Antony Koblish

Co-Founder and Former Chief Executive Officer TELA Bio

Last Reviewed: September 28, 2026

Executive Summary

Antony Koblish is a mechanical engineer who has spent his career building and running orthopedic and soft-tissue medical device companies. He co-founded TELA Bio in April 2012 and was its chief executive officer until August 2026. The company is listed on Nasdaq, and its board credits him with the development of its OviTex products for soft tissue reconstruction. Before TELA he was President and CEO of Orthovita, a public orthobiologics and biosurgery company that agreed in 2011 to be acquired by Stryker. He co-founded the surgical oncology company Onkos Surgical and chairs its board, and he is a director of the private companies Cerapedics and Spineology.

Career Highlights

• Co-founded TELA Bio in April 2012, and served as its chief executive officer and a director until August 3, 2026. He was also its president until June 2025.
• Credited by TELA Bio’s board chair with a commitment to innovation that “led to the development of OviTex” and helped make the company a leader in soft tissue reconstruction.
• As President and CEO of Orthovita, led the company into its May 2011 merger agreement with Stryker, a cash tender offer at $3.85 per share.
• Joined Orthovita in marketing and was promoted from Director of Worldwide Marketing to chief executive over an 11-year tenure.
• Co-founded Onkos Surgical, a surgical oncology orthopedic company based in Parsippany, New Jersey, and chairs its board.
• Director of Cerapedics, a private ortho-biologics company, and of Spineology, a private spine company.

Professional Journey

Koblish trained as a mechanical engineer. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and a Master of Science in Engineering in mechanical engineering and applied mechanics from the University of Pennsylvania. He started in orthopedics on the commercial side of product development, as Director of Marketing and Product Development in the Reconstructive Specialty Group at Howmedica.

He then moved to Orthovita, a publicly traded Pennsylvania orthobiologics and biosurgery company, and stayed 11 years. He joined in marketing, became Director of Worldwide Marketing, and was eventually promoted to President and Chief Executive Officer. In May 2011, Orthovita agreed to be acquired by Stryker through a cash tender offer at $3.85 per share, followed by a merger that made it a Stryker subsidiary.

In April 2012 he co-founded TELA Bio in Malvern, Pennsylvania. He led it as chief executive and sat on its board from the start, and he was also president until June 2025. TELA describes itself as a commercial-stage medical technology company whose products aim to preserve and restore the patient’s own anatomy. Its board chair credits Koblish with the development of OviTex, the product line that helped establish TELA in soft tissue reconstruction. The company listed on Nasdaq under the ticker TELA.

On August 3, 2026, TELA’s board decided that he would no longer serve as chief executive, and he resigned from the board the same day. The company said the change was not the result of any disagreement over its operations, policies or practices. Heather Getz, previously chief financial and operations officer at Butterfly Network, succeeded him. When the change was announced, Koblish said it had been “a privilege to lead TELA Bio” and that he was proud of “building and commercializing an innovative portfolio of products supported by compelling clinical evidence.”

Throughout his time at TELA he also held board roles at other device companies. He co-founded Onkos Surgical, which focuses on surgical oncology in orthopedics, and serves as its chairman. He is also a director of Cerapedics and Spineology. Securities filings from Onkos and Spineology in mid-2026 list him as a director of each.

Education

University of Pennsylvania

Master of Science in Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Bachelor of Science, Mechanical Engineering