The Builders Téa Phillips – Building MetaFlex: From Prototype to Market, Arthritis Relief & Beyond
In this episode of The Builders Podcast, Matt Levenhagen sits down with Téa Phillips, CEO of ATS and inventor of MetaFlex — the world’s first grip-strengthening compression glove.
Téa shares her journey from engineering student to award-winning entrepreneur, driven by a personal mission to help her grandmother and others struggling with arthritis. From early prototypes to manufacturing hurdles, mentorship, and market challenges, her story is a blueprint for building with empathy, resilience, and innovation.
Listeners will walk away with insights into the invention process, navigating real-world business roadblocks, and scaling a product that changes lives.
Key Takeaways
- Engineering with empathy: Téa combined technical skills with compassion to design MetaFlex for arthritis patients — later expanding its use to carpal tunnel, Parkinson’s, and athletes.
- The power of mentorship: Surrounding herself with mentors and advisors across healthcare, sales, and business was critical to her success.
- Prototype to product: Market research, user feedback, and iteration ensured MetaFlex was not only effective but also comfortable and practical.
- Overcoming hurdles: From a year-long delay in finding the right manufacturer to navigating crushing tariffs, Téa shares how adaptability is key in building a business.
- Building beyond one idea: With a notebook “full of products,” Téa shows how inventors can continue creating while scaling their first breakthrough.
Tune in for a story that blends invention, perseverance, and the drive to build solutions that last.