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Welcome to The Quality Makers, an interview series highlighting pioneers in the direct-to-consumer space. Join us as we get an inside look at the world of digital shopping through the eyes of the individuals shaping it…
A few months ago, I was sitting on the couch with my sister while she pumped her breast milk. We’re quite close, so she was… how should I say this… letting it all hang out! It gave me a chance as a non-breastfeeding mom to ask her a few questions about pumping. It turns out, she spent a lot of time doing this every day. She was so limited to her home at times – not because of her sweet daughter – but because her pump was too annoying to haul around.
Samantha Rudolph, the CEO and Founder of Babyation, saw this exact issue for moms and decided to do something about it. We got the chance to hear more about the pump revolution she’s starting, as well as how her brand has earned coveted titles such as Fast Company's 2023 World Changing Ideas and TIME's List of Best Inventions. Spoiler alert: you’re about to be blown away by her candor, fierce heart for moms, and ability to drive impact in a largely stale industry.
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Let's start with the inspiration for Babyation. What was it that sparked your interest in breast pump technology?
It was a complete accident! I read an article in The New York Times while on vacation. The piece lamented that breast pumps hadn’t advanced in decades. I saw my future flash before my eyes, got angry, and woke up my husband, who is a gifted engineer. Half asleep, he replied, “I can build that.” I don’t think he had any intention of ever doing anything, and we didn’t really think about it for a while after that trip. We had “normal” jobs and a “normal” life and were very content with where we were. But after seeing a few other articles highlighting the shortcomings of breast pumps, it became an idea I couldn’t get out of my head. We started socializing the concept, and soon after, Babyation was born!
When you designed The Pump, what were your primary objectives? How do you feel The Pump meets each of those?
Discretion has always been our North Star. We believe that a pump should revolve around a woman's life, and not the other way around. With that in mind, we minimized what’s on the body by making the world’s smallest breast shields. We had the milk flow into bottles with built-in cooling. And our optional app controls the pump (along with auto start and stop features!) so that no one knows what a mom is doing.
As a busy mom myself, I love that The Pump has so many features specifically designed for a life on the go. As nice as it sounds in some ways to hunker down with your baby, that's just not the life most of us lead. How do you feel your experience as a mom has influenced the way you design products and lead the company?
Thank you! Being a mom has influenced the way I do everything! I’m much more empathetic as a leader and as a business owner. One of the reasons we offer unlimited PTO is so that our team can stay home if their kids are sick or so that they can go to a school play. We also have a kids’ area at the office with toys and books so that our team can bring their kids in with them if there’s an early dismissal or something like that. We also try to plan team building events that people can bring their families to.
For example, last year, we took everyone and their families to a baseball game. We also planned a team hayride for everyone and their families. As for product development and design, because of our lived experience as parents, we keep a running list of product ideas. The fact that many people on our team are parents has been instrumental in designing thoughtful products that take into account real-life uses and needs.
I understand that The Pump uses tubes that need to be changed daily so that there are minimal parts to clean each day. What would you say to a mom who is nervous about having to buy tubes on top of the pump itself?
We totally get it. We think about it like daily use contacts or milk storage bags that can’t be reused. Safety is our utmost priority, and it’s really hard to clean and dry small tubes with the tools that most people have in their homes. We think the benefits of safety and convenience of having fewer parts to clean are worth the cost of the tubes.
I've read quite a bit about your involvement in the industry outside of being CEO of Babyation. You are a mentor at Stadia Ventures, serve as Treasurer of the St. Louis Breastfeeding Coalition, and currently are involved as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Washington University. As a busy professional, mom, and human with her own hobbies, what is the motivation behind all of this "extra" involvement?
As an early-stage founder, your hand is always out. You’re asking for advice, for intros, for money. Giving back is my way of balancing the karmic scale. So many people have helped me along the way, and my way of honoring them is by paying it forward and helping others. And, selfishly, I’ve met more great people and learned a ton by working with these amazing organizations, so it’s really a win-win-win.
What do you hope for the future of Babyation and breast pump technology as a whole?
I hope that the entire feeding industry continues to prioritize moms – their time, their well-being and their mental health. We’re superheroes for what we go through in pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period. I wish for a lot more products that solve real needs, and a lot less judgment for mothers everywhere!
Join Babyation’s pumping revolution with The Pump today!
