Grenova News

Each year, Grenova welcomes a team of talented interns to its Richmond headquarters to develop new skillsets and to prepare for future careers that will impact communities all over the globe. Throughout the summer, college students participating in Grenova’s internship program are able to gain valuable, firsthand experiences in a cutting-edge manufacturing facility that is creating the world’s only pipette tip washing technology. In addition, they become part of a family of passionate Grenovaians working to spread the word about reducing plastics in the lab industry, and throughout the biotech and life sciences community.  

After working in the laboratory consumables market for eight years, Ali Safavi, founder and CEO of Grenova Solutions, realized that the industry would not be able to sustain itself indefinitely. Working as a laboratory engineer, Safavi took notice of the sheer amount of plastic waste accumulating around him each day. He quickly saw that pipette tips, which he previously considered small and easily dispensable, were to blame for a sizable portion of the laboratory plastic waste created. There was no way to reuse pipette tips, and recycling these products was often costly. Safavi explains, “I worked in the industry for quite some time, and during that time I discovered that there is a hole in the laboratory consumables market. It’s a linear, not cyclical model; it’s not sustainable and it won’t last forever. For me, I found that plastic consumables were being discarded after a single use, and I saw that there was no way that the industry could sustain itself forever.” 

Throughout the current health crisis, Grenova has had one goal— to leverage our technology and expertise to help fight the spread of COVID-19. Richmond Inno, a media outlet featuring innovative businesses, recently recognized Grenova’s efforts in the healthcare and life sciences community during this time of crisis. Grenova was nominated as a finalist in the Crisis Innovator Award, which honors companies stepping up in the face of coronavirus.  

Companies around the world are increasingly realizing the importance of reducing their plastic waste. Aramark, the Coca Cola Company, and McDonalds are only a few of the large businesses who have committed to reducing their single-use plastics and increasing their use of reusable and compostable products. Big names are starting to use their platforms and resources to help drive real change to reduce single-use plastics.  

Coronavirus testing labs are facing a steadily growing volume of tests needed with no immediate end in sight. These labs are tasked with managing their increasing demand through smart inventory control.  In a recent White House briefing, coronavirus response coordinator Deborah Birx stressed to testing laboratories: “Make sure you have enough pipette tips, pipettors, and all of the equipment that you need... you know what you need. Make sure you have that and have that available for these tests.”