Executive Spotlight: Who Is Leah Busque Solivan, Fuel Capital General Partner?
Leah Busque Solivan, who also uses the name Leah Solivan, is a General Partner at Fuel Capital, an early-stage venture firm. She is better known as the founder of TaskRabbit, the on-demand tasks marketplace she led as CEO for eight years before IKEA acquired it in 2017.
Fuel's team page says she invests in early-stage companies across consumer technology, hardware, education, marketplaces and retail.
This page uses public professional information only.
Current role and company
Fuel Capital's team page lists her as General Partner. A June 2024 SEC filing by PetMed Express gives her title as Managing Director at Fuel Capital L.P., a seed-stage venture capital firm, since July 2017, so sources use both titles. A speaker bio from the National Association of Corporate Directors also describes her as Managing Director (general partner) and says she is on the board of PetMed Express.
- TitleGeneral Partner, Fuel Capital (per Fuel's team page); Managing Director in the PetMed filing.
- FocusEarly-stage companies in consumer technology, hardware, education, marketplaces and retail.
- Board seatDirector of PetMed Express since June 2024 (per its SEC filing).
- Named investmentsFigma, Flexport, Lattice, Upwards, Bark and Pacaso (per an NACD speaker bio).
Career path
- Education. A B.S. in Mathematics and Computer Science from Sweet Briar College, per the PetMed filing.
- IBM. She began her career as a software engineer there, per the same filing.
- TaskRabbit, 2008. She founded the company in 2008. Wikipedia says it began as RunMyErrand in Boston before being renamed. She was CEO for eight years.
- Executive chairwoman, 2016. She moved from CEO to executive chairwoman, per Fuel's team page.
- IKEA, 2017. TaskRabbit was acquired by IKEA. The PetMed filing names the buyer as Inter IKEA Systems B.V.
- Fuel Capital, since July 2017. She joined the firm after the sale and now manages its funds.
- PetMed Express board, June 2024. The board approved her appointment on June 20, 2024, effective June 24, with seats on its Compensation and Human Capital Committee and its Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee.
What she is known for
- TaskRabbit. Fuel's page describes it as one of the most widely recognized consumer brands of the past decade. Under her, it grew to 44 cities and raised more than $50 million.
- Investing as a founder. Fuel says she relates to founders because she is one herself.
- Precedent Collective. Wikipedia says she is managing director of this initiative, which supports early-stage investors from underrepresented groups. We did not fetch a primary source for it, so treat that detail as a pointer.
- Recognition. The Computer History Museum profile says she spoke at the World Economic Forum and the Women in the World Summit and was named one of Fast Company's 100 Most Creative People in Business. The PetMed filing says the World Economic Forum named her a Young Global Leader.
Leadership style and philosophy
We did not fetch a transcript of her interviews or talks, so we do not attribute specific opinions to her. What the bios show is her stated approach: Fuel says she backs teams taking on world-changing ideas, and her investing draws on her experience building and scaling TaskRabbit.
Key numbers
These figures come from Fuel's team page, an SEC filing and a speaker bio. They are self-reported by the firm or by her, not independently audited.
- TaskRabbit tenureCEO for eight years; founded 2008 (per Fuel's page and the PetMed filing).
- TaskRabbit reach44 cities (per Fuel's team page).
- Capital raisedMore than $50 million in venture funding (per Fuel's page and the PetMed filing).
- Fuel fundsThree funds managed (per an NACD speaker bio).
- Fuel portfolioOver 150 companies (per the same NACD bio).
What to watch next
Worth tracking: new Fuel Capital investments in consumer technology and hardware, and her role on the PetMed Express board. We found no announcement of a change to her Fuel role.
Questions people ask
Who is Leah Busque Solivan?
She is a General Partner at Fuel Capital and the founder of TaskRabbit. She also uses the name Leah Solivan.
What is her current role?
General Partner at Fuel Capital, per Fuel's team page. A 2024 SEC filing lists her as Managing Director there. She is also a director of PetMed Express.
What did she build before Fuel?
She founded TaskRabbit in 2008 and was its CEO for eight years, raising more than $50 million. IKEA acquired it in 2017.
What does she invest in?
Fuel says early-stage companies in consumer technology, hardware, education, marketplaces and retail.
Which companies has she backed?
An NACD speaker bio lists Figma, Flexport, Lattice, Upwards, Bark and Pacaso among Fuel's investments.
Sources
- Fuel Capital: Team · Title, bio, TaskRabbit figures
- PetMed Express Form 8-K (June 24, 2024) · Board appointment, Fuel title, career summary
- Computer History Museum: Leah Busque · Role, TaskRabbit, recognition
- NACD speaker bio: Leah Solivan · Funds, portfolio, named investments
- Wikipedia: Leah Busque · Pointer only: early company name, Precedent Collective
- Wikimedia Commons: Leah Busque 2017 (photo) · Hero photo, CC BY-SA 4.0
Facts were read from the linked pages on October 31, 2026. Some pages were read through a fetch tool that returns summaries, so confirm details on the original page. Fuel's fuel.vc site could not be fetched, so the team page on fuelcapital.com was used. The hero photo is a Commons photo, centered on a card. This page covers public professional information only.
Top photo: Jamievigg / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)