CEO, Bobbie
Laura Modi grew up in Westport, a small town on Ireland’s Atlantic coast, where community and care ran deep, and so did the belief that nourishing others is an act of service. Years later, as a new mom living in the U.S., she was shocked by what she found on infant formula shelves when searching for an option to feed her own baby. She set out to reform this industry from opaque, outdated, and designed for profit to transparent, science-backed, and designed for parents.
So in 2018, Laura left her tech career at Airbnb and Google to do something radical: build Bobbie, the first mom-founded and led infant formula company in the U.S. Bobbie launched in 2021 with a European-inspired, USDA Organic formula manufactured in America, free from corn syrup, synthetic pesticides, hormones, and antibiotics.
When shelves went empty in 2022 following a nationwide shortage, Laura launched Bobbie for Change to advocate for safer standards, paid parental leave, and better maternal health. She later helped develop and introduce the Infant Formula Made in America Act alongside policymakers, addressing the vulnerabilities exposed by the crisis and pushing for a more resilient, reliable domestic supply. Last but not least, she opened the doors to the first new infant formula manufacturing facility in four decades, right in the heartland of America: Ohio.
Today, Bobbie has nourished over 1 million babies and is the fastest-growing formula brand since the 1980s, now holding 4% of the U.S. market. More than 90% of this $2 billion industry is dominated by a few corporate giants, with the federal government, through programs like WIC, acting as its largest buyer. For Laura, though, now a mom of four, this work is deeply personal: it’s about reshaping an industry and building a culture of confidence for parents. The Breast Is Best community has been vocal and established for decades, but for the 83% of parents who will turn to formula in the first year of their babies’ lives? Bobbie is for them.