TKNO

Alpha Teknova, Inc.

A maker of lab reagents—the fluids, buffers, agar plates, and cell-culture media that scientists mix with and grow samples in—for drug developers and diagnostic companies. Founded in 1996 by Ted Davis, a former Genentech scientist who started mixing custom plates in his Half Moon Bay garage, the firm (headquartered in Hollister, California) now ships both off-the-shelf and made-to-order supplies to labs worldwide. Its name is a mashup of "technology" and "nova," hinting at newness.