R-Zero Systems Logo
SAN FRANCISCO (PRWEB)
September 30, 2020
R-Zero, a biosafety company that aims to reduce the spread of infectious disease, today announced the availability of its hospital-grade UV-C disinfection device, Arc, for mainstream businesses. This marks the first time that germicidal UV-C disinfection technology is commercially accessible through affordable pricing and operational ease. To fast-track distribution, R-Zero closed a $15M Series A round of financing led by DBL Partners with participation from Bedrock Capital. As part, Ira Ehrenpreis, Managing Partner at DBL Partners, has joined R-Zero’s Board of Directors.
Hospital-grade UV-C technology isn’t a new invention. For over a century, it has been used to fend off infectious diseases using energetic waves of ultraviolet light known as germicidal UV that wipe out viruses, bacteria and other microorganisms. Decades of research proves that germicidal UV can effectively inactivate surface and airborne microbes that transmit century old diseases such as the measles, tuberculosis, and coronavirus. But until now, UV-C disinfection technology has been limited to hospitals, where costs can range between $60,000 and $125,000 per unit, and are too cumbersome to integrate in a way that’s safe for businesses and consumers.
“In a time when an invisible microorganism is causing unprecedented human suffering and economic destruction on a truly global scale, businesses everywhere need solutions that enable them to reopen doors and keep them open safely,” said Grant Morgan, CEO and Co-founder of R-Zero. “But in order for businesses to successfully reopen, people need to feel safe in common spaces. We see a massive opportunity to create safer environments for organizations of all shapes and sizes using the same proven disinfection technologies that hospitals have relied on for decades. We’re incredibly grateful for our investors and customers who share our view that democratizing access to the most effective hospital-grade disinfection technologies is the key to restoring consumer trust and stopping the spread of infectious disease, now and forever.”
“In today’s world, nothing is more important than the health and safety of our families, fellow employees and frontline workers, but unfortunately the cost of effective disinfection protocols has been prohibitively expensive,” said Ira Ehrenpreis, Managing Partner at DBL Partners and R-Zero board member. “Through innovation and cost reduction, R-Zero democratizes access to safety for businesses and communities alike. In much the same way as companies in other critical industries have benefited in recent years from the commitment of Impact Investing and experienced exponential growth by unlocking new technologies and attracting a new breed of entrepreneurial talent, R-Zero is similarly poised to benefit from impact investment dollars to modernize the disinfection space with its breakthrough technology aimed at addressing the critical societal issues around trust, appropriate health protocols, and the need for safer spaces.”
“Germicidal UV is highly effective at decontaminating surfaces and air, which are the two virus transmission routes we are most concerned with,” said Dr. Richard Wade, Chief Scientist at R-Zero. Dr. Richard Wade has spent the past 43 years in microbiological and chemical contamination, toxicology, corporate risk management, and environmental risk management roles for Princess Cruise Lines, Norweigan Cruise Lines as well as multiple city and state governmental bodies including his previous role as deputy chief for Cal/OSHA. “UV-C is also a non-toxic disinfection solution, disinfecting both surfaces and air without the use of chemicals – which is critical in public spaces. And while the science is sound, every element of R-Zero’s touchless UV-C device has been designed to take safety into consideration.”
R-Zero was founded in the early stages of the pandemic by co-founders Ben Boyer, Grant Morgan and Eli Harris — after recognizing a unique opportunity to modernize the $20B+ infection prevention industry and help businesses increase employee and customer safety. R-Zero’s flagship germicidal UV-C device, Arc, successfully offers the same or better safety and efficacy as the systems used in hospitals — at a fraction of the price (via hardware-as-a-service lease). And while Arc’s high efficacy makes it an ideal option for clinical settings, it was designed to also work seamlessly in the many dynamic environments found outside of a hospital – including schools, restaurants, hotels, offices (and CRE), manufacturing environments, professional athletic facilities and more.
Now, just five months after inception, R-Zero’s UV-C system is actively rolling out across a range of industries and environments that recognize R-Zero as a safe and effective way to resume operations and restore trust.
As schools face entirely new challenges in reopening, R-Zero has partnered with several state education associations across the U.S. to help support and inform administrations how to best set up new health and safety protocols and minimize environmental risk so students, teachers and faculty can return to campuses safely.
“I am extremely optimistic about germicidal UV-C as a whole-room disinfection solution for a school environment,” sand Dr. Brent Clark, Executive Director of the Illinois Association of School Administrators and former Superintendent. “Incorporating hospital-grade technology into regular cleaning and disinfecting protocols will provide an added layer of protection for students and teachers, without the use of chemicals, which is critical.”
While R-Zero seeks to give back trust and safety to businesses and consumers in the COVID-19 era, this pandemic will ultimately have a larger impact on every aspect of modern culture and how the world looks at infectious disease. From this point forward, businesses around the globe will be putting infection prevention and environmental safety at the forefront of their day-to-day operations, potentially making technologies like UV-C a standard protocol necessary to stop the spread of new infectious diseases, in addition to the seasonal flu, norovirus, E.coli, and the common cold – all of which impact tens of millions of Americans every year.
About R-Zero
R-Zero is the first biosafety company dedicated to making the spaces we all live, learn, work, and play safer and clinically clean. Founded to help businesses protect what matters most, R-Zero’s suite of thoughtfully-designed, hospital-grade technologies and science-backed protocols reduces the transmission of pathogens and the diseases they cause – from the coronavirus to the common cold. For more information, visit http://www.rzero.com.
About Arc
R-Zero’s flagship product, Arc, is a touchless, hospital-grade germicidal UV-C device, designed for the dynamic environments of all organizations. BLE, LTE-M and GPS connectivity shares usage data in real time, providing organizations with an auditable trail of all disinfection activities. Results from recent (CDC and EPA recognized) independent lab tests prove Arc’s hospital-grade efficacy—successfully destroying over 99.99% of pathogens (including human coronavirus and norovirus) in a 1,000 sq ft space, in just 7 minutes. Design partners include Bould Design and BC Mechanical Design. For more information, visit http://www.rzero.com/arc-uvc/.