Vivian Lee and Eunice Lim have been associates for greater than 15 years, they usually’re now additionally enterprise companions to one another.
Propelled by challenges of their respective breastfeeding journey, the duo launched into their first enterprise enterprise along with Go!Mama, which is Singapore’s first lactation pod system.
“Like most individuals, after the start of my daughter in 2019, I needed to return to work and be out and about. Breastfeeding turned actually difficult then. It was so tough to discover a personal house to precise milk or breastfeed,” defined Vivian, co-founder of Go!Mama.
“At work, I principally pumped in a storeroom that couldn’t be locked and was walked in a number of occasions by males colleagues. Nonetheless, it was my solely choice in addition to the feminine lavatory, which was fairly unhygienic. After I visited my shoppers within the hospitals, there have been additionally (typically) no devoted facility for lactation function.”
Noting this hole, she determined to stop her job as a enterprise growth government at a medical firm in January 2021 and take part in a three-month NUS Enterprise Constructing programme by NUS Enterprise, — the entrepreneurial arm of the Nationwide College of Singapore — and supported by Enterprise SG (ESG), that goals to assist aspiring entrepreneurs get their toes off the bottom.
On the finish of the programme, she obtained a S$50,000 Startup SG Founder grant from ESG and S$10,000 from NUS Enterprise because the Accredited Mentor Associate. Following this success, Eunice ultimately joined Vivian full-time and the 2 formally launched Go!Mama in March 2021.
In addition to the 2 authorities grants, Go!Mama has raised S$500,000 seed funding so far.
The co-founders spent the primary few months specializing in product growth, together with conducting interviews with a number of breastfeeding moms to higher perceive how one can greatest design the lactation pods. In addition they labored with an area producer to construct a prototype, leveraging out there makerspace at Republic Polytechnic.
What’s distinctive about these lactation pods?
The present answer (for breastfeeding in public) are nursing rooms usually positioned in locations similar to purchasing malls, or progressive places of work. Nonetheless, the drawback of such amenities is that they’re everlasting, which suggests it could possibly be a waste of sources ought to there be no nursing moms utilizing the rooms.
– Vivian Lee, co-founder of Go!Mama
In distinction, Go!Mama’s lactation pods are free-standing, ready-built pods which can be powered by good expertise. They supply moms with a clear, personal and protected atmosphere to nurse their child or specific their breast milk.
There’s additionally a USB charger throughout the lactation pod, which permits customers to recharge their electrical breast pump for the following use.
Furthermore, for the reason that pods are designed within the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the founders made positive that their pods could be simply cleaned and disinfected. All inside fittings are non-upholstered to allow them to be merely wiped down, and a UV disinfection course of can also be triggered after each use to forestall cross-contamination of viruses or micro organism.
The pods even have plug-and-play specs, permitting them to be put in at any location that has an influence level for electrical energy. That is superb for operators who aren’t capable of construct a lactation room throughout the location.
To make use of the lactation pods, customers have to first obtain Go!Mama’s cell app. The app permits them view a complete checklist of all lactation areas in Singapore, find and navigate their technique to the closest pod, verify its occupancy, and achieve safe entry to the pods.
Customers want to offer a pin quantity to enter the lactation pods, that are solely despatched after their profile has been verified on Singpass. “This ensures that the pods are utilized by moms in have to breastfeed their infants or specific breastmilk, with diminished threat of abuse,” explains Vivian.
COVID-19 challenges
Beginning up a enterprise amid the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a bunch of challenges.
Since their enterprise entails constructing a {hardware} product, they wanted to companion with product builders and producers, however the pandemic has restricted them from touring overseas and discover working with abroad factories.
In the meantime, Vivian famous that native factories are dealing with a scarcity of fabric and manpower. Many amenities suppliers are additionally tightening their budgets, so a lactation facility is probably not the highest of their priorities.
Moreover, with extra folks working from dwelling, places of work are additionally much less more likely to require lactation pods although that is anticipated to alter with extra workers now returning to the office.
Go!Mama has a B2B mannequin, the place our prospects — who can pay for the lactation pods to be put in — are usually facility managers and never our finish customers (the lactating mums). It’s fairly tough to essentially articulate the ache and challenges of a mum who has to breastfeed on-the-go to individuals who haven’t skilled this drawback.
As a lot of our prospects haven’t personally gone via the breastfeeding journey earlier than, it’s not really easy for them to narrate. That is one thing I’m nonetheless engaged on as we speak, as a result of I imagine that the extra they’ll perceive the ache, the extra they’ll see the necessity and worth our options.
– Vivian Lee, co-founder of Go!Mama
Furthermore, as Go!Mama’s idea is the first-of-its-kind in Singapore, in addition they face problem in aligning themselves to the prevailing laws.
To facilitate this, they’ve labored with Ministry of Commerce and Trade (MTI) Professional-Enterprise Panel underneath the First Mover Framework and New Concept Scheme, who has helped join them with related authorities companies to discover collaborations.
Following Sentosa trial, they’re eyeing deployment at MRT stations subsequent
Go!Mama has since launched a six-month public trial at Sentosa wherein they deployed 5 of their lactation pods throughout the island in December 2021. The mobility of the pods signifies that they are often moved simply to totally different areas, ought to one location have low visitors.
The trial continues to be ongoing, however Vivian stated that “a superb variety of mums” have already used their pods and expressed their appreciation in the direction of this initiative.
Some additionally voiced out that they want to see the deployment of the pods past Sentosa. In keeping with this suggestions, Go!Mama is in talks with different native attraction suppliers to implement their lactation pods and this month, it can even be trialling their pods within the JTC launchpad @ one-north.
“We hope that this would be the begin to many extra pods being deployed in work and manufacturing facility settings to help mums at work,” stated Vivian, including that its key focus now could be to work carefully with the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to deploy their pods at MRT stations subsequent.
“Breastfeeding mums actually need extra help, and the neighborhood can do extra to assist,” urged Vivian.
“In Singapore, 99 per cent of moms try breastfeeding as a result of it’s optimum (for) toddler well being, development and growth. The fact is, mums can’t be dwelling 24/7 and (be) connected to their infants.”
In reality, based mostly on final yr’s information from the Singapore Division of Statistics, greater than half of the native workforce are made up of girls.
Having to hunt for a personal house each three hours — mums have to sustain with expressing (milk) and breastfeeding six to eight occasions a day to take care of provide — is basically demanding for mums. They’re already juggling a lot — work, a brand new child, lack of sleeps, (operating) errands and extra.
Go!Mama needs to redefine the expertise of mums who’re breastfeeding on the go. We additionally wish to construct a brand new community of lactation amenities quick, and (our) pods can assist obtain that.
– Vivian Lee, co-founder of Go!Mama
Shifting ahead, Go!Mama is seeking to discover new options in its lactation pods, together with air-conditioning for higher consolation in addition to the incorporation of photo voltaic panels to faucet on sustainable vitality in order that their pods can develop into a very free-standing unit.
Within the yr forward, in addition they plan to trial extra Go!Mama lactation pods at totally different areas round Singapore.
Featured Picture Credit score: Go!Mama
