This article was originally published on LinkedIn.
Kevin J. Knopp, PhD
CEO & Co-founder
As those in my network likely know, I’ve had a part in the founding of multiple businesses, and what each experience has taught me is that you must continue to find ways to innovate, scale and meet customer needs. That spirit is what has led to the most recent transformation of 908 Devices in what I’m calling ‘908 Devices 2.0.’
This is truly more than an evolution. It’s reimagining the impact our organization can make. As part of that shift, we made the decision earlier this year to divest our bioprocessing portfolio to Repligen — a move that sharpened our focus and strengthened our financial position. It allowed us to fully dedicate our resources to handheld chemical analysis devices for vital health, safety and defense tech applications. With the evolving drug landscape, increased prevalence of toxic industrial materials, rising international defense spending and new policies favorable towards law enforcement and first responders, we are energized by the opportunity to provide meaningful technologies to those on the frontlines who need it most.
There are two aspects that work in harmony to drive success for 908 Devices 2.0:
1. We have the right timing. We are poised to scale our handheld devices in multiple high-impact applications and there has never been a more important time to act.
2. We have the right people. Our team’s relentless pursuit of innovation to deliver what our customers need – the tools, the features, the support.
Over my more than two decades in this industry, I have never seen a more attractive and compelling opportunity than at this unique moment in time. To the first point above, we are growing because of our differentiated capability to develop and deploy modern, easy-to-use chemical analysis tools that provide rapid answers at the point of need. From the expanding and ever-changing illicit drug market and opioid crisis to the proliferation of cancer-causing toxins and the hazards they pose for first responders to the rising global tensions and security concerns – 908 Devices can support and provide actionable information where it’s needed most.
Our focus is working and 908 Devices is making a difference in these turbulent times. We:
- Enable police officers to more swiftly detect trace amounts of fentanyl, nitazenes and other illicit drugs.
- Arm firefighters with the knowledge of hazardous gases that could negatively impact their health and the public’s health and safety so they can implement protective measures.
- Support customs and border patrol agents with the tools to effectively identify and mitigate illicit chemicals from crossing international lines.
- Ensure our military forces are prepared with the latest technologies to detect threats – both seen and unseen.
That takes me to my second point: constant innovation from our team. Since our founding in 2012, we have always sought to make our technologies faster, more capable, smaller and even more user friendly. We have a team of professionals who are dedicated to their craft. We’re customer-obsessed and strive to meet their needs and challenges, so innovation is a necessity. It is not an easy dedication, but we pursue it relentlessly.
With that mindset and our team’s hustle, we’re bringing forward a pipeline of next-generation products — leveraging lab-grade mass spectrometry and FTIR platforms to deliver new, purpose-built tools. Together, our devices identify hundreds of trace analytes, thousands of toxic gases and tens of thousands of bulk compounds in various forms – vapor, gas, liquid, powder and aerosol. Everything we do will continue to serve the critical-to-life use cases – from law enforcement to border security to firefighters to military and beyond – delivering point-of-need solutions that provide immense value as they’re deployed in the field.
908 Devices 2.0 is hyper-focused in these areas, but our mission remains the same: to make chemical analysis simple, smart and speedy to empower people to take swift action in life-altering applications.
Since doubling down on our focus earlier this year, we’ve already made strides. We’re supporting the Metro Washington Council of Governments with its hazmat response, deploying our real-time drug identification with the Romania Customs Authority and equipping the Ministry of Health in Ukraine as they monitor for environmental hazards.
I welcome you to join us on our journey – 908 Devices ‘2.0’.