Bobbie: Laura Modi. How a Baby Formula Startup Took Market Share From Two Industry Giants

Laura Modi set out to build a better infant formula. What followed was years of setbacks: a crippling dispute with the FDA, a frustrating search for a manufacturer, and the constant fear that the company would run out of money before it reached customers.But today, Bobbie generates over $100 million a year and has captured nearly 4% of the U.S. infant formula market by challenging one of the most protected industries in America.In this conversation, Laura explains how she made it through—and why many of the moments that looked like disasters ultimately built a better company, and made her a better entrepreneur.You'll learn:Why Laura left a great job to launch one of the most heavily regulated products in AmericaHow she spent nearly $200,000 of her own savings before raising outside capitalHow 64 investor pitches helped her tell a better storyHow a public apology changed the trajectory of the companyWhy Bobbie turned away thousands of customers during its fastest period of growthWhy Laura moved to Washington, D.C., and how she thinks about federal oversightTimestamps:13:17 – The emotional experience that revealed a massive business opportunity23:09 – Laura learns about the two companies that had a lock on U.S. formula25:52 – Quitting Airbnb, starting Bobbie while pregnant, risking her savings38:52 – Pitching 64 investors—and the brutal feedback that fueled her to keep going50:04 – The FDA shuts the company down after two weeks1:01:14 – Building a community while waiting nearly two years for approval1:09:11 – Launch day, and selling out faster than expected1:13:59 – Why Laura shut off new customer orders during the infant formula shortage1:17:12 – Buying her own manufacturing plant to control Bobbie's future1:20:19 – Navigating Washington, regulation, and building a mission-driven brandThis episode was researched and produced by Alex Cheng with music by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by Neva Grant. Our audio engineer was Robert Rodriguez. Follow How I Built This:Instagram → @howibuiltthisX → @HowIBuiltThisFacebook → How I Built ThisFollow Guy Raz:Instagram → @guy.razYoutube → guy_razX → @guyrazSubstack → guyraz.substack.comWebsite → guyraz.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.