How an overlooked health issue became a real business. An interview with Emily Stein, Co-Founder and CEO of Teef and Primal Health

For Emily Stein, the path from Stanford scientist to startup founder wasn’t straightforward. What began with a deeply personal motivation, preventing her grandmother from losing more teeth after a stroke, has turned into building Primal Health, an international company tackling one of healthcare’s most overlooked problems: oral health.

Emily has led Primal Health through the challenges of launching products in both the human and pet markets, raising capital in a tough environment, and educating consumers and practitioners about a brand-new approach to oral care. Emily intended to build Primal Health, a human oral health brand but had to pivot when she couldn’t penetrate the dental market. Now there’s Teef, an oral health company for dogs. And it’s working.

3 Key Takeaways

1. Creating a New Category Isn’t Easy

“We started in humans, but dentists didn’t wanna have anything to do with us ’cause they thought it would work and cut into their bottom line. So we pivoted to pets, and that saved our company.”

2. Founders Have to Be Resilient

“This is my fifth startup. It’s messy. Every single startup.”

3. The Mission Drives the Business Forward

“Our goal as a company is to be in every mouth at least once a day.”

Emily Stein’s journey highlights what it takes to build a business in uncharted territory: scientific credibility, entrepreneurial grit, and an unwavering mission. By blending innovation with resilience, she’s positioning Teef to transform how people, and their pets, approach oral care.