DGIST Student Startup Questor Wins Grand Prize at Competition... LMNTIC Biotech Receives Excellence Award

DGIST (President Lee Kunwoo) student startup companies Questor Co., Ltd. (CEO Lee Jungwoo) and LMNTIC Biotech Co., Ltd. (CEO Ryu Donghwan) won the grand prize and the excellence award, respectively, at the "2025 Research and Development Special Zone Science and Technology Specialized University Technology Startup Investment Competition."

This competition was jointly organized by the Research and Development Special Zone Promotion Foundation and Mirae Science and Technology Holdings, with participation from five science and technology specialized universities-KAIST, GIST, DGIST, UNIST, and POSTECH-as well as Korea Development Bank. The event aimed to vitalize deep-tech startups and promote investment in national strategic technology sectors. After preliminary and final rounds, six teams advanced to the finals, overcoming a competition ratio of 4.5 to 1. Among them, two DGIST student startup companies achieved the distinction of winning awards simultaneously.

Questor CEO Lee Jungwoo (right), who received the Grand Prize, is receiving the award.

Questor, which received the grand prize, showcased its "high-precision hand tracking interface for robotics foundation model training" technology. The glove-type device "Motiglove," which precisely tracks hand movements, previously won the CES 2025 Innovation Award. Based on its proprietary VIST (Vision + IMU Sensor Integration) technology, the solution can be expanded to various fields such as robot training, vocational education, healthcare, military, and manufacturing. CEO Lee Jungwoo expressed his ambition, stating, "We aim to become an irreplaceable company by securing world-class technological capabilities in hand data and software, which are essential in the era of physical AI."

LMNTIC Biotech, which received the excellence award, presented its innovative technology based on the "One-Step Ultra-Pure CTC Liquid Biopsy Platform." CEO Ryu Donghwan, a DGIST undergraduate alumnus, founded the company in 2022 with fellow alumni and is working to develop a cell precision control and diagnostic platform utilizing Professor Kim Chulki's original technology from the Department of Chemical Physics.

Through micro-magnetic electrophoresis technology, the platform can isolate trace amounts of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from blood in a single step with over 90% purity. This is expected to overcome the limitations of conventional pathology tests and contribute to personalized treatment. The official launch of the research-use product is imminent, and the company has already secured 15 letters of intent for purchase from domestic hospitals and clinics. CEO Ryu emphasized, "The liquid biopsy solution can dramatically shorten research and development time, which is expected to create significant opportunities for joint development with pharmaceutical companies."

Koo Jaehyung, Director of the DGIST Office of Research and Industry Cooperation, stated, "This achievement is a nationwide recognition of the unique technological capabilities and growth potential of DGIST student entrepreneurs," adding, "We will continue to actively support excellent technologies so they can lead to startups and investment."

Meanwhile, a total prize of 12 million won and the Chairman's Award from the Research and Development Special Zone Promotion Foundation were presented to the winning companies at the competition held on September 9. In addition, a comprehensive growth support program is provided, including technology and business model validation, expert mentoring, follow-up investment connections, and support for global market entry. Notably, the grand prize and first prize winners are eligible for direct investment opportunities of up to 1 billion won from Mirae Science and Technology Holdings, while the excellence award winners will receive follow-up investment review and support for global expansion.