LEAH BUSQUE

Founder & Executive Chairwoman, TaskRabbit

Making Ideas Happen

Thursday, March 22 | 8:30 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.
Sponsored by Technogym

Mom always told us not to talk to strangers, but are there really any strangers today? Five years ago it was unthinkable to flag down a random car and hop in for a ride, but today, with the use of technology, we don’t hesitate in sharing rides with people we don’t know. We are willing to hire a handyman through an app, such as TaskRabbit, and we are renting out rooms in our own houses to people we’ve never met before. How did the sharing economy begin and what will it evolve to next? In this dynamic speech, Busque will share her story of starting TaskRabbit and why 2008 was a pinnacle for the beginning of the sharing economy. Over the last 8 years, this new trend has evolved into mainstream adoption and continues to grow and scale in new ways that are changing the future of work. Busque will explore how businesses, large and small, will need to evolve to support this new fragmented workforce, and how, despite the skeptics, providing more flexibility and entrepreneurship in our work environments will drive innovation, support diversity, and ultimately translate to stronger, longer lasting companies.

Leah Busque has 15 years experience building and creating technology products that have reached millions of people around the globe. She started her career at IBM as a software engineer, where she worked on Lotus Notes and Domino. In 2008 Busque founded TaskRabbit, the world’s leading on-demand service marketplace. After serving as the CEO for eight years, she is now the executive chairwoman of the company.

Under Busque’s leadership, TaskRabbit has expanded internationally and raised nearly $50 million in venture funding. The New York Times named TaskRabbit “The Next Big Thing in Tech.”

Busque’s vision for revolutionizing the way people work and “service networking” has inspired legions of startups to launch in the collaborative and service networking space. Fast Company named her one of the “100 Most Creative People in Business,” and her achievements have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Wired, and Time.

Busque is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Forum of Young Global Leaders, a global network of under-40 entrepreneurs who’s bold, brave, action-oriented ventures are furthering social and economic progress.