In November 2023, the Korea-Basel Startup Hub Acceleration Program entered into its third rendition, welcoming five startups from Korea in the fields of oncology and immunotherapy. During intense two weeks with workshops, industry-academia talks, networks and more, participants were able to gain invaluable insights, forge meaningful connections, and acquire practical skills that will propel their enterprise.
In this series, we would like to showcase these five startups. First up is LMNTCS Biotech, a Seoul-based startup pioneering in building the next generation of precision diagnostics solutions through lab-on-a-chip magnetic single cell isolation technology.
In this interview, we spoke with Co-Founder Seorim Paek, who gave his personal insights into the benefits and advantages of the Korea-Basel Program.
Q: The Seoul-Basel Programs exposes Korean startups to the local Basel ecosystem. When you reflect upon your learnings, what lessons / impressions do you take home to Korea?
"We've been fortunate to gain invaluable insights into the validation and testing of our groundbreaking CTC liquid biopsy platform. Through engaging lectures and discussions, we've clarified essential aspects such as benchmarking strategies and market integration strategies. In parallel, our exploration of the rapid antimicrobial resistance testing domain under our L:Cell Platform has been equally enlightening. Our conversations with companies have shed light on the unique challenges inherent in this field, as well as the critical needs within the antimicrobial resistance market. These interactions have been instrumental in shaping our strategic approach and refining our focus."
What’s your next step / activity in Basel?
"We hope to eventually engage in research collaboration and long-term alliances with the companies and research labs that have shown interest in us during our stay. Some potential partnerships are especially interesting as we see potential to combine our strengths together and build a better product. We have also gained insights into the needs of larger pharma companies and the bioindustry ecosystem as a whole. Using this we hope to advance into additional markets such as high-sensitivity biomarker diagnostics. Switzerland especially has deep expertise in everything from photolithography to microfluidics and more - all essential parts of our core technology."
What is one element of the program that you really appreciated?
"However much video calling has progressed, the in-person networking opportunities with researchers and industry personnel were much more interesting, valuable and productive to us than simple video calls could have ever been. Actually having 1:1 connections made with a smaller group of startups allowed for more tailored programs when compared to large group programs."
Do you want to learn more about our Korea Program? Please get in touch with the Program Manager in charge, Hailey Kim.