Resources mentioned:
“I realized that everything I had built at task rabbit gave me the credibility, gave me the value ad to be a great investor and to be a great partner to other founders.”
In this episode of the Entreprenista Podcast, Stephanie sits down with Leah Solivan, founder of TaskRabbit and founder and general partner of Precedent VC, for an inspiring conversation about entrepreneurship, resilience, and what it really takes to build something that changes an industry.
Leah shares the story behind TaskRabbit, from getting the idea while living in Boston and running out of dog food, to quitting her secure job at IBM, cashing out $27,000 from her pension, and launching what would become one of the companies that helped pioneer the gig economy. She opens up about building the first version of the platform from her apartment, recruiting the first taskers, raising capital during the 2008 financial crisis, and eventually scaling TaskRabbit to 44 markets before selling the company to IKEA
What We Talked About:
An Early Entrepreneurial Spark [1:43]
Launching TaskRabbit Locally [9:01]
Scaling TaskRabbit and Selling to IKEA [15:49]
What Investors Look for in Founder Pitches [23:17]
JOMO: The Joy of Missing Out [28:13]
Connect with Leah:
@leah_solivan on Instagram
Leah Solivan on LinkedIn
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Guests
Leah Solivan
Hosts
Stephanie Cartin
Co-founder of Socialfly and Entreprenista.
Stephanie Cartin is the co-founder and CEO of Entreprenista, an all-in-one platform – which includes a private community & business membership called The Entreprenista League that's made up of over 2,000 women founders at all stages of business, a weekly newsletter received by 60,000 readers, two podcasts, in-person educational & networking events, and an award program – that women founders at all stages can turn to for everything they need to grow.
Stephanie is also the co-founder of Socialfly (acquired by Truform Media Group in 2024), Markid, and Pearl Influential Capital. She has won countless awards, including the SmartCEO Brava award, which recognizes the top women CEOs in New York, and a Stevie Award for Women-Run Workplace of the Year. She has also appeared in Bloomberg, Forbes, Entrepreneur, Refinery29, and more.
Courtney Spritzer
Co-founder of Entreprenista.
Courtney Spritzer is a serial entrepreneur, angel investor, author, and community builder with a passion for creating brands and platforms that empower women to lead, grow, and thrive.
In 2012, she co-founded Socialfly, a leading social-first digital and influencer marketing agency. Over the course of a decade, she helped scale the business into an award-winning agency working with Fortune 500 brands and emerging startups, building a powerhouse team and culture along the way. In 2024, Socialfly was acquired.
In 2018, Courtney launched the Entreprenista Podcast to spotlight the stories of inspiring women founders. That passion evolved into Entreprenista Media in 2021, a media platform and community supporting women entrepreneurs at every stage of growth. She now co-leads the continued expansion of The Entreprenista League, a membership-driven community and ecosystem for founders.
As an angel investor, Courtney supports female-led and mission-driven startups aligned with her vision for a more inclusive and equitable business landscape.
She is the co-author of Like, Love, Follow: The Entreprenista’s Guide to Using Social Media to Grow Your Business (2015), a strategic guide for leveraging social platforms to drive business success.
Her work and ventures have been featured in Bloomberg, Forbes, Inc., Entrepreneur, and The New York Times. She is committed to championing visionary founders and helping build the next generation of impactful, community-driven businesses.
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