T2 Design
T2 Design is a Santa Monica-based product design and prototyping services firm founded by Paul Berman that helps individual inventors and small entrepreneurs move product ideas from concept through CAD design, prototyping, patent searching, and manufacturing liaison.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1991
- HeadquartersSanta Monica, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What T2 Design does
T2 Design Corporation is a privately held product design and invention prototyping services firm headquartered in Santa Monica, California, founded by Paul Berman and operating with 1-10 employees. The company serves primarily individual inventors and early-stage entrepreneurs who lack the technical expertise to take a product idea from concept to manufactured good. Its core offering — branded the 'Silver Platter Approach' — bundles product design, mechanical engineering, prototype development (CAD-driven with 3D printing and CNC machining), patent searching and patentability opinions, packaging design, production engineering, and manufacturing liaison across US and Asian factories into a single end-to-end engagement. Pricing is project-based: a $150 initial consultation, $750 for a combined international/US patent search, $135/hour for development work, and $2,000-$20,000 per prototype depending on complexity.
The firm generates revenue almost exclusively through direct, consultation-led sales, with Paul Berman personally conducting the initial evaluation of every prospective client. Customer acquisition is heavily reliant on earned media — recurring placements on ABC's Shark Tank (producing breakout successes such as Drop Stop, which reached $80M in retail sales, and Reviver) and American Inventor, plus coverage in Entrepreneur Magazine and Small Business Opportunities — supplemented by word-of-mouth from past clients and a content-rich website showcasing a portfolio of 150+ developed products. Notable client outcomes include Fast Track Tie Rack (3M+ units sold), ZeroMax Cat Litter Box (Best New Cat Product from the American Pet Products Association), and Body Aline. The firm holds an A+ Better Business Bureau rating and Paul Berman personally holds 18 issued patents in product design.
T2 Design firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- T2 Design
- Legal name
- T2 Design Corporation
- Website
- https://t2design.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1991
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- T2 Design is a Santa Monica-based product design and prototyping services firm founded by Paul Berman that helps individual inventors and small entrepreneurs move product ideas from concept through CAD design, prototyping, patent searching, and manufacturing liaison.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
T2 Design industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Product Design & Prototyping Services
- NAICS
- Industrial Design Services (541420)
- akta.pro industry
- Industrial/Product & Furniture DesignBusiness & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Architecture, Design & Planning Services
Keywords
Where T2 Design is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Santa Monica
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
T2 Design business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Consulting Services: Initial product evaluation consultations conducted by phone or in-person, lasting up to one hour, providing preliminary patentability assessment, design problem identification, and market strategy discussion
- Patent Search Services: Combined International and United States patentability search including written patentability opinion from patent attorney
- Prototype Development: Design and construction of working prototypes using CAD and rapid prototyping methods including 3D printing and CNC machining. Cost varies from $2,000 to $20,000 depending on complexity
- Manufacturing Liaison: Facilitates manufacturing relationships with factories in China and United States, including tooling cost quotations and production engineering
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | One time | Initial Consultation - $150 for up to 1 hour |
| Unit Pricing | One time | Patent Search - $750 |
| Unit Pricing | One time | Prototype Development - $2,000 to $20,000 |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Hourly Rate - $135 per hour |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
T2 Design product offering
Product offeringCore offering
T2 Design is a professional services firm that helps inventors develop consumer products from idea through mass production. Services include paid product evaluation consultations, combined international/US patentability searches, industrial design and mechanical engineering, functional prototype construction using CAD, 3D printing, and CNC machining, packaging design, production engineering with CAD files and tooling cost quotations, manufacturing sourcing in the US and Asia, and manufacturing liaison/oversight.
Product overview
T2 Design is a product design and invention prototyping service company based in Santa Monica, California. Rather than a unified software platform, T2 Design offers a portfolio of services including product design, prototype development, patent searching, production engineering, manufacturing sourcing, and manufacturing liaison. They have developed over 150 consumer products for inventors, including notable successes like Drop Stop (Shark Tank, $80M in retail sales), Reviver (Shark Tank), ZeroMax Cat Litter Box (Best New Cat Product award), and Fast Track Tie Rack (3M+ units sold). Their services follow the 'Silver Platter Approach' methodology that provides complete product development from idea to manufacturing-ready packages. President Paul Berman holds 18 issued patents and has over 25 years of experience in consumer product development.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Product Design Services Comprehensive industrial design and mechanical engineering services covering concept development, styling, and engineering to create commercially viable consumer products; delivered primarily to individual inventors and consumer-products companies.
- Prototype Development Building of functional prototypes using computer-aided design (CAD) simulation for loads and stresses, 3D printing, and CNC machining to validate product concepts before mass production; pricing from $2,000 to $20,000 per project depending on complexity.
- Patent Searching Combined international and United States patentability searches including a written patentability opinion from a patent attorney with samples of closest prior art references; fixed fee of $750 per search.
- Production Engineering Engineering services to prepare products for manufacturing, including CAD engineering files for mass production and tooling cost quotations from contract manufacturers.
- Manufacturing Sourcing & Manufacturing Liaison Sourcing, qualification, and ongoing oversight of contract manufacturers in the United States and Asia, including factory introductions, quality coordination, and liaison between inventors and factories through mass production.
- Product Evaluation Consultation Up to one-hour paid consultation conducted by phone or in person with President Paul Berman to evaluate product ideas, conduct preliminary patentability searches, identify design problems, and discuss market strategy; protected by Non-Disclosure Agreement; fixed fee of $150.
Companies that use T2 Design
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
T2 Design technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
T2 Design partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Booda Pet ProductsminorDeveloped the ZeroMax Cat Litter Box for Booda Pet Products, which was awarded 'Best New Cat Product' by the American Pet Products Association
- WalmartcoreMajor retail distribution partner for T2 Design client products including Drop Stop (sold in over 1,000 stores)
- WalgreenscoreRetail distribution partner for Reviver clothing freshening products
- 7-ElevencoreConvenience store chain distribution partner for Reviver products
- PetcocorePet specialty retailer distributing Reviver pet odor swipes and wipes
- QVCcoreTelevision shopping network partner where T2 Design clients like Marc Newburger and Jeffrey Simon regularly appear to sell Drop Stop products
- Fremantle (American Inventor)coreSelected by Fremantle to design and build two of the show's twelve semi-finalist prototypes on ABC's American Inventor
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
T2 Design competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- IDEO: Global human-centered design and innovation consultancy offering product design, prototyping, and engineering services across many categories. Comparable as the archetypal large-scale industrial design firm; serves much larger enterprise clients than T2 Design's inventor base.
- Frog Design: Large product design and strategy firm (now part of Capgemini Engineering) delivering industrial design, mechanical engineering, and prototyping for global brands. Comparable as a full-service product development consultancy with overlapping capabilities to T2 Design's Silver Platter model, but operating at significantly larger scale.
Direct peers
- Lunar Design: Boutique industrial design and product development firm specializing in consumer products, medical devices, and consumer electronics from concept through production. Highly comparable to T2 Design in offering end-to-end design and prototyping for physical product makers, though typically serving larger brand clients.
- Ammunition Group: Industrial design and brand consultancy that develops consumer products end-to-end, from concept and mechanical engineering through manufacturing. Closely comparable to T2 Design's consumer-product focus and Silver Platter-style integrated service model, with notable product launch wins (e.g., Beats by Dre).
- Bresslergroup: Product development firm combining industrial design, mechanical/electrical engineering, and prototyping for consumer and medical products. Comparable as a full-service product development consultancy with similar end-to-end methodology and dual inventor/SMB-to-enterprise client mix.
- NewDealDesign: Industrial design and invention studio that takes consumer product concepts through prototyping and manufacturing, with a strong track record of high-profile product launches (e.g., Fitbit). Comparable to T2 Design in taking inventor-style briefs from idea through shippable product.
- Speck Design: Industrial design and product development consultancy delivering concept design, prototyping, and engineering services for consumer hardware. Comparable boutique-scale peer with overlapping consumer-product, prototyping, and manufacturing-liaison offerings.
- Product Development Technologies: Engineering and product development firm providing industrial design, mechanical engineering, prototyping, and manufacturing support for consumer and medical products. Comparable end-to-end product development partner serving both emerging inventors and established brands.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
T2 Design social profiles
Digital presenceT2 Design financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
T2 Design leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
T2 Design funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
T2 Design M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about T2 Design
What does T2 Design do?
T2 Design is a professional services firm that helps inventors develop consumer products from idea through mass production. Services include paid product evaluation consultations, combined international/US patentability searches, industrial design and mechanical engineering, functional prototype construction using CAD, 3D printing, and CNC machining, packaging design, production engineering with CAD files and tooling cost quotations, manufacturing sourcing in the US and Asia, and manufacturing liaison/oversight.
Is T2 Design a public or private company?
T2 Design is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was T2 Design founded?
T2 Design was founded in 1991. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is T2 Design based?
T2 Design is headquartered in Santa Monica, United States, in the North America region.
How does T2 Design make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Consulting Services are the primary driver. The others are patent Search Services, prototype Development and manufacturing Liaison.
Who are T2 Design's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are IDEO and Frog Design. Direct peers are Lunar Design, Ammunition Group, Bresslergroup, NewDealDesign, Speck Design and Product Development Technologies.
Does T2 Design have an API?
No public API is recorded for T2 Design.
What industry is T2 Design in?
T2 Design's product category is Product Design & Prototyping Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAKAM, Industrial/Product & Furniture Design. Its NAICS code is 541420.