Congratulations to Abcodia which scooped three top Startups awards, as well as being honoured as the overall Nat West Startups Business of the Year, for its pioneering work in cancer screening.

Abcodia won every award that it was shortlisted for – Angel or VC-backed Business of the Year, Innovative Business of the Year, and Business Woman of the Year for its CEO Dr Julie Barnes. Abcodia, an innovative world leader in biomarker validation for cancer screening, has exclusive IP commercialisation rights to a biobank created by researchers at UCL with five million serum samples donated by volunteers over a 10 year period.

The judges praised Abcodia for its potential to become “a genuine game changer”, recognising that the company’s commercial potential, while operating in the hugely important area of early cancer detection, was “phenomenal”.

They said: “Abcodia is an exceptional business which looks set to become highly profitable while helping potentially millions of cancer sufferers. The judges were amazed by how much the company has achieved with a relatively modest amount of venture capital, both in terms of creating its service and also in signing up partnerships. Abcodia is a shining example of British technology and talent at its best, and embraces 21st century business practices, remaining lean and focussed.”

I feel very proud to be working with such an innovative team who feel passionately about making global collaborations which will ultimately help improve the diagnosis of cancer. Abcodia’s awards were a glowing testament for its CEO Dr Julie Barnes and the distinguished judging panel, led by Dragon’s Den entrepreneur Duncan Bannatyne, acknowledged her strengths and leadership skills by saying:

“Abcodia is no ordinary start-up and Julie is a great example of an entrepreneur – she spotted an opportunity, marshalled the resources and made it all happen. Working in the area of cancer diagnostics this is a business that will make a difference. With future contracts in place we can see the success of Julie and Abcodia going from strength to strength.”

What a wonderful way to end the year!