#94 R-Zero: On UVC, Disinfecting Physical Spaces, and Pioneering a 100+ Year Old Technology | Ben Boyer, Co-Founder & Executive Chairman

In Episode #94, we explore UVC, disinfecting physical spaces, and pioneering a 100+ year old technology. We’re joined by Ben Boyer, co-founder and executive chairman of R-Zero. We cover the challenges of selling in healthcare vs. schools, hardware and software development at R-Zero, and utilizing the Internet of Things. “Every single one of our products has a very clear aesthetic that we care about. Our goal is to build things that people want to be around.” – Ben Boyer EPISODE GUIDE (LINKS, QUOTES, NOTES, AND BOOKS MENTIONED) https://www.danielscrivner.com/notes/r-zero-pioneering-with-100-year-old-technology-ben-boyer-spotlight-show-notes  FULL TEXT TRANSCRIPT https://www.danielscrivner.com/notes/r-zero-pioneering-with-100-year-old-technology-ben-boyer-spotlight-transcript  CHAPTERS This episode is our definitive guide to building a company based on UVC and disinfecting spaces. In it we cover: (00:00:00) – Introduction (00:02:24) – Why R-Zero was created (00:13:36) – The perfect time for UVC technology (00:16:13) – The challenges of selling in healthcare vs. schools (00:18:37) – Lab data vs. clinical data (00:21:13) – The R-Zero product line (00:26:38) – Hardware and software development at R-Zero (00:29:42) – Competitive advantages in the industry (00:36:00) – Utilizing the Internet of Things (00:39:47) – The investor role vs. the operator role (00:45:22) – Important milestones for R-Zero ABOUT R-ZERO R-Zero combines powerful UV-C hardware devices, which they call nodes and are capable of removing pathogens, germs, and bacteria from both the air, as well as surfaces with powerful software that connects all these devices and monitors their performance in real time. R-Zero has modernized and is scaling a very old technology which is UV-C. UV-C is a form of ultraviolet light with a wavelength of 200 to 280 nanometers which effectively destroys and inactivates both bacteria and viruses, killing them and preventing them from reproducing. In 1903, the Nobel Prize for medicine was awarded to Niels Ryberg Finsen for his work using concentrated light to treat lupus vulgaris. Since then, UV-C technology has been used extensively for disinfecting water, air and surfaces to destroy a whole host of harmful microorganisms. R-Zero has taken UV-C and modernized it so it can be deployed in almost any setting to sanitize the air and surfaces.  💌 FREE NEWSLETTER https://www.outlieracademy.com/newsletter 🎙 LISTEN ON iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/outlier-academy/id1523851182 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/58edVNgqaPNaCSGSxM6pef?si=88f37a5d20434775 Overcast: https://overcast.fm/itunes1523851182 ABOUT OUTLIER ACADEMY Learn timeless lessons on work and life from iconic founders, world-renown investors, and bestselling authors. Outlier Academy is the forever school for those chasing greatness. Past guests include Gokul Rajaram of DoorDash, Scott Belsky of Benchmark and Adobe, Joey Krug of Pantera Capital, Mark Sisson of Primal Kitchen, Luke Gromen of The Forest for the Trees, and Brian Scudamore of 1-800-GOT-JUNK. Website: https://www.outlieracademy.com Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/outlieracademy ABOUT DANIEL SCRIVNER Outlier Academy is hosted by Daniel Scrivner. Over the last 15 years, Daniel has led design teams at Square and Apple, turned around a $3M+ ARR SaaS business, and invested in more than 100 companies. He launched Outlier Academy in 2020 to learn from the world’s best founders, investors, authors, and peak performance experts. Website: https://www.danielscrivner.com Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/danielscrivner Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices