Laura Chambers, Former AirBnB, eBay Exec & Mom of 3, Takes the Helm of Femtech Leader Willow® as CEO
"Mothers are often an underrepresented voice, and Willow is at the leading edge of changing that," said Chambers, who is also the proud mom of three young children.
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., June 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Willow, the creator of the world's first quiet, all-in-one, in-bra wearable breast pump, announces today that Laura Chambers has joined the company as its Chief Executive Officer. Chambers joins Willow at an exciting time. The company is experiencing strong growth and is poised for continued success in the booming Femtech space, which has a market potential of $50 billion by 2025, according to Frost & Sullivan.
Chambers brings nearly two decades of global experience from significant consumer technology companies, including eBay, Skype, PayPal and most recently AirBnB, where she served as General Manager of the Core Hosts business. From the sellers at eBay to the hosts at AirBnB, Laura has always prioritized being deeply connected to the customers and communities, which has been integral to her track record of creating rigorous business growth.
"Mothers are often an underrepresented voice, and Willow is at the leading edge of changing that," said Chambers, who is also the proud mom of three young children. "The journey of motherhood is wonderful, it can also be incredibly challenging at times. I've spent the last eight years navigating being both a senior executive and a mom, and always look for opportunities to support and champion other mothers on the ups and downs of their own journeys. Moms deserve innovation, great design and amazing technology solutions to the things that are important to them."
Willow's revenue grew 140% year-over-year from 2018 to 2019, and this year it will grow by nearly 50%. Willow is also greatly expanding its ecommerce footprint to include major online retail channels, including Amazon, buybuybaby.com and Babylist. Additionally, Willow is now partnering with major durable medical equipment (DME) providers, like Aeroflow Breastpumps, that work with health insurance companies.
Willow's user base of pumping moms grew by 120% from 2018 to 2019. Perhaps most importantly, Willow is making moms' lives easier in a time where flexibility and the need to multi-task is even more important. Willow saves moms up to 240 hours per year in time that would have otherwise been spent tethered to the wall pumping.2
"Laura has tremendous experience in scaling successful consumer brands and businesses," said Josh Makower, MD, Willow Co-founder, Chairman, and General Partner at NEA. "She is deeply passionate about Willow's mission to bring joy to motherhood, and is a great addition to the awesome leadership team at Willow."
"I am confident that the Willow team will continue to deliver category-leading innovations and solutions that hit right at the heart of what women need, giving them confidence and helping celebrate the journey of motherhood," said Vanessa Larco, NEA lead partner in Femtech investing and a Willow board observer.
Willow is one of the top-funded Femtech startups, raising a total of $100 million. It most recently raised $20 million in December 2019, led by NEA and Meritech Capital Partners, with participation from Lightstone Ventures and others. Willow worked with True Search in its CEO search.
About Willow
Founded in 2014, Willow forever changed the way women pump with the world's first quiet all-in-one, in-bra wearable breast pump. The Willow Wearable Breast Pump ditches the long tubes, cords, dangling bottles and loud sucking sounds so moms can pump wherever their day takes them. Willow is available on willowpump.com, Amazon, buybuybaby.com and aeroflowbreastpumps.com. Learn more at www.willowpump.com.
PR Contact: JONESWORKS, [email protected]
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1 https://ww2.frost.com/frost-perspectives/femtechtime-digital-revolution-womens-health-market/
2 Based on working moms who pump for a year with a traditional pump
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SOURCE Willow
