Fresh off quarterbacking Vizio’s IPO, Scott Becker got word that Willow Innovations was looking for legal support with its Wall Street debut. Going from a company valued in the billions to a relatively unknown Silicon Valley startup was a risk.
But the Costa Mesa father of two was already familiar with Willow’s product—a wearable, cordless breast pump that had been a game-changer for his wife, Kate.
“I knew about the product. I cleaned it 200 times,” he told the Business Journal.
Kate, a prosecutor for the Orange County District Attorney’s office, relied on the hands-free pump when she returned to work and for rare outings with her husband after the birth of their two children.
“That was the only way we got out of the house,” Becker recalls.
Unlike traditional outlet-powered pumping devices, Willow’s discreet, battery-operated design allows breastfeeding mothers to move freely and use both hands—without being tethered to a loud, stationary machine.
“It’s really an incredible product,” he said.
That personal connection led Becker to join Mountain View-based Willow in 2022—that, along with his ambition.
“I loved my time at Vizio, but I was also looking to climb the ladder. And unfortunately, the reality is that the fastest way to do that is often jumping from company to company,” he told the Business Journal.
This year, the most challenging work of his career came when he secured the asset acquisition of Willow’s top competitor, U.K.-based Elvie—another early pioneer in the wearable breast pump category. The acquisition, initiated in mid-2023 as a patent infringement suit against Elvie, has expanded Willow’s footprint into Europe, broadened its product portfolio, and secured its leadership in the fast-growing, emerging “femtech” segment.
For his leadership in that transaction, Becker was honored at the Business Journal’s General Counsel Awards in the Rising Star category during a Nov. 6 ceremony held at the Irvine Marriott. It marks the second such honor for Becker, who won a GC award as part of the In-House Legal Team at Vizio in 2021.
Pivoting at Willow
When the market for tech IPOs collapsed in 2022, Willow shelved its plans to go public and focused on profitability and growth. Becker guided Willow through cost-cutting, including layoffs.
“The business had to reorient quite a bit to focus on the factors that contributed most directly to the bottom line,” Becker said.
That also led to the acquisition of its top competitor. The deal to acquire Elvie’s assets was among the most complex of Becker’s career. What began as a merger of equals evolved into an asset acquisition of Elvie, which was going through insolvency, he said.
Along the way, Becker and his team had to navigate international legal systems and debt rollover issues, which required them to work around the clock.
“There were just so many twists and turns the structure of the transaction took,” he said.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
With the acquisition, Willow has solidified its position as a leader in the wearable breast pump market. It also expands its portfolio beyond breast pumps as it now owns Elvie’s Rise, an all-in-one smart bouncer and bassinet that Willow launched in the U.S. a few months ago.
What’s next for Willow and Becker?
He said the company is considering additional IP enforcement measures, including the possibility of filing an International Trade Commission (ITC) action to block potentially infringing products from entering the U.S.
Bootcamp for Lawyers
Becker, who also serves on the board of First Tee of Orange County, a nonprofit that teaches youth life skills through golf, credited his time at Latham & Watkins in Orange County for preparing him for his work at Vizio and Willow. While at the firm, the Texas native focused on mergers and acquisitions, as well as capital markets.
He was part of the Latham team representing Actavis in the acquisition of Irvine-based Allergan for $66 billion in 2014—a deal that ultimately rose to $70.5 billion upon its closure in 2015.
“Starting my career at Latham—it’s basically like boot camp for lawyers,” he said. “It’s long nights, long hours, but you get a high-quality training, and you develop a skill set that you know will serve you very well once you go in-house.”
