Leah Busque

Leah Busque, born on November 15, 1979, in the United States, began her career at IBM as a Software Engineer, contributing to products like Lotus Notes and Domino. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Computer Science, graduating Magna Cum Laude from Sweet Briar College in 2001, where she also served on the Board of Directors. In 2008, a personal need for dog food late one night sparked the idea for TaskRabbit, a digital marketplace connecting individuals with local help for various tasks. Busque founded the company that year, initially bootstrapping it and later securing over $50 million in venture funding, expanding its operations internationally.

Busque served as CEO of TaskRabbit for eight years, during which she was instrumental in developing the concept of “service networking” and fostering the collaborative consumption space. Her leadership led to TaskRabbit becoming a prominent on-demand service marketplace worldwide. In 2016, she transitioned to the role of Executive Chairwoman, and in 2017, TaskRabbit was acquired by Ikea. Beyond her executive roles, Leah was named one of Fast Company’s “100 Most Creative People in Business” and was inaugurated into the Forum of Young Global Leaders in 2014, acknowledging her impactful entrepreneurial ventures. Her work has been featured in publications such as the Wall Street Journal, Wired, and Time.

Currently, Leah Busque is a General Partner at Fuel Capital, an early-stage venture fund in Silicon Valley, where she focuses on investing in consumer software as a service (SAAS) and marketplace companies. She is also an active angel investor and advisor, working with various companies and venture funds across retail, consumer technology, hardware, education, and marketplaces, including Homebrew Ventures, Binary Capital, Monica+Andy, Nanit, and Zently. Busque also serves on the Board of Directors for Galvanize, an Ed Tech startup. She advocates for diversity in business culture and frequently speaks on topics such as the future of work, women in technology, and entrepreneurship at global forums, including the World Economic Forum and the University of Oxford.