The funded teams were Öseen (€20,000), which transforms nutrient-rich brewing by-products from the beer industry into efficient, clean-label food ingredients using mycelium, and Proctera (€15,000), which is developing procurement software for manufacturing companies that covers the entire process from engineering to suppliers.

Prototron CEO Maret Kivirand said the spring round highlighted the ambition of early-stage technology startups to solve highly specific problems.

“Prototron’s role is to help teams take one of the most challenging steps: moving from an idea to a first working prototype. It is at this stage that it becomes clear whether a technological solution can perform in a real-world environment, whether the problem is significant enough, and whether the team has the potential to advance to the next stage of development. This year’s finalists stood out for their strong preparation, clear understanding of the problem, and willingness to test their solutions quickly,” said Kivirand.

In addition to the funded companies, the following teams also reached the finals:

• Intentum AI – developing the first sales tool designed to disappear into the background.
• Takara Medical – accelerating biomaterials innovation in regenerative medicine.
• Post-Walk Dog Wash Station – developing a post-walk dog washing station that helps pet owners keep their homes cleaner.
• Triangel.AI – an analytics platform spanning from deal to execution, connecting sales promises, contracts, and actual delivery.
• Glurry – developing a next-generation diabetes treatment platform.

Head of TalTech’s Technology Transfer Office Caroline Rute said that Prototron provides strong support for bringing technology ideas from the lab and development phase to their first functional solutions.

“TalTech’s technology portfolio currently includes 14 technologies looking for co-founders, and programs like Prototron help them reach the next stage of development faster. It is great to see more and more teams eager to test and bring new technologies to market. If you want to build something new, this is definitely an ecosystem worth following,” said Rute.

Swedbank’s Head of Small Business Segment Astrid Maldre said it is encouraging to see ambitious, high-growth-potential ideas continuing to emerge from the Estonian startup ecosystem.

“This year’s Prototron winners, Öseen and Proctera, demonstrate the diverse challenges Estonian entrepreneurs are solving and the strong innovation capability of local teams. Swedbank is proud to support initiatives that help such ideas reach the prototype stage and grow into future success stories,” said Maldre.

According to Anne-Liisa Elbrecht, Prototron helps teams move from a very early-stage idea to their first practical development step.

“The value of Prototron lies in giving technology ideas the opportunity to reach the prototype development stage — the moment when ideas can truly begin to be built, tested, and further developed. For Tehnopol, this is an important link, as a strong first prototype lays the foundation for future growth,” said Elbrecht.

The Prototron fund was established by Swedbank, TalTech, and Tehnopol to support the development of technology prototypes. Over the past thirteen years, Prototron has supported more than one hundred teams, helping them move from early-stage ideas to market readiness.