Cara Delzer, Gabrielle Guthrie, Santhi Analytis

After squeezing into a cramped, makeshift lactation room three times a day, Cara Delzer learned quickly that pumping breast milk at work was a less-than-ideal situation. So after three weeks of telling herself there had to be an easier, more discreet way, she quit her job at eBay to find one.

Delzer wasn’t alone in her thinking. With her business development background, Delzer paired up with product designer Gabrielle Guthrie and engineer Santhi Analytis, and the three Stanford University alumnae set out to reinvent the breast pump. And the industry is ripe for disruption: The first personal-use electric pump was unveiled by Medela 25 years ago, when the average first-time mom today wasn’t even born. And so Moxxly was founded.

The team’s first goal: Creating a stylish device that lets women pump underneath their shirts while transmitting real-time data about their milk supply via a connected mobile app. That device will be available in the fall of 2016.

The team’s key to success is “great chemistry and working together really well,” Delzer says. And the Moxxly breast pump is just the beginning. They envision a whole suite of innovative products to help the millennial mom.

The big idea
“Moxxly started by asking, 'How can we redefine the experience of the modern mom?’ Health-conscious, mobile-first millennials become moms, and a lot of their products don’t meet their expectations. We were looking for a way that the breast pump can empower her.”

The challenge
“The hardest part of this endeavor is building a connected hardware device. We’re looking for a product that’s not just functional, but delights the user. It needs to undergo final testing and verification before hitting the market this fall.”

Gaining momentum
“Word of mouth has brought us testers who are very excited about what we’re doing and eager to give us feedback. A beta tester recently told us our app would have helped her know sooner that she wasn’t feeding her baby enough. Another indicated that Moxxly changed her perception of the breast pump to something modern and fun.”

Pushing for change
“We are just so gung ho about changing the breastfeeding experience. I want to eliminate the indignity that I felt when I returned to work, hoping a coworker wouldn’t pound on the door while I was pumping. We can do better by women; that’s what moves us forward.”