Florida Trend | Florida's Business Authority

Germ fighter

Justin Zhou worries about germs everywhere, including on athletic equipment like batting helmets. “There’s no really good way to treat it,” says Zhou, president and cofounder of BlueWave.

BlueWave, which operates out of the Innovation Hub at the University of Florida, says it has developed technology that disinfects objects rapidly without harming the environment. Objects to be cleaned are placed inside the company’s Rapid Disinfection Device, which resembles a small suitcase. The space inside is then infused with “activated oxygen” — ozone — that kills 99.9% of germs within 5 minutes without water or detergents, the company says.

After receiving angel funding, BlueWave hopes to bring the device to full production later this year. “We want to be able to decrease the cost and make people safe,” says Zhou.