Leah Solivan on building diverse startup teams from day one

Startups are often quick to say they value diversity but are slow to implement hiring practices that reflect those values. For growth-stage companies, the path of least resistance is frequently to hire from familiar Silicon Valley pipelines. However, Leah Solivan, the founder of Taskrabbit and managing director of the venture capital firm Precedent.VC, argues that building a diverse team requires putting that value into practice from the very first hire. Speaking on the Build Mode podcast hosted by Isabelle Johannessen, Solivan explained that establishing these practices early makes scaling easier because the resulting culture, team, and network become a self-sustaining diverse ecosystem. Waiting until a company has already scaled, she noted, is too late.

According to Solivan, a more diverse tech industry begins in many ways with who is investing in founders. The lack of diversity is closely tied to the flow of capital through the venture system. Solivan explained that capital flows from investors in venture capital funds to venture capitalists, who then decide which founders to back. She asserted that while the money is there, it is being controlled by people who have different biases. This dynamic ultimately shapes which startups receive backing and, consequently, who those startups hire.

To address these imbalances, Solivan advises founders to set concrete hiring goals rather than relying on passive recruitment. For example, she suggests aiming to review two résumés from female candidates for every one male résumé. This approach forces companies to tap into a wider range of networks. Additionally, she emphasizes the importance of building support systems for new hires from underrepresented backgrounds early on. “You’re asking someone to walk off the edge of a cliff — let’s build a net for them to jump into,” said Solivan, who serves as the founder of Taskrabbit and founder and managing director of Precedent.VC.

Solivan’s insights come as early-stage startups prepare for the upcoming TechCrunch Disrupt event, scheduled for October 13 to October 15 in San Francisco. The event will feature the Startup Battlefield 200, a competition showcasing 200 early-stage companies. For founders looking to build their businesses from the ground up—whether starting a company with personal finances or seeking venture backing—establishing intentional hiring practices remains a critical step in long-term growth.

Why it matters

Founders often wait too long to prioritize diversity, but Solivan argues that building a diverse ecosystem requires intentionality from the first hire and an understanding of how capital flows through the venture system.