Biotech firm moving to new Richmond location, creating 250 jobs

Grenova Inc., a Richmond-based sustainable biotech company, plans to move to a larger facility in the city, investing $10.6 million and creating 250 jobs over the next three years, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Tuesday.

The company is currently located in the Manchester neighborhood but will move to a larger facility across from The Diamond baseball park in the Scott’s Addition area, the governor said. Grenova, founded in 2014, designs and manufactures devices that wash and sterilize pipette tips for reuse and has seen its business quadruple in the past year during the COVID-19 pandemic. Its product Tipnovus lets labs that conduct COVID tests cleanse pipette tips so they don’t have to discard them after one use.

We are thrilled to celebrate this homegrown sustainable biotech firm expanding and adding to its workforce in Richmond,” Northam said in a statement. “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.”

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with the city of Richmond to secure the deal, and Grenova is eligible for benefits from the Virginia Enterprise Zone Program administered by the state Department of Housing and Community Development. The company also will receive funding and assistance to support recruitment and training through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program.

“Our growth is a sign that the world is ready to rethink, reimagine, and reinvent the way plastic consumables like pipette tips are washed and reused within the life sciences industry and beyond,” Ali Safavi, founder and CEO of Grenova, said in a statement. “We’re proud to make our bold solution possible from our expanded headquarters in Richmond thanks to the commonwealth’s thriving ecosystem of world-class talent, resources, and infrastructure.”