SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Within months of going to market, biosafety startup R-Zero has become a leading disinfection solution across economic sectors, notably, in the sports industry as professional teams across the NBA, NFL, NHL and MLS increasingly turn to their UV-C technology to protect fans, athletes, and staff. Teams including the Brooklyn Nets, Sacramento Kings, San Francisco 49ers, Detroit Red Wings and San Jose Earthquakes have been among the first to integrate R-Zero’s flagship UV-C disinfection system, Arc, into enhanced safety protocols coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Scientists have known about UV-C’s disinfecting power for decades, but R-Zero’s Arc is the first hospital-grade germicidal UV system that is financially and operationally accessible to the mass market. With Arc, which retails at a fraction of the price of traditional UV-C solutions, R-Zero is effectively disrupting a legacy industry. Efficacy testing shows that, with the simple push of a button, Arc destroys 99.99% of airborne and surface pathogens in just 7 minutes.
Unlike chemical disinfection, on which sports facilities have traditionally relied, Arc is eco-friendly, highly effective, and addresses airborne pathogens. Participating major league sports teams are currently leveraging R-Zero’s Arc to add a critical layer of protection in multiple environments throughout their venues, including stadiums, bathrooms, training and locker rooms, administrative offices, onsite medical facilities, and concession areas. Arc also features built-in IoT connectivity that creates a first-of-its-kind audit trail, enabling teams to track usage and compliance — setting a new standard in safety credibility with players, staff, and fans alike.
“COVID-19 was an incredible challenge for every team throughout the 2020 Major League Soccer season,” said Jared Shawlee, Chief Operating Officer of the San Jose Earthquakes. “We are proud to say our team navigated the 2020 season without a single positive case and we believe this is a testament to our entire organization's commitment to strict procedures that prioritized the health and safety of our players and personnel. We are constantly searching for new and improved ways to keep our organization healthy, and implementing R-Zero’s UV-C technology is another example of our commitment.”
This announcement comes on the heels of a stunted 2020 sports season for players and spectators alike, as the pandemic caused governing associations across the professional sports industry to suspend games and conferences in order to stop the spread of COVID-19, resulting in $8B in lost revenue. New protocols and technologies like R-Zero’s UV system will prove vital in safely reopening and jumpstarting the sector.
“We're honored to be supporting some of the most beloved and prolific professional sports teams across the country, in delivering the highest possible level of player, staff, and fan safety," said Grant Morgan, CEO and co-founder of R-Zero.
Less than a year old, the company’s runaway 2020 growth has catapulted it into 2021 as national sports UV-C technology leader, emerging as a preferred market solution amid stiff competition for a variety of businesses and sectors. In addition to professional sports teams, customers include over 150 schools (accounting for more than 100,000 students and teachers across the country), millions of square feet of office space, dozens of county corrections and Sheriff’s departments, hotels, restaurants, senior care and healthcare facilities and much more.
"R-Zero's UV technology has been purposefully designed to address and solve new challenges of safety in public spaces and in large facilities like sports arenas,” said Morgan. “That safety extends far beyond the field.”
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 organizations 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. R-Zero’s flagship product, Arc, is a touchless, hospital-grade UV-C disinfection device, designed to be operationally and financially accessible to organizations of all shapes and sizes. BLE and LTE-M connectivity shares usage data in real-time, providing organizations with an auditable trail of all disinfection activities for the first time. Results from recent (CDC and EPA recognized) independent lab tests prove Arc’s hospital-grade efficacy, successfully destroying over 99.99% of surface and airborne pathogens (including human coronavirus and norovirus) in a 1,000 sq ft space, in just 7 minutes. For more information, visit www.rzero.com.
