RayVio Corp: From BU lab to successful start-up with global impact

3.4 million people die each year from water related diseases and 780 million people lack access to clean water, according to the non-profit organization Water.org. This is a serious problem, especially in developing nations. However, the UV-LED (ultraviolet light-emitting diode) solution developed by RayVio Corp. can provide these regions with water purification and disinfection technology that is easily transported, low maintenance, and provides higher energy efficiency than any other product on the market. RayVio’s UV-LED has the potential to impact the lives of millions of people globally, providing them with easily accessible clean water and enabling them to live healthier lives.

The company began as the research thesis of BU graduate student Yitao Liao.  Yitao did his PhD research at BU’s Photonics Center under the guidance of Professor Theodore Moustakas.  Yitao developed a method to manufacture high efficient LEDs emitting ultraviolet light between 375 – 220 nm as novel solid state source to replace mercury-vapor lamps. In April 2011, Yitao and his team won First Place at ITEC’s (Institute for Technology Entrepreneurship and Commercialization) 50K New Venture Competition at BU. The team presented a visionary business plan for a low cost, durable and energy efficient UV-LED based solution to substitute mercury-vapor lamps in the water purification and disinfection market.

With the assistance of BU’s Office of Technology Development, a patent application was drafted and a new company, named Rayvio Corp., was founded. Dr. Robert Walker, a veteran entrepreneur in the LED industry, serves as CEO, Dr. Yitao Liao as CTO and Dr. Theodore Moustakas serves on the Scientific Advisory Board.  The company is based in Hayward, CA and is a leading manufacturer of UV LED solutions for water, air and surfaces disinfection, industrial curing, and medical applications.  RayVio’s UV-LED products are safer, more compact, robust, energy efficient and environmentally friendly than current solutions employing mercury-vapor lamps.

The company raised venture capital from leading investors DCM Ventures, Capricorn Investment Group, and others. For more information about the company go to:  rayvio.com.

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