Tech Vets: Former Amazon leader taps her military chops in new role as maternal-care entrepreneur

When Seattle entrepreneur Stephiney Foley was an undergraduate at West Point, she had a literal lesson in “to sink or swim” that helped shape her as a leader.

Though only a sophomore at the elite military academy, Foley was required to support 18 freshmen in their academics and other areas. That included an underclassman from Chicago who didn’t know how to swim and needed to learn.

Foley wasn’t a great swimmer herself and the other student towered over her by more than a foot. They met at the pool at 5 a.m.

“I want him to succeed,” Foley recounted thinking. “And I’m not that strong, and he just drags me down as we’re treading water. It’s such a small example, but you’re focused on helping the person that you are in charge of, doing the best that you can.”

Despite the inauspicious start, the pair met three times a week for many months. Her mentee’s swimming improved, and Foley became a stronger leader, someone who’s willing to give her best to tough assignments.

After graduating, Foley served in the U.S. Army as a platoon leader in Afghanistan and Hawaii, and a supply chain and operations officer in California. She worked at Amazon for six years, leaving the role of head of product for order management. In September 2023 she launched Yuzi, a startup providing post-natal care for new moms and families.

Reflecting on her time at West Point and the U.S. Army, Foley recalls the character-shaping experiences and the values that were driven into her — concepts that are motivational but not so much the stuff of embroidered pillow slogans. They include “choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong” and “the only constant is change.”

She relied on these lessons leading predominantly male teams at Amazon, setting boundaries and standards for communicating with her subordinates at the tech giant. She spoke out for a female employee on her team who was being treated disrespectfully.

Foley now draws on her military experience as a startup founder. That includes a recent decision to redefine the focus of her company.

She initially launched Yuzi to provide a post-delivery retreat for mothers where they receive meals, access to experts in taking care of newborns, and an opportunity to heal, with longer-term virtual resources.

But a six-month pilot demonstrated that the vision wasn’t going to pencil out. Foley had to lay off some staff and refocus.

Her new plan for Yuzi is creating a marketplace of services and AI-powered planning tools for women to easily assemble a personalized, post-partum support plan. That includes lining up assistance day or night, finding lactation consultants, physical therapy for pelvic floor recovery, mental health and nutrition guidance, and other needs.

While the experiences in the military, as well as at Amazon, provided Foley with needed tools for running her company, she admits certain traits don’t always translate well in other parts of life — and she’s working to refine them. For example, she sometimes she speaks too directly and charges ahead when the situation calls for a gentler approach.

“I don’t have tactical patience,” she said. “I’m just like, ‘Let’s go. Here’s the plan. Let’s execute. This is what I want to do.'”

The big picture, however, is that her service was formative in many positive ways.

“The combination of grit that the military gives you, because you’re put through so many crucibles, and then in addition to that your ability to adapt and your conviction in the mission” has been essential, she said. “The military really kind of formed who I am as a person.”

Editor’s note: “Tech Vets: Profiles in Leadership and Innovation,” is a GeekWire series showcasing U.S. military veterans leading companies within the Pacific Northwest tech industry. The series explores how military experience fosters leadership, resilience, and innovation in tech.