Rachel Botsman

Educator/Teacher, Idea generator, Writer/Editor

Rachel Botsman is recognised as a global thought leader on the collaborative economy and how technology is changing the way we can live, work, bank and travel. She originated the theory of “collaborative consumption” with her acclaimed book What’s Mine is Yours. She was a founding partner in the Collaborative Fund and made seed investments in start-ups such as Kickstarter, Lyft and TaskRabbit. She also previously served as a Director on the William J Clinton Foundation. Botsman is a regular writer and commentator in leading international publications including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, the Economist, Wired, Australian Financial Review and more. She currently teaches the world’s first MBA course on the collaborative economy, a curriculum she designed in 2015 at Oxford University Saïd Business School. Botsman is an honors graduate in Fine Arts from the University of Oxford and attended Harvard University for her post-graduate studies. She lives with her husband and two children in Sydney. When not reading or writing, she is likely to be cooking, gardening or running around on the beach with her kids. She is insatiably curious about simplifying big complex ideas that could help people understand each other better. Rachel is currently working on a book on a new era of trust that will be published by Penguin in 2017.

Making complex things simple

The real disruption happening is not about the technology; it's the profound shift in trust it creates.

Collaborative/Sharing Economy, Online Reputation, Technology & Trust

I first spoke at TEDx Sydney in 2010 about the rise of "collaborative consumption", now referred to as the "sharing economy" and how it would change our lives. It was a life and idea changing moment. Up to that point, I had never given a public speech. As a writer, it was a joy to discover the connection you can have with an audience. In 2012, I spoke at TED Global about “reputation capital” and how trust is a new currency. In 2016, I spoke at the TEDSummit in Banff about a trust shift underway from institutions to individuals.

Making fancy dress costumes