From Mamava to Ava Pods: Making Space for Focus in a World in Motion

When Sascha Mayer and I founded Mamava in 2013, we were trying to solve a very specific problem: breastfeeding parents needed private, comfortable places to pump breast milk or nurse a distractible baby. From workplaces to public spaces, environments just weren't designed for the unique needs of lactation. So we invented something that was—a freestanding lactation pod.

To do so, we listened to breastfeeding parents. We worked with facilities teams. We learned the intricacies of accessibility, compliance, building codes, ventilation, and durability. We designed, prototyped, tested, learned, and did it again and again. Today, thousands of Mamava pods support breastfeeding parents in workplaces, airports, hospitals, universities, stadiums, and public spaces across the country.

Over the past decade, we’ve learned that the need for private space extends far beyond lactation. When people have the right space, they can focus better, communicate more effectively, and access the support they need. Too often, organizations view private spaces as optional amenities, but we believe they are essential infrastructure.  

Introducing Ava Pods—A broader vision for private space

That belief led us to acquire TalkBox in 2025. TalkBox brought deep expertise in workplace privacy, complementing the lactation experience we had built through Mamava. Together, we saw an opportunity to address a broader range of privacy needs.

We're ready for the next step: on September 29, 2026, Mamava will become Ava Pods. This is more than just a new name—it’s the launch of our new mission and product portfolio that now extends beyond lactation into purpose-built spaces for work, wellness, and lactation. What began with the world's first freestanding lactation pod has grown into a broader mission: creating spaces where people can be fully present for work, care, and connection. Ava Pods will feature three product lines:

• Workspace: Private spaces for focused work, video calls, interviews, and confidential conversations.
• Wellness: Purpose-built spaces for telehealth, behavioral health, medication management, prayer, and other moments when privacy is essential.
• Lactation: Mamava will continue to be our lactation product line—including the Mamava app that helps parents find lactation spaces, access pods, and connect with breastfeeding resources. 

Ava Pods allows us to take what we've learned and apply it more broadly to support more people in more places.

Built for the real world

We've learned that the right solution has to work in the real world. Mamava began in an airport, one of the most demanding environments imaginable. Since then, we've designed for high-traffic, multi-use environments where privacy, accessibility, compliance, and reliability can't be compromised. 

That experience shapes Ava Pods. Our solutions are designed for the places where people actually work, travel, learn, receive care, and gather. And they’re designed to be easy for organizations to deploy, sustain, and scale as needs evolve.

Organizational spaces signal what matters

There's one more lesson we've learned along the way: An organization's choices about space signal what matters. When an organization creates a dedicated place to pump, focus, access care, or have a private conversation, it isn't just solving a space problem. It's making support visible and communicating the message that: We see this need. We planned for it. You matter here.

That's the opportunity we see with Ava Pods. We're building on everything Mamava has taught us about the power of designing purpose-built spaces and expanding that vision to create more places for focus, care, and connection. We believe that the right space changes what’s possible and that creating them should be easier. That's what Ava Pods is here to do.