Kinnos, an infection prevention company transforming patient safety and hospital efficiency, announces that it has closed a new $6 million investment round. Known for pioneering colorized disinfection, Kinnos will use the funding to accelerate its growth and new product development. Prolog Ventures, a venture capital firm that backs early-stage, high-growth health and wellness companies, invested $4.3 million to lead the round, which also included Allston Venture Fund, Partnership Fund for New York City, Golden Seeds, MEDA Angels, and several notable individual investors from the worlds of healthcare and business.
"We are thrilled to be partnering with both institutional investors and industry veterans to build Kinnos into the global standard of effective infection prevention," said Jason Kang, co-founder and CEO of Kinnos. "As long as infectious diseases continue to threaten our health and safety, Kinnos will be at the forefront of innovating solutions that protect patients, health workers, and friends and family from infections."
Less than half of critical surfaces in healthcare settings are properly cleaned, contributing to unnecessarily high rates of infection. While studies have shown that improved cleaning proficiency can reduce infections by up to 80%, existing approaches to reduce human error in cleaning do not improve technique effectively.
Kinnos' award-winning Highlight® technology is a patented color additive platform that empowers real-time behavior change for enhanced disinfection technique and everyday compliance. Combined with commercially available products that are already widely used, Highlight® temporarily colorizes disinfectants so staff can see how completely they have covered surfaces. Highlight® overcomes language, education, and training barriers and enables anyone to disinfect properly every single time a disinfectant is used.
"The Kinnos team has developed an innovative, simple yet effective solution to help combat infectious diseases," said Rob Rosenberg, Partner with Prolog Ventures who has joined the board of Kinnos. "Institutional hygiene is a key focus area for Prolog. We are excited to support Kinnos in its mission to prevent infections in hospitals and other settings such as transportation, education, and food and beverage manufacturing."
Kinnos further announces the appointment of Shawn Marcell and Eric M. Stone to its Advisory Board. Marcell, who is also serving on Kinnos' Board of Directors, has led interdisciplinary teams in healthcare and life sciences for more than 25 years. He is an Entrepreneur In Residence at Harvard's Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering and has held leadership roles at multiple successful startups. Stone is the co-founder and CEO of Velano Vascular. He previously served as VP of Sales and Marketing for Molecular Health, held various roles at Abbott, and has served as director and advisor to multiple healthcare upstarts.
"I am thrilled to work with the talented team at Kinnos," noted Marcell. "The Kinnos technology platform is among the most transformational innovations in infection control in decades, and especially in addressing the serious problem of hospital-acquired infections."
About Kinnos
Kinnos is raising the standard of health by protecting patients, health workers, and the general public from preventable infections. The company's flagship product, Highlight®, is a patented color additive platform that greatly improves disinfection technique and compliance in real-time. Highlight® is used internationally by hospitals, first responders, and humanitarian agencies. Founded in 2014, Kinnos is headquartered in Brooklyn, NY. For more information, visit: www.kinnos.us
About Prolog Ventures
Prolog Ventures backs passionate founders committed to supporting healthy lives in a healthy world. Among the fields Prolog is most interested in are innovations that promote effective hygiene everywhere, from hospitals and public areas to workplaces and homes. The firm is an engaged and supportive investor, partnering with its portfolio companies for fast growth, high impact, and increased founder and shareholder value. For more information, visit: www.prologventures.com
