For women entering the founding and startup ecosystem, Taskrabbit founder Leah Solivan has a wealth of insights, especially on why you shouldn’t hold yourself back.

Listen in on the latest episode of Build Mode for our full interview with her:

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.

Watch NASA’s historic Artemis II launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida as four astronauts forge a new path around the moon and travel farther than any human has ever gone before.

Read more about NASA’s Artemis Mission on CNET.com
Liftoff: NASA’s Artemis II Is in Space, the First Human Trip to the Moon in 50 Years

0:00 Introduction of the Artemis II astronauts
0:21 Artemis II astronauts say goodbye to loved ones
1:04 Artemis II astronauts motorcade to the launch site
1:32 Artemis II Crew walks across the Zero Deck
1:54 Artemis II Crew enters the rocket
2:45 Comm Checks inside the Orion Capsule
3:05 Artemis II Launch Director, Charlie Blackwell-Thompson Says Go For Launch
3:50 Countdown to Integrity Launch
6:08 Artemis II Rocket Booster Separation
7:26 Launch Board System Jettison
8:54 Artemis II crosses the Karman Line into Space

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#nasa #artemis #artemislaunch #rocketlaunch #space #spaceexploration