Science & Technology

A diverse team will make your startup more successful with Leah Solivan, Taskrabbit l Build Mode

If one thing has become clear this season, finding the right talent for your team isn’t as easy as picking from a pile of resumes This week’s guest is Leah Solivan, the founder of Taskrabbit and now an early-stage investor who has seen that the power to change a homogenous startup exosystem comes from empowering…

Published

6 months ago

April 2, 2026

CYBER TECH TV

From bootstrapping TaskRabbit on credit cards to scaling it into one of the defining companies of the gig economy, Leah learned firsthand that the hardest part of building a company isn’t the product, it’s selecting the right people to build it.

In this episode, Isabelle Johannessen and Leah unpack what it really takes to build diverse teams from day one and why most companies get it wrong by waiting too long. They also explore how the lack of diversity in venture capital directly shapes who gets funded, and ultimately, who gets hired.

Apply to Startup Battlefield: We are looking for early-stage companies that have an MVP. So nominate a founder (or yourself): techcrunch.com/apply. Be sure to say you heard about Startup Battlefield from the Build Mode podcast.

TechCrunch Disrupt: If you’re thinking about applying to Startup Battlefield, then October 13 to 15 in San Francisco, we’re back for TechCrunch Disrupt, where the Startup Battlefield 200 takes the stage. So if you want to cheer them on, or just network with 1000s of founders, VCs, and tech enthusiasts, then grab your tickets.

Use code buildmode15 for 15% off any ticket type.

Chapters:
00:00 The hard way to hire diverse talent
01:20 From engineer to Taskrabbit founder
03:39 The moment that sparked Taskrabbit
07:39 Why building teams is the hardest part
12:06 Learning how to hire from scratch
17:36 Why venture capital lacks diversity
27:25 How to build diverse teams from day one
39:42 What founders get wrong about competition

New episodes of Build Mode drop every Thursday. Hosted by Isabelle Johannessen. Produced and edited by Maggie Nye. Audience development led by Morgan Little. Special thanks to the Foundry and Cheddar video teams.

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3 Comments

@jameslobosco36

April 2, 2026 at 8:33 am

Diverse ? How about BEST QUALIFIED ?

Reply
- @adityamwagh
  
  April 2, 2026 at 4:26 pm
  
  You want a good balance of ego and talent. Best qualified and ego go hand in hand.
  
  Reply
@biswas316

April 2, 2026 at 8:46 am

So now talent and hard work doesn’t matter but diversity matter 🤣🤣🤣

Reply

CNET

Getting Bridget’s REAL age?!

Bridget brings us along to test Apple’s updated Health app tools in iOS 27.2, which includes a series of tests to measure your health against your actual age. Watch the full ep on our channel. #onemorething #applehealth #applewatch #healthtech #smartwatch Host: Bridget Carey Editor: Carly Marsh

Published

1 day ago

October 5, 2026

CYBER TECH TV

Host: Bridget Carey
Editor: Carly Marsh

CNET

I Rode in a Self-Driving Semi. Is Kodiak the Future of Trucking?

Kodiak is gearing up to deploy its fully driverless semi trucks on highways later this year, starting with Ikea. I took a ride to see the autonomous tech in action. Read more about Kodiak on CNET.com Ready for Driverless Trucks? I Took a Ride in Kodiak’s Autonomous Semi Timecode Chapters: 0:00 Intro 0:33 Kodiak AI…

Published

1 day ago

October 5, 2026

CYBER TECH TV

Kodiak is gearing up to deploy its fully driverless semi trucks on highways later this year, starting with Ikea. I took a ride to see the autonomous tech in action.

Read more about Kodiak on CNET.com
Ready for Driverless Trucks? I Took a Ride in Kodiak’s Autonomous Semi

Timecode Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:33 Kodiak AI
1:22 Ride along
3:00 Interview Kodiak COO
3:30 Sensor pod
3:45 GigaFusionNet
5:18 Conclusion

Video Credits:
Host: Abrar Al-Heeti
Scripted by: Abrar Al-Heeti
Producer: Celso Bulgatti
Camera: Celso Bulgatti
Video Editor: Celso Bulgatti
Thumbnail Designer: Zooey Liao

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#selfdriving #kodiak #semi #semitruck #autonomousdriving #autonomousvehicles

CNET

Humanoid Robots Are Performing Surgery Now

We visited UCSD’s Center for the Future of Surgery to learn about the first ever live surgery using humanoid robots. Read more about robotic surgery on CNET.com Hands-On With First Humanoid Robot Surgeon Timecode Chapters: 0:00 Introduction: Humanoid Robots in Surgery 0:35 The Need for Remote & Robotic Surgery 0:59 Challenges of Adapting Humanoid Robots…

Published

3 days ago

October 4, 2026

CYBER TECH TV

We visited UCSD’s Center for the Future of Surgery to learn about the first ever live surgery using humanoid robots.

Read more about robotic surgery on CNET.com
Hands-On With First Humanoid Robot Surgeon

Timecode Chapters:
0:00 Introduction: Humanoid Robots in Surgery
0:35 The Need for Remote & Robotic Surgery
0:59 Challenges of Adapting Humanoid Robots
1:21 Testing the Teleoperation Setup
2:18 Why Live Animal Surgeries Are Necessary
3:00 Performance & Thermal Management Issues
3:32 Potential for AI Autonomy in Surgery
3:59 Key Challenges & Future Outlook

Video Credits:
Host: Jesse Orrall
Scripted by: Jesse Orrall
Producer: Jesse Orrall, Jon Gomez, Owen Poole
Camera: Owen Poole
Video Editor: Jon Gomez, Owen Poole
Thumbnail Designer: Zooey Liao