The vital question Taskrabbit founder Leah Solivan wished she asked investors

Idea Conception

The idea for Taskrabbit was born out of a simple need for dog food on a snowy night. Leah Solivan realized the potential of using emerging technologies like social, location, and mobile to solve everyday problems. She quickly secured the domain name runmyarrand.com and began coding the first version of the platform, engaging with people at a local coffee shop to refine her idea 1 2.

I grabbed my iPhone and thought, why can't I use this device to connect with someone right now in real time and get the dog food?

--- Leah Solivan

Leah left her job at IBM and dedicated herself to building Taskrabbit, coding for weeks and gathering feedback from potential users 2.

   

Early Challenges

In the early stages, Leah faced significant challenges, particularly around building trust and safety within the platform. She launched a closed beta with a local mother's group and personally interviewed every tasker to ensure reliability 3.

One of the main learnings was I needed to be the first tasker, the task rabbit as well.

--- Leah Solivan

Leah also embraced the risks of entrepreneurship, drawing inspiration from mentors like Scott Griffith, the CEO of Zipcar, who encouraged her to fully commit to her vision 4.

   

Strategic Partnerships

Strategic partnerships played a crucial role in Taskrabbit's growth. Leah's persistence led to a partnership with Ikea, which significantly boosted Taskrabbit's visibility and customer base 5.

You'd buy Ikea furniture on checkout. You could sign up to have tasks, grab it, deliver it and assemble it.

--- Leah Solivan

This collaboration eventually led to Ikea acquiring Taskrabbit, aligning with their focus on sustainability and community values 6.