*By Madison Alworth*
After a janitor walked in on new mother Stephanie Conduff while she was breastfeeding, she felt violated. But Conduff, a lawyer, decided not to litigate; she created her own company.
"There was an opportunity for us to innovate and create a scalable solution so other mothers wouldn't have that problem," said Conduff, the CEO and founder of Leche Lounge.
Launched in 2015, Leche Lounge constructs breastfeeding and pumping suites for mothers returning to work. As of 2010, The Affordable Care Act requires that offices with more than 50 employees provide a safe, clean space where new mothers can pump. But very few workplaces actually follow that directive.
Not only is this an inconvenience, Conduff told Cheddar on Tuesday, it can be a major impediment for women in the workplace. A 2016 study [found](http://time.com/4337671/breastfeeding-lawsuits-employee-discrimination/) that breastfeeding-related discrimination lawsuits have risen a staggering 800 percent over the last decade.
Conduff, a member of the Cherokee Nation, is determined to support her community. Her company is 100 percent Native American-owned and operated, and each suite is built by Native American craftsmen. The rooms all include a hospital-grade breast pump, large seats, fan, and even outlets for charging smartphones. The company is based in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
This year, Leche Lounge won Rent the Runway's Project Entrepreneur Venture Competition. It was one of five companies in a pool 500 of applicants to receive direct support and tutelage from the venture program, which has been a catalyst for growth, said Conduff.
"It was an opportunity to elevate Leche Lounge."
For the full segment, [click here.](https://cheddar.com/videos/leche-lounge-a-safe-place-for-new-moms)
Oracle soars as it cashes in on the AI boom, Plus: Starbucks shares continue to fall under its new CEO, and does anybody actually want a new iPhone Air?
Swedish buy now, pay later company Klarna is making its highly anticipated public debut on the New York Stock Exchange Wednesday, the latest in a run of high-profile initial public offerings this year. The offering priced at $40 Tuesday, above the forecasted range of $35 to $37 a share, valuing the company at more than $15 billion. The valuation easily makes Klarna one of the biggest IPOs so far in 2025, which has been one of the busier years for companies going public. Other popular IPOs so far this year include the design software company Figma and Circle Internet Group, which issues the USDC stablecoin..
Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison wrested the title of the world’s richest man from longtime holder Elon Musk early Wednesday as stock in his software giant rocketed more than a third in a stunning few minutes of trading. That is according to wealth tracker Bloomberg. A college dropout, the 81-year-old Ellison is now worth $393 billion, Bloomberg says, several billion more than Musk, who had been the world’s richest for four years. The switch in the ranking came after a blockbuster earnings report from Oracle. Forbes still has Musk as the richest, however, valuing his private businesses much higher.
Aurimas Sabulis, CEO of Dextall, unveils how AI‑driven prefabricated façades slash design time by 80%, labor by 87%, and accelerate affordable housing delivery.
