Patronus has secured €11 million to transform senior emergency smartwatches from mere 'bedside decoration' into everyday wearable devices.

      3TS Capital Partners led a funding round for Patronus, along with Grazia Equity and existing investors. The platform has attracted 25,000 users, who wear their devices daily at a rate of 85%, and has managed over 500,000 emergency calls. The company is developing an AI companion for its smartwatch to help alleviate loneliness during times when family members are not around.

      Based in Berlin, the senior safety startup Patronus has secured €11 million in funding to enhance its emergency smartwatch platform and create new AI-enabled companion features. The investment round was spearheaded by 3TS Capital Partners, with contributions from Grazia Equity and existing investors like Singular, Burda Principal Investments, Adjacent, NAP, and UVC Partners.

      Founded in 2021 by Ben Staudt and Tim Wagner, Patronus has previously raised around €33 million through a €6 million seed round and a €27 million Series A, which was the largest Series A funding for elderly care in Europe when it concluded in October 2022.

      The inspiration for Patronus is anchored in its genesis story, which the company highlights in its marketing and the founding team treated with great importance when establishing the business. Staudt’s grandmother had an old-fashioned emergency call button, but instead of wearing it, she left it on her bedside table, referring to it as “bedside decoration” due to its bulkiness, stigma, and the implicit acknowledgment that help was needed.

      Prior to its launch, Staudt and his team spoke with over a thousand potential customers, receiving consistent feedback that the challenge lay not in technology but in preserving dignity. Although traditional alarm buttons have been around for years, they have seen little innovation; around 1.2 million people in Germany alone utilize them, yet studies indicate that only 14% wear them regularly.

      The Patronus smartwatch addresses this issue by resembling a conventional wristwatch: it is available in various colors, tells time, and does not convey the message of “I need help” to everyone the wearer meets.

      The results are impressive, with 25,000 users active on the platform and an 85% daily wear rate, significantly higher than the 14% compliance rate associated with traditional devices. Patronus has managed over 500,000 emergency calls from its users, with 50,000 family members connected through the Patronus companion app, which indicates if the watch is being worn, whether the user has left their home, and provides location information in emergencies.

      The product is distributed in collaboration with Deutsche Telekom, which supplies the necessary connectivity infrastructure.

      The new funding will serve two main purposes: first, to expand the core emergency and family connectivity platform into additional European markets; and second, to develop an AI companion feature for the smartwatch, functioning as a digital assistant capable of conversing with elderly users during long stretches when family support is absent. The company emphasizes that this feature is not a substitute for human connection, but rather a solution for times when no one is available. It aims to combat the loneliness of older adults, a public health issue that can affect mortality and cognitive decline, in addition to serving its emergency safety purpose.

      The larger market context involves the demographic shifts in aging Europe. Germany faces a situation where two workers retire for each one entering the labor market, and, by 2040, the EU’s over-65 population is projected to reach 130 million. The shortage of professional caregivers is growing and structural. Technologies that enable older adults to live securely and independently in their homes for longer help alleviate pressure on families, emergency hospital services, and residential care facilities and thus have significant commercial potential alongside public health benefits.

      Patronus’ €11 million funding round, for a company with 80 employees and 25,000 paying users, represents a growth-stage investment in a business with established unit economics in a market poised for structural growth.