Last November the Dutch National Final of Get in the Ring, was held and bigger than ever. Out of all the startups that have applied for the competition in the Netherlands, Omnigen was one of the six startups that battled their way to the stage and pitched in front of an audience of 1,000 potential fans and Champion investors.
Now 3 months after the Final we spoke to Berry Kriesels, director and founder of Omnigen, about his startup and the impact of his Get in the Ring experience.
Can you tell us something about your startup?
Yes, of course! Omnigen delivers a personal genomic service, which includes DNA collection and analysis. The results are given to the user in a report with explanations, recommendations and actionable follow-ups. At the moment Omnigen is focused on three distinct targets: professional athletes, education, and health and fun genomics. For example we indicate potential health risks and actionable ways to minimise that risk, and give nutritional advice for optimal performance. But our main focus at the moment is genetic advice for premier league football clubs and professional Olympic athletes.
What do you think of the Get in the Ring?
I think Get in the Ring is a very innovative concept and I found it inspiring to see the other finalists pitching in the Ring. I was pleasantly surprised by the scale of the event. During the day there was so much activity, which made it an excellent place to network. The fact that Omnigen was selected to pitch in the Ring made our experience unforgettable.
Did you gain benefits by pitching in the Ring?
Yes, we did. Omnigen works in the field of genetics and DNA analysis, and it is a business model with benefits unknown to many. After Get in the Ring we were approached by two large companies to work together on the field of innovation in their company. If we had not pitched in the Ring, we wouldn’t even know that these companies are interested in the type of services we offer and now we do. It opened a whole new market for Omnigen BV. Along with projects we got from these large companies we have been in contact with investors that are interested in our company. Another fun fact is that a week after the event, I walked in the city center of Rotterdam, and was recognized by someone in the city center by someone who had attended Get in the Ring.
What are you looking for?
We are looking for an investment of 500.000 euro to expand our technology. In 2016 we want to sell our product for home consumers as well and we want to further expand our sales to the European football league. If we actively can approach businesses, we can grow even faster. In parallel to this we are busy with the local government in the region in Rotterdam to set up a consortium for life sciences and we are looking for companies, universities entrepreneurs and other agencies that want to contribute to make this a success. For now we are collaborating with the municipality of Rotterdam and our mutual goal is to attract more life sciences businesses and create more job opportunities in this sector within the region
Do you have any advice for future participants of Get in the Ring?
Get in the Ring is not all about winning; it’s more than just an average pitching competition. If you get a chance to pitch in the Ring, there is so many added value for your company, you can’t get from just money or marketing.
After the good experience Berry had during the National Final in the Netherlands he decided to join Get in the Ring in Colombia during the International Final on 15th of March. Are you also interested in joining Get in the Ring in Colombia packed with networking? Click for more information here.
Check out what Omnigen wrote about Get in the Ring: http://www.omnigen.nl/nl/groei-voor-omnigen/