabbit board.
2022 to Joined Fuel Capital as General Partner.
2024 to Launched Precedent Collective.
2026 to Serves on Disney and PetMed Express boards.