A Greenville-grown life sciences company is expanding and moving to Main Street to anchor a downtown Innovation District. KIYATEC, Inc. develops technology to help doctors better predict which cancer drugs will have the best result for a patient.
The co-founders developed the technology at Clemson University and started KIYATEC in Greenville in 2005. The move to 2 North Main Street is a $5 million investment that will create nearly 100 new jobs and allow KIYATEC to expand its drug development and testing services.
Matt Gevaert, KIYATEC’s CEO and co-founder said the Greenville community has a strong support system for founders. “I’m a first-time entrepreneur. The community has been a material part in our success. KIYATEC benefits from all this area has to offer including its highly-educated labor force, excellent quality of life for our employees, competitive cost profile and business-friendly environment,” Gevaert said.
“When KIYATEC founder Matt Gevaert came to the Upstate from Canada 25 years ago to study at Clemson, he didn’t expect to stay," said Mayor Knox White. "But like so many successful founders, he discovered you can take an idea from clinical trial to market implementation in Greenville. Our ecosystem supports entrepreneurs. From here you can scale and grow your business. We are pleased that KIYATEC is locating inside the emerging Innovation District in the heart of downtown as they change the world with lifesaving medical advances.”