This could be your best pal when no one’s around to help during an emergency

TagBio's ID-Life features accessories with critical info embedded in QR codes.

During a business trip to Thailand, 42-year-old Anch Ong experienced an emergency that made her realize that timing could be the key to saving someone’s life. In the middle of a life-threatening situation, she felt alone and helpless due to the language barrier. Meanwhile, Chew Min Seng, 54, felt a similar sense of helplessness when his elderly mother met with a traffic accident with no medical ID with her. The two then worked together to create ID-Life with the key purpose of providing emergency medical information retrieval in any given emergency situation to save valuable time while enhancing an unresponsive victim's chances of survival.

Anch and Min Seng formed startup TagBio, with the former acting as the COO and the other as the CEO. ID-Life is its core product.

TagBio’s ID-Life QR-code accessories include wristbands, necklaces, helmet tags, etc., It provides real-time information in any given emergency situation via its patented retrieval system.

ID-Life works by scanning the QR-code to get an individual's critical medical information such as name, blood type, allergy history and next-of-kin contact information anywhere in the world. This means ID-Life can already be used by at-risk individuals and sports enthusiasts such as cyclists and triathletes. The individual's full medical data can also be accessed by accredited medical professionals worldwide through an app that can be downloaded from the iOS App Store and Google Play app store.

According to Anch, TagBio is focused on the effective use of technology to enhance and safeguard lives. The unique feature of ID-Life’s information retrieval system is that members can make their medical information available for retrieval in real time even when they are travelling overseas. “Our patented retrieval system that not only stores individuals' medical data but also allows us, the service provider, to customise medical/news alerts for them,” Anch adds.

Currently, ID-Life has been embraced by various cycling groups, Singapore Association for the Deaf and Thomson-Toa Payoh RCs. Anch notes that TagBio will also be partnering with medical service providers in the region to provide the personal safety coverage. ID-Life is already connected with one hospital in Vietnam since June and another one is taking up in the last quarter of this year. Anch adds that they are also in discussion with hospitals in Thailand and Indonesia to embrace the technology.

Funding

Currently, TagBio has SGD200,000 total funding on hand. Anch, Min Seng, and two other investors injected a total capital of SGD100,000. They subsequently received SGD100,000 in funding from a private investor. Anch says that another SGD 100,000 is in the pipeline.

According to Anch, for the first 2 years, TagBio spent much of their time pioneering ID-Life team on software and product development. All software and product development were done on basis of time and skill contribution by the ID-Life team which is valued at around $800,000.
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COMPANY PROFILE

Company Name: TagBio
Founders: Anch Ong and Chew Min Seng
Website: https://www.id-life.com/
Total Funding at hand: SGD200,000
Source of funding: Self-funded
Major investors:
Start of operation: April 2013

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