Patronus Raises €11 Million to Turn Senior Emergency Smartwatches from ‘Bedside Decoration’ into Daily-Worn Devices
April 28, 2026 – 7:28 am
3TS Capital Partners led the round with Grazia Equity and existing investors. With 25,000 users, an 85% daily wear rate, and over 500,000 emergency calls handled, Patronus is making strides in senior safety. The company is developing an AI companion for its smartwatch to combat loneliness among seniors when family members are absent.
Patronus, a Berlin-based senior safety startup, has secured €11 million in funding to expand its emergency smartwatch platform and introduce new AI features.
The round was spearheaded by 3TS Capital Partners, with contributions from Grazia Equity and existing investors Singular, Burda Principal Investments, Adjacent, NAP, and UVC Partners.
Founded in 2021 by Ben Staudt and Tim Wagner, Patronus has previously raised approximately €33 million, including a €6 million seed round and a €27 million Series A in October 2022, the largest-ever Series A investment in European elderly care at the time.
Staudt’s grandmother’s experience inspired the company’s creation. She had an emergency call button but often left it on her bedside table rather than wearing it due to its size and stigma. This "bedside decoration" led Staudt and his team to design a smartwatch that looked like a regular timepiece, addressing dignity concerns.
After consulting with over 1000 potential customers, Patronus learned that the issue wasn’t technical but one of dignity. Traditional emergency buttons have remained largely unchanged for decades, with only 14% of users wearing them consistently (approximately 1.2 million people in Germany alone).
Patronus’ smartwatch offers a discreet solution: it comes in various colors, tells time, and does not signal vulnerability to others. Currently, 25,000 users wear the device daily, with a significantly higher adherence rate of 85%. Over 500,000 emergency calls have been made through the platform thus far.
The new funding will be allocated to:
- Expanding the platform across additional European markets.
- Developing an AI companion feature for the watch, providing conversation and companionship during periods of loneliness when no family member is available.
While emphasizing that the AI companion is not a human replacement, Patronus aims to address a significant public health issue: the loneliness experienced by older adults.