1st PhileKorea
1st PhileKorea is a Seoul-based life science distributor serving Korean research institutions and biotech labs with molecular biology reagents, sequencing platforms, and laboratory services. Founded in 2000, it is the official Korean distributor for NEB, Oxford Nanopore, and Bruker/nanoString.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2000
- HeadquartersSeoul, South Korea
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What 1st PhileKorea does
1st PhileKorea (필코리아테크놀로지) is a Seoul-headquartered life science distribution and laboratory services company founded on February 16, 2000, that spun out from Qiagen Korea in November 2006 to operate as an independent entity. The company functions as a B2B gateway for international life science brands entering the Korean market — most prominently as the official Korean distributor for New England BioLabs (NEB) — alongside additional exclusive or official distribution rights for Oxford Nanopore Technologies (PromethION, GridION, MinION, Flongle sequencing platforms), Bruker Spatial Biology/nanoString (nCounter, GeoMx DSP, CosMx SMI, CellScape), DeNovix, Singleron, Celvivo, Nichiryo, Synthego, and Alamar Biosciences. End customers are primarily Korean academic and government research institutions, universities, and biotech/pharmaceutical laboratories conducting molecular biology, genomics, proteomics, spatial biology, single-cell, and CRISPR research.
The company's product surface spans three layers: (1) distributed third-party reagents and instruments across the full research workflow from sample preparation (NEB enzymes and competent cells) through sequencing (Oxford Nanopore) and spatial biology (nanoString/Bruker); (2) in-house developed equipment under the Myra (liquid handling robot) and Mic (magnetic-induction qPCR cycler) sub-brands, including the ISO 13485:2016-certified Mic-IVD and the Myra+ combined system; and (3) laboratory services — nCounter analysis, real-time PCR, NGS, and CRISPR services — provided directly to Korean researchers, plus internally developed Colorimetric RapidLAMP kits for SARS-CoV-2, influenza, and dengue POCT applications. Internal R&D also encompasses superparamagnetic bead development and a Pichia expression system for protein production.
Revenue is generated through two streams: hardware/reagent distribution (margin-driven, with quote-based pricing not publicly disclosed) and professional lab services. Distribution is direct-to-customer via an inside/field sales model, supplemented by digital channels including the philekorea.kr storefront, multilingual newsletters, KakaoTalk 1:1 customer support, and conference and webinar participation. With 11–50 employees operating across a Seoul headquarters (B-102 Woolim Lions Valley, Geumcheon-gu) and a Daejeon office, the company remains privately held with no external investors, parent entity, or IPO disclosures on record.
1st PhileKorea firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- 1st PhileKorea
- Legal name
- (주)필코리아테크놀로지
- Website
- https://philekorea.kr
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2000
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- 1st PhileKorea is a Seoul-based life science distributor serving Korean research institutions and biotech labs with molecular biology reagents, sequencing platforms, and laboratory services. Founded in 2000, it is the official Korean distributor for NEB, Oxford Nanopore, and Bruker/nanoString.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
1st PhileKorea industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Life Science Distribution & Laboratory Services
- NAICS
- Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), In-Vitro Diagnostic Substance Manufacturing (325413)
- SIC
- Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Wholesale-Medical, Dental & Hospital Equipment & Supplies (5047), In Vitro & In Vivo Diagnostic Substances (2835)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Molecular Biology & Genomics Instruments (PCR/qPCR, Sequencing, Microarrays) (HLAGAIAF)
Keywords
Where 1st PhileKorea is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Seoul
- HQ country
- South Korea
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices2 records
Markets served
1st PhileKorea business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Product Distribution: Distribution of international life science brands including NEB, Oxford Nanopore, nanoString, and other biotech products to Korean research markets
- Lab R&D Services: Laboratory services including nCounter analysis, real-time PCR, NGS sequencing, and CRISPR services provided to customers
- NEB Official Distributor: As the official NEB Korea distributor, distributes NEB molecular biology products including restriction endonucleases, PCR reagents, cloning kits, and NGS library preparation products
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
1st PhileKorea product offering
Product offeringCore offering
1st PhileKorea distributes international biotechnology reagents and instruments (New England Biolabs enzymes, Oxford Nanopore sequencing platforms, nanoString/Bruker Spatial Biology products) to Korean life science customers and operates laboratory R&D services covering nCounter, Real-Time PCR, Next-Generation Sequencing, and CRISPR workflows. The company also markets its own proprietary lab automation and PCR instrument sub-brands (Myra, Mic, Myra9, Mic-IVD, Myra+) and Colorimetric RapidLAMP diagnostic kits developed in-house.
Product overview
1st PhileKorea (필코리아테크놀로지) is a Korean life science distribution company established in 2000, serving as the official distributor for New England Biolabs (NEB) in Korea. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of products across multiple categories: spatial biology platforms (nCounter Analysis System, GeoMx DSP, CosMx Spatial Molecular Imager, CellScape from Bruker/nanoString); Oxford Nanopore sequencing technologies (PromethION, GridION, MinION, Flongle); lab automation equipment (Myra Liquid Handling System, Mic qPCR Cycler); 3D cell culture systems (Clinostar2); proteomics solutions (ARGO HT System); and molecular biology reagents from NEB including restriction enzymes, PCR products, cloning kits, and NGS library preparation. The company also provides laboratory services including nCounter, Real-Time PCR, NGS, and CRISPR services, along with their own R&D products such as Colorimetric RapidLAMP kits for molecular POCT diagnostics.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Myra: Myra is a liquid handling system - precise pipetting robot with vision camera capable of running NGS library prep and bead clean up
- Mic
- Myra9
- Mic-IVD
- Myra+
Products and services
- New England Biolabs (NEB) enzyme distribution
Companies that use 1st PhileKorea
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
1st PhileKorea technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
1st PhileKorea partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- New England BioLabs (NEB)corePhileKorea is the official NEB Korea distributor (NEB한국 공식 대리점), distributing NEB molecular biology products including restriction endonucleases, PCR reagents, cloning kits, competent cells, and NGS library preparation products throughout Korea. The company promotes NEB products with free sample programs and maintains inventory of 250+ popular NEB products with same-day delivery service.
- Oxford Nanopore TechnologiescoreOfficial Oxford Nanopore Korea distributor (한국공식대리점), distributing nanopore sequencing products including PromethION, GridION, MinION devices and associated flow cells for DNA/RNA sequencing applications.
- nanoString/Bruker Spatial BiologycoreDistributes nanoString products including nCounter Analysis System, GeoMx Digital Spatial Profiler, CosMx Spatial Molecular Imager, and CellScape from Bruker Spatial Biology for spatial genomics and transcriptomics research in Korea.
- SynthegominorProvides CRISPR services using Synthego products for genome editing research, offering CRISPR service to Korean researchers.
- CelvivominorDistributes Celvivo Clinostar2 3D cell culture incubation system for researchers conducting 3D cell culture experiments.
- SingleronminorDistributes Singleron single cell biology products including PythoN Junior tissue dissociation system for single cell research workflows.
- Alamar BiosciencesminorDistributes Alamar Biosciences ARGO HT System for proteomics research with high sensitivity biomarker analysis capabilities.
- QiagencorePhileKorea was established as a Qiagen Korea spin out on November 2006, indicating a historical strategic relationship with Qiagen before becoming an independent distribution company.
- DeNovixminorDistributes DeNovix DS-Series microvolume spectrophotometers and CellDrop automated cell counters for quantitative analysis.
- NichiryominorDistributes Nichiryo Nichipet pipette series including Nichipet Air, Premium, EX II, and related accessories for laboratory liquid handling.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
1st PhileKorea competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Cosmogenetech: Korean distributor and developer of life science research products including genomics, cell biology, and diagnostics reagents — competing head-to-head with PhileKorea for Korean research institution customers.
- KogeneBiotech: Seoul-based life science company selling molecular biology reagents, PCR/qPCR kits, and molecular diagnostics into Korean research and clinical markets — directly comparable product portfolio and customer base to PhileKorea.
- GenScript: Asia-headquartered life science products and services company offering gene synthesis, reagents, and CRISPR tools with direct APAC distribution — directly comparable hybrid distributor/manufacturer model with own-brand molecular biology products.
- Bioneer: Korean molecular biology company that both develops and distributes its own reagents, instruments, and molecular diagnostics in Korea — overlapping directly with PhileKorea's NEB distribution and own-brand PCR/qPCR product line.
- LGC Biosearch Technologies: Distributes genomics reagents, PCR/NGS oligos, and molecular biology kits globally — competes with PhileKorea's NEB and NGS reagent lines for Korean life science buyers.
- STEMCELL Technologies: Distributes cell biology, stem cell, and single-cell research products with growing APAC presence — overlaps with PhileKorea's Celvivo (3D cell culture), Singleron (single-cell), and cell biology reagent offerings.
Broad incumbents
- Merck Korea (Life Science / MilliporeSigma): Global life science distributor with Korean subsidiary selling analytical instruments, molecular biology reagents, and lab consumables — competes with PhileKorea's full portfolio as a broad incumbent.
- Thermo Fisher Scientific Korea: Largest global life science tools distributor with direct Korean operations selling PCR, sequencing, reagents, and instruments — competes broadly with PhileKorea's portfolio but as part of a much wider catalog with direct principal relationships.
- Bio-Rad Laboratories Korea: Direct Korean operations distributing PCR/qPCR instruments (e.g., CFX systems), reagents, and cell biology products — broad incumbent competing with PhileKorea's PCR/automation portfolio.
- Danaher Korea (Beckman Coulter / Cytiva / Leica): Major life science conglomerate with multiple Korean subsidiaries distributing flow cytometry, genomics, and lab automation products — broad incumbent competitor to PhileKorea's instrumentation and reagents portfolio.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
1st PhileKorea social profiles
Digital presence1st PhileKorea financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
1st PhileKorea leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
1st PhileKorea funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
1st PhileKorea M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about 1st PhileKorea
What does 1st PhileKorea do?
1st PhileKorea distributes international biotechnology reagents and instruments (New England Biolabs enzymes, Oxford Nanopore sequencing platforms, nanoString/Bruker Spatial Biology products) to Korean life science customers and operates laboratory R&D services covering nCounter, Real-Time PCR, Next-Generation Sequencing, and CRISPR workflows. The company also markets its own proprietary lab automation and PCR instrument sub-brands (Myra, Mic, Myra9, Mic-IVD, Myra+) and Colorimetric RapidLAMP diagnostic kits developed in-house.
Is 1st PhileKorea a public or private company?
1st PhileKorea is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was 1st PhileKorea founded?
1st PhileKorea was founded in 2000. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is 1st PhileKorea based?
1st PhileKorea is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, in the Asia region.
How does 1st PhileKorea make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Product Distribution is the primary driver. The others are lab R&D Services and NEB Official Distributor.
Who are 1st PhileKorea's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Cosmogenetech, KogeneBiotech, GenScript, Bioneer, LGC Biosearch Technologies and STEMCELL Technologies. Broad incumbents are Merck Korea (Life Science / MilliporeSigma), Thermo Fisher Scientific Korea, Bio-Rad Laboratories Korea and Danaher Korea (Beckman Coulter / Cytiva / Leica).
Does 1st PhileKorea have an API?
No public API is recorded for 1st PhileKorea.
What industry is 1st PhileKorea in?
1st PhileKorea's product category is Life Science Distribution & Laboratory Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAGAIAF, Molecular Biology & Genomics Instruments (PCR/qPCR, Sequencing, Microarrays). Its NAICS code is 334516 and its SIC code is 3826.