Patronus closes €11 million funding round to accelerate growth and bring safety technology to more seniors

• 25,000 users, over half a million emergency calls answered, 85% daily wear rate: Patronus proves that technology for seniors works – when it is designed with dignity.
• The round is led by 3TS Capital Partners, with participation from Grazia Equity and existing investors Singular, Burda Principal Investments, Adjacent, NAP, and UVC Partners.

The market: Large, growing, and long underestimated

Berlin/Munich, 22nd April 2026 – Germany alone has 9.6 million people over 75; across Europe, the figure is 53.1 million. At the same time, the number of family caregivers is declining while the desire to live independently in old age continues to grow. Traditional emergency response solutions have not kept pace: studies show that only 14% of users consistently wear conventional home alarm devices.

Patronus has reimagined this structural problem from the ground up: a smartwatch that looks like a normal wristwatch, with a built-in SIM card and direct access to an emergency response center – 24/7, anywhere in Germany. The result: 85% of users wear the device every day. Patronus has already answered more than half a million emergency calls for its 25,000 users. A companion family app now connects 50,000 relatives with their elderly family members in real time.

Why UVC Partners backed the company from the beginning

UVC Partners, the Munich-based venture capital firm focused on technology-driven startups across Europe, has supported Patronus since its early days. For the existing investor, the follow-on participation reflects continued conviction in two mutually reinforcing trends: demographic change as a sustained market driver and AI as the technology that will reshape this market over the long term.

Dr. Oliver Schoppe, Partner at UVC Partners and AI expert: "When we first invested in 2021, Patronus had fewer than 500 customers. Today: 25,000 – with more than half a million emergency calls handled. The numbers speak for themselves. People are living longer, and their desire to remain independent is only growing stronger. In an age of AI, this trend will accelerate further. This is not a short-term opportunity; it is a structural, demographic tailwind that will define the market for decades."

The Next Step: AI as an everyday companion

12% of people over 75 in Germany have no personal conversation on an average day. Loneliness among older adults is now recognized as a serious health risk – affecting cognitive performance, dementia risk, and life expectancy. Patronus plans to address this with an AI companion: a digital assistant built directly into the watch, always available.

"We want to create a world where growing older means safety, independence, and connection," says Ben Staudt, founder of Patronus."Supported by technology that adapts to people – not the other way around."

About Patronus‍

Founded in Berlin in 2020, Patronus provides a safety and companion solution for seniors, consisting of a mobile emergency smartwatch and a family app. With 25,000 active customers and over half a million answered emergency calls, Patronus is the digital market leader in mobile emergency response in Germany. The team includes 70 employees.

Website: www.patronus-uhr.de

About 3TS Capital Partners‍

3TS Capital Partners is a technology-focused growth investor operating across Europe in sectors such as technology, media, and technology-based services. With over €450 million raised from investors including EIF, Tesi, Cisco, EBRD, and Erste, 3TS combines strong financial backing, strategic support, and extensive networks in Europe and the U.S. to drive portfolio growth.

Website: www.3tscapital.com

About UVC Partners

UVC Partners backs Europe’s most ambitious B2B tech founders building new category leaders. From DeepTech to AI, the firm has invested in breakout startups including Isar Aerospace, Proxima Fusion, Q.ANT, Aleph Alpha, Tacto, Flix, and FINN. 

With more than €700 million in assets under management, UVC Partners invests up to €15 million initially across multiple stages from early to growth. Over the lifetime of the investment, €30 million per company can be deployed. 

Beyond capital, UVC Partners' investment team is a "tech team for tech teams" – supporting founders in building and scaling market-leading companies. Through its unique access to UnternehmerTUM – Europe's leading innovation hub – the VC offers a powerful ecosystem of entrepreneurs, key corporate decision-makers, and top-tier researchers. UVC Partners' value-creation team provides direct access to a network of 1,000+ companies – potential customers and strategic partners.

Website: uvcpartners.com