GeneOS was the $500 000.00 winner in the Block.one EOS Global Hackathon series, which concluded in Cape Town on Friday (7 December).
GeneOS is a blockchain-enabled data ownership, marketplace, and secure computing platform for genomic big data.
“Almost all of our DNA – 99.99% – is still not well understood. Our goal is to help humanity understand DNA to cure diseases,” says GeneOS’s Albert Chen. “The first obstacle is that people aren’t incentivized to sequence their genome. It’s too expensive and there are privacy concerns. People are scared about losing their data. We address these concerns using blockchain.
“We’re very grateful to Block.one for this recognition,” he adds. “They’ve done an incredible job. The organisation and the mentors have been amazing and the speakers at the event were fantastic.”
GeneOS qualified for the finale after taking home the “Best Social Impact Prize” and $3 000 at the London hackathon in September. A global foursome that formed at the UK event, the team is based in London, Italy, the US and Hong Kong.
The prize was awarded after an intense Incubation Week and a Demo Day that involved pitching to a panel of global industry-leading judges from a variety of sectors.
“I’ve been blown away by the progress the teams have made across the hackathons and this week,” says Block.one president, Rob Jesudason. “I congratulate GeneOS and all the participants in our hackathon series. We’re proud to have them as ambassadors for EOSIO.
“Watching all of the teams build on the EOSIO software, and seeing their passion, talent and entrepreneurialism, really validates the work we are doing at Block.one as we move towards mass adoption of blockchain,” he adds.
“Blockchain is also about inclusion and making a difference in the world, and here in Cape Town teams have shown real drive and initiative to tackle problems across emerging and global markets in everything from health and financial services to energy. This is just the beginning for Block.one and we hope it’s also a beginning for all of our participants and that they’ll continue on their journeys as individuals and entrepreneurs.”
Block.one is the publisher of the EOSIO blockchain protocol, and its EOS VC venture capital business unit held the EOS Global Hackathon series.
The Grand Finale in Cape Town featured 19 teams from around the world – all prize-winners at previous events in the hackathon series.