RICHMOND, Va. -- Gov. Ralph Northam announced Tuesday that Grenova Inc. will invest $10.6 million to expand in Richmond, creating 250 new jobs over the next three years.
The company, a sustainable biotech firm that designs, develops and manufactures devices that wash and sterilize contaminated pipette tips for reuse, will relocate its operations from Manchester to a facility in Scott’s Addition. The company will also increase capacity with new production lines in response to the shortage of pipette tips used for COVID-19 testing.
Gov. Northam joined company leaders at the site of the facility's future location at 1900 Ellen Road to celebrate the project.
“We are thrilled to celebrate this homegrown sustainable biotech firm expanding and adding to its workforce in Richmond,” Gov. Northam said. “It is remarkable to see Virginia’s innovative life sciences businesses quickly adapt and respond to critical needs as we fight this pandemic. Grenova is an emerging industry leader that has achieved exponential growth in a short time, and I applaud the company for leveraging its technology and expertise to address a global shortage and reduce environmental waste.”
Founded in Richmond, Grenova’s mission is to lower costs and reduce biohazard waste by delivering approaches to deal with plastic consumables. The company’s product allows labs to wash and sanitize pipette tips for reuse numerous times, cutting associated consumable costs by up to 96%.
Grenova’s technology allows healthcare systems to wash and reuse the tips used for testing, which has helped to end worldwide tip shortages and improve access to COVID-19 testing while making labs more environmentally friendly.
Due to demand for Grenova’s products, the company has quadrupled in size in the last year.
“Grenova’s sustainable solution for lab testing consumable products is a premier example of how great ideas and ingenuity flourish in the City of Richmond,” Mayor Levar Stoney said. “The city is thankful for the company’s capital investment and new job creation. Grenova’s new facility in Scott’s Addition demonstrates that entrepreneurial and life science ecosystems in Richmond are strong and continue to have a far-reaching impact.”
