Leah Solivan on Being a Working Mom
Tell us about your experience running a company while being a mom.
Early in my career, I heard over and over again that "there was never a good time to have a baby." While this advice was undoubtedly coming from a good place, it suggested that there was an inevitable tradeoff between being a mom and being a founder/CEO. Looking back, I was so fortunate to have two kids while running TaskRabbit.
It was a crazy time, but being pregnant, and eventually a mom, while I was CEO provided an invaluable perspective while running a company. First, it was incredibly liberating to pick my head up and realize that there was a life outside of TaskRabbit (after being heads down and building that one thing for almost eight years).
Second, I became incredibly efficient and had a clearer perspective on where my time should be spent—both personally and professionally. And lastly, I am hopeful that I provided a positive example to other women on my team that having a family and a challenging career at the same time is possible.
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Why did you invest in Natalist?
We are so incredibly proud to support Natalist as they help people on their journey to build a family. Having a trusted resource that is backed by science is so incredibly important for family planning. There are countless resources available to women to avoid getting pregnant and to manage their pregnancies, but there has been a lack of attention paid to those who are considering getting pregnant. We are thankful that Natalist is shining a light on this incredibly exciting time in life.
Bio
Leah is General Partner at Fuel Capital, where she invests in early-stage companies across consumer technology, hardware, education, marketplaces, and retail. She’s passionate about supporting teams who are taking on world-changing ideas.
Leah relates so well to founders because she is one herself. She created one of the most widely recognized consumer brands of the past decade with TaskRabbit. As TaskRabbit’s CEO for eight years, Leah scaled the company to 44 cities and raised more than $50 million. In 2016, Leah transitioned into the role of executive chairwoman and in 2017, TaskRabbit was acquired by IKEA.
You can follow Leah on Instagram @labunleashed.
