Todd M. Pope, Executive Chairman of UV Innovators appointed President and CEO of WellAir

WellAir’s flagship product, the Defend 1050, a portable air cleaning system which utilizes patented plasma-based technology, received U.S. FDA clearance in January 2021.

WellAir, a leader in delivering clean air solutions to people around the world, today announced the acquisition of UV Innovators (“UVI”), a North Carolina-based developer of medical-grade handheld UVC disinfection technology. In addition, the company announced that Todd M. Pope, executive chairman of UV Innovators, has been appointed President and CEO of WellAir.

Creating an Industry Leading Disinfection Platform

WellAir’s mission is to mitigate airborne pathogens that lead to infectious diseases, including viruses, by delivering energy-efficient technologies that enable safe indoor spaces for the health and wellbeing of all individuals. The combination of WellAir’s innovative air cleaning technology portfolio along with UVI’s handheld UV surface disinfection device creates a best-in-class platform.

WellAir’s portfolio of products create an ecosystem for healthy indoor air, which have been independently proven to reduce viruses, bacteria, particulate, mold, and volatile organic compounds. The Company’s platform includes portable medical-grade air disinfection devices and HVAC-integrated systems. The Company’s flagship product, the Defend 1050 is the only portable air cleaning system to use NanoStrike technology, a patented plasma-based technology that inactivates airborne viruses and bacteria. The Defend 1050 recently received U.S. FDA 510(k) clearance, the only portable air cleaning system using NanoStrike technology to have achieved this designation. WellAir serves individuals and organizations across a wide variety of settings, including healthcare, education, and commercial.

UVI has developed the world’s first handheld instant UVC surface disinfection device, bringing a powerful and portable hospital-grade solution to all environments. The Company’s NuvaWave™ has been shown to be over 99.88% effective at destroying the most common and harmful pathogens in just one second, including SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. NuvaWave technology is used by individuals and organizations across a wide variety of settings, including healthcare, education, hospitality, and sports and entertainment.

“Combining UVI’s handheld surface disinfecting device with WellAir’s best-in-class air cleaning platform creates a unique, broad spectrum and highly scalable solution to. enable safe, healthy, and productive spaces for all individuals,” said Bill McCabe, Chairman of the Board of WellAir. “I am excited to have Todd join WellAir and to lead the Company through its next stages of growth. His experience bringing innovative medical technologies to market on a global scale will be invaluable as we look to fulfill our mission to protect indoor spaces for all individuals.”

“We are thrilled about the combination of WellAir and UVI, who have a shared mission of managing infectious diseases and creating safe environments across the globe,” said Steve Wordsworth, UVI’s sole investor. “I believe this acquisition will help UVI and its technology reach its highest potential and bring the benefits of medical-grade surface disinfection to the greatest number of people,” commented UVI board member Andy Blanton.

Appointment of President and Chief Executive Officer

Upon closing, UVI’s Executive Chairman of the Board, Todd M. Pope will serve as WellAir’s President and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Pope brings significant healthcare industry leadership experience to the Company. Prior to joining UVI as its Executive Chairman, Mr. Pope served as a Resident operating partner at Revival Healthcare Capital, a healthcare-focused private equity firm. Before joining Revival, Mr. Pope served as President and Chief Executive Officer of TransEnterix, a publicly traded surgical robotics company. Mr. Pope has also held leadership roles at Johnson & Johnson and Boston Scientific. In addition, he currently serves as a Board Member with AdvaMed Accel.

“I am proud and energized to join the WellAir team at such an important inflection point, just weeks after receiving FDA clearance for the Defend 1050,” said Mr. Pope. “COVID-19 has put a spotlight on the need for advances in high-powered chemical-free disinfection and air purification technologies, in healthcare settings and everywhere people come together. The combination of these two companies creates a broad, innovative solution to meet the needs of organizations and industries around the world to enable safer living, working, and healing spaces.”

In addition to Mr. Pope, Dr. Nick Medendorp, UVI’s Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, and Steve Grenon, UVI’s Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder, will join WellAir to serve in key executive roles.

About UV Innovators

UV Innovators, LLC was founded by Dr. Nick Medendorp, Steve Grenon and Todd M. Pope to develop a medical-grade UVC handheld to combat pathogens that cause hospital-acquired infections. To help combat the COVID-19 outbreak, UV Innovators accelerated the development of its UVC disinfection solution to help all businesses in need of powerful, portable and fast solutions.