Charlotte Angel Connection Episode 127: Ben Boyer, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of R-Zero

Today we welcome Ben Boyer, co-founder and Executive Chairman of R-Zero Systems, to the podcast.  Prior to March 2020, Ben had worked in Venture Capital – getting his feet wet with Lehman Brothers as he came out of college. After the Lehman bankruptcy, he went to work for Tenaya Capital which was spun out of Lehman Brothers.  At Tenaya, Ben focused on global consumer and related investments, with an emphasis on vertical applications and network effect businesses. He led investments in companies based in four countries and on three continents.  In 2020, he remained a Partner at Tenaya Capital but he stepped away from raising new funds to focus on R-Zero Systems.  Ben now lives in Park City UT. Ben speaks about his early days at Lehman and the fall of the financial business.  He shares in-depth stories of investing in venture capital including some of the success stories. Ultimately, though , as Covid begins to develop in the US it brought back emotions of 9/11 – and what he could do to help.  This led to him to research pathogens, how they are treated and ultimately R-Zero was launched in April 2020. Ben started it with Grant Morgan and Eli Harris to help combat all known pathogens: COVID-19, seasonal flu, Norovirus, E.coli, MRSA, C.diff and whatever COVID-25 might be.  R-Zero designs hospital-grade disinfection solutions for the day-to-day realities of modern businesses. Ben explains UV-C disinfection and their goal to make it better and cheaper.  We discuss the roles and strengths of each of their founders and he shares his story of entrepreneurship. Great podcast and it’s good to see that R-Zero is keeping to their goal to create safer communal spaces, today and forever.   William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.   Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.  Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results.