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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…

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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 diverse VCs to fund underrepresented founders who will hire the hidden tech talent.

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

3 Comments

  1. @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

  2. @biswas316

    April 2, 2026 at 8:46 am

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

    Reply

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Science & Technology

The Musk v. Altman case is in the jury’s hands. The trust verdict is still out. | Equity Podcast

The Musk v. Altman trial came to a close this week, and the final arguments kept circling back to one question: can we trust the people in charge of AI? All of this is playing out as SpaceX charges toward what could be one of the largest IPOs in American history, with a whole generation…

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May 15, 2026

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The Musk v. Altman trial came to a close this week, and the final arguments kept circling back to one question: can we trust the people in charge of AI? All of this is playing out as SpaceX charges toward what could be one of the largest IPOs in American history, with a whole generation of founders already spinning out of the Musk empire.

On this episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Kirsten Korosec, Anthony Ha, and Sean O’Kane break down the trial’s closing stretch and what the growing Elon Musk founder ecosystem looks like on the ground, and the other deals that caught our eye this week.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

00:16 Claude learns how to blackmail (Anthropic’s AI safety report)

03:20 Anduril’s $5B Series H

08:43 Mind Robotics and why investors can’t say no to RJ Scaringe

15:03 Vapi’s $50M Series B and the AI customer service moment

20:25 The Elon Musk founder machine: Tesla and SpaceX alumni

30:12 The startups stepping up to build data centers in space

32:50 The OpenAI trial wraps: Who trusts Sam Altman?

38:11 Outro

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CNET

First Look at Segway’s $5,299 Xaber 300 Electric Dirt Bike

Segway’s newest e-dirt bike, the Xaber 300, is now available in the U.S. and features a top speed of 60-mph, and a virtual clutch that gives you more control like you would on a gas powered dirt bike. Do you think the future of dirt bikes is electric? CNET Senior Video Producer Dillon Lopez is…

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May 15, 2026

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Segway’s newest e-dirt bike, the Xaber 300, is now available in the U.S. and features a top speed of 60-mph, and a virtual clutch that gives you more control like you would on a gas powered dirt bike. Do you think the future of dirt bikes is electric? CNET Senior Video Producer Dillon Lopez is here to give you a first look at this $5,299 electric dirt bike. ⚡️🏍️ #segway #segwayxaber300 #electricdirtbike #edirtbike #dirtbike

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CNET

Please, Apple, Don’t Use Gemini This Way | One More Thing

Much of Android’s new AI features focus on ways to spend your money faster. Is this what we have to look forward to in the new Siri updates? CNET’s Bridget Carey looks at the Gemini Intelligence news and what Apple should (and shouldn’t) copy for iPhone users. Read more about it on CNET.com Apple Picks…

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2 days ago

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May 15, 2026

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Much of Android’s new AI features focus on ways to spend your money faster. Is this what we have to look forward to in the new Siri updates? CNET’s Bridget Carey looks at the Gemini Intelligence news and what Apple should (and shouldn’t) copy for iPhone users.

Read more about it on CNET.com
Apple Picks Google Gemini to Power Siri
Google I/O 2026: What Google’s AI Past Tells Us About Its Future

0:00 Does Google think everyone’s rich?
0:12 Gemini Intelligence announced in the Android Show IO Edition
0:36 Gemini is going to be in your iPhone
0:55 Will Gemini Intelligence live up to the hype?
1:17 Apple’s delayed promise of a more personal Siri
1:26 Buying concert tickets agentic AI in Android
1:57 Buying concert tickets with Apple Music
2:29 Android AI giving real-time ETAs in messages
2:46 Apple Calendar time-to-leave notifications
3:07 Using Gemini Intelligence to find late-night pizza
3:13 Using Siri to find late-night pizza
3:23 Gemini Intelligence being tested with food delivery and rideshare apps
3:31 All of Google’s Android agentic AI examples make spending money easier
3:49 Booking an Expedia tour with Gemini Intelligence on your Android device
4:19 Things I actually want from an AI assistant
4:26 New Android widget builder
4:45 Google really wants you to buy things and shop
4:59 Building an Android recipe widget
5:23 Rambler brings conversational awareness to speech-to-text on Android phones
5:34 Android Rambler in action
6:20 Android green screen recording for video creators
6:29 Android Screen Reactions
7:03 How will Gemini influence the new Siri?
7:17 New Android interface looks a lot like Liquid Glass
7:26 RCS messages between Android and iPhones are now encrypted

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#siri #google #gemini #ai #intelligence #androidai

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