Breaking Precedent

Breaking Precedent

Dive into the stories of innovators pushing the boundaries of social norms, challenging precedents, and setting new ones in their fields. In each episode, Leah uncovers the motivations, struggles, and triumphs of these pioneers, along with the groundbreaking ideas shaping our world. From technology to art to social justice, you'll hear untold stories of how precedents are broken and new paths are forged.

Recent Episodes

March 27, 2025

Breaking the Food Chain: Pat Brown's Mission to Transform the Meat Industry with Impossible Foods

In this episode of Breaking Precedent, host Leah Solivan dives deep with Dr. Patrick Brown, the founder of Impossible Foods, who left a celebrated career in science to take on one of the most urgent issues of our time - anima...
March 13, 2025

Party Crashers: How Selina Tobaccowala created Evite, scaled SurveyMonkey, and is transforming where you live with HomeBoost

In this episode of Breaking Precedent, host Leah Solivan is joined by Selina Tobaccowala, a pioneering tech entrepreneur whose journey began with co-founding Evite and scaling SurveyMonkey to new heights. Selina shares how he...
Feb. 27, 2025

Rompiendo Precedente: Bismarck Lepe on Breaking Barriers from the Fields to Google to Founding Mi Salud Health

In this episode of Breaking Precedent, host Leah Solivan is joined by Bismarck Lepe, a serial entrepreneur who has shattered conventions at every stage of his life. From growing up as the child of Mexican migrant workers to b...
Feb. 13, 2025

Breaking the Spell: Jes Wolfe of Rebel Girls on Climbing Higher, One Step at a Time

In this episode of Breaking Precedent, host Leah Solivan sits down with Jes Wolfe, CEO of Rebel Girls, adventurer, and precedent-breaker. Jes shares her experience summiting Mount Aconcagua, one of the tallest mountains in th...
Jan. 30, 2025

A Water Break: The Undaunted Journey of Kara Goldin and Hint

In this episode of Breaking Precedent, host Leah Solivan talks with Kara Goldin, founder and CEO of Hint Water, to talk about her journey from AOL exec to beverage industry disruptor. Kara shares how her fatherโ€™s influence, a...

About the Host

Leah Solivan Profile Photo

Leah Solivan

Engineer, Entrepreneur, Venture Capital Investor, Public Board Member

Leah is the Founder of The Precedent Collective, Managing Director of Precedent.vc, and a General Partner at Fuel Capital, where she manages high performing funds boasting top quartile performance. With a portfolio of over 150 companies that span a variety of sectors including consumer technology, hardware, education, marketplaces, and retail, she is an investor in Figma, Flexport, Lattice, Upwards, Bark, Pacaso and more. Sheโ€™s passionate about finding founders and teams who are taking on world-changing ideas, and providing the support they need to maximize their potential.

Leah relates so well to founders because she is one herself. She created one of the most widely recognized new consumer technology brands of the past decade with TaskRabbit, the pioneering on-demand marketplace company she founded in 2008. TaskRabbit became a revolutionary concept that transformed the future of work and laid the foundation for the gig economy. As TaskRabbitโ€™s CEO for eight years, Leah scaled the company into an international business with operations in 44 cities and more than $50 million in venture capital funding, from many of the top firms in Silicon Valley. In 2016, Leah transitioned into the role of executive chairwoman, and in 2017 oversaw TaskRabbitโ€™s successful sale to IKEA, the multinational home decor corporation.

Prior to founding TaskRabbit, Leah began her career as a software engineer at IBM, where she worked for seven years on products including Lotus Notes and Domino. She earned a B.S. in Mathematics and Computer Science from Sweet Briar College, where she has served on the Board of Directors.

Leah serves on the Board Directors for PetMeds (NASDAQ: PETS), the San Francisco Ballet, and is Chair of the Board for the YPO Pacific US Region.

Proud of her Latina heritage, Leah is devoted to increasing diversity in technology and business. She has been a frequent speaker on topics such as entrepreneurship, the future of work, and women in technology at events such as the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland and Tina Brownโ€™s Women in the World Summit. Leahโ€™s achievements have been featured in publications including the Wall Street Journal, Wired, and Time, and Fast Company named her one of the โ€œ100 Most Creative People in Business.โ€ She's a frequent guest on nationally ranked podcasts, top media outlets, and an in demand keynote speaker globally, represented by the Washington Speakers Bureau.