On November 27th, the Prototron Final Competition concluded, awarding a €75,000 prize fund to support the development of groundbreaking prototypes. The winner was Expand, a team developing an automated brain monitoring solution for intensive care units.
Brait Pilvik, CEO of Prototron, noted the exceptional quality of this year’s competition, which led to funding being distributed among four top ideas instead of the planned three. “The diversity of solutions—from automated flag-raising systems to energy-efficient modular data centers and digital logbooks—made the jury’s decision incredibly challenging,” Pilvik explained.
Expand secured the top prize of €35,000 to advance their product, which detects visually invisible seizures in intensive care patients. “Currently, this work is performed by specialized neurologists, and many hospitals lack such expertise. Expand’s innovation has the potential to save countless lives,” Pilvik added.
TOP 4 Teams and Awards:
- Expand (€35,000): An automated EEG monitoring system that helps medical professionals make critical decisions in intensive care units.
- Laflow (€20,000): A biomedical device using low-intensity vibrations to address breastfeeding challenges, prolonging breastfeeding duration and reducing complications.
- MastSmart (€10,000): A smart flag-raising system for patriotic and smart home enthusiasts, integrating seamlessly into smart home ecosystems.
- ChargeIQ (€10,000): A smart charging station solution for micro-mobility devices, enabling property owners to generate new revenue streams while meeting growing public demand.
Expert Insights:
Caroline Aruoja, Head of TalTech’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center, highlighted the importance of fostering innovation: “TalTech has doubled its patenting activity, and we’re launching two new student entrepreneurship programs, whose alumni we hope will join Prototron in the future.”
Anne-Liisa Elbrecht, Head of the Tehnopol Startup Incubator, emphasized the program’s strategic value: “Building and validating a prototype is an essential step for startups. From there, our accelerator program ensures startups achieve market readiness and attract investments.”
Triin Preem, Swedbank’s Startup Segment Lead, added: “This year’s TOP 10 demonstrated the ongoing relevance of Prototron’s funding for early-stage ideas. To expand Prototron’s impact, we encourage more companies to join us in supporting the next wave of groundbreaking innovations.”
About Prototron
Prototron was founded by Swedbank, TalTech, and Tehnopol to fund and support the creation of technological prototypes. Over 10 years, Prototron has financed 102 projects with nearly €1.3 million, helping teams secure over €85 million in follow-up investments.
