Smartphone-Based Blood Analysis System Company OneDrops Wins Grand Prize at 2020 New Gyeonggi Startup Contest

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park No-hoon] Five startup teams including OneDrops Co., Ltd. were selected as final award winners at the finals of the 「2020 New Gyeonggi Startup Contest」 held on the 10th at Gyeonggi Startup Campus in Pangyo.

The 「2020 New Gyeonggi Startup Contest」 is a startup support program hosted by Gyeonggi Province to discover and nurture entrepreneurs with outstanding ideas and provide investment opportunities.

The province launched the contest with application submissions starting in March, and a total of 284 startup teams from across the nation participated. After six months of fierce competition through preliminary rounds and finals, 10 teams advanced to the finals stage.

The finals were conducted with university professors, patent attorneys, startup consultants, and investment firms participating as expert judges, with the online audience panel also evaluating the startup ideas. The final scores were determined by combining the evaluation scores.

Particularly, considering the social distancing situation to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the finals venue was attended only by expert judges, while the audience evaluation panel participated in a non-contact online format, strictly adhering to quarantine guidelines.

After fierce competition among participants, 「OneDrops Co., Ltd.」 won the grand prize, receiving recognition for its innovative idea and potential.

OneDrops presented a smartphone-based blood analysis system as its idea, earning high scores for emphasizing that not only professionals but individuals can analyze blood results directly on their smartphones using just a small amount of blood without any additional equipment.

The excellence awards were won by 「Cellapeutics Bio Co., Ltd.」, which presented a cell therapy for intractable neurological diseases using cell reprogramming technology, and 「MediaI Plus Co., Ltd.」, which provides a domestic and international clinical trial matching platform to improve efficiency of various clinical trials.

The merit awards went to 「The Bright Co., Ltd.」, which presented a dry cleaning service for ducts and pipes, and 「Owl Bio Co., Ltd.」, which proposed a treatment model for diabetes, obesity, and dementia that reduces injection frequency and maintains drug efficacy.

The grand prize winner receives 30 million won in prize money and the Gyeonggi Province Governor's Award, while excellence award winners receive 15 million won each, and merit award winners receive 10 million won each. The remaining award recipients each receive 2 million won in prize money to strengthen their continuous startup capabilities.

Outstanding startup teams including the grand prize winner will receive benefits including qualification to advance to the finals of 「Challenge! K-Startup 2020」, a startup contest hosted by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, as well as participation in overseas investment programs.

Lee Yong-cheol, Senior Vice Governor of Gyeonggi Province, said, "While these are difficult times due to COVID-19, crises have always been opportunities. I hope that startups armed with innovative ideas and technologies will become a new growth engine for South Korea." He added, "Gyeonggi Province will effectively support startup companies through convergence of startup information and resources to create a healthy and dynamic innovative startup ecosystem."