Patronus: The Digital Watch for the Aged

An emergency call button for old or frail people is only useful if it is within reach in an emergency. Up to now such panic buttons were worn around the neck, which many older people found uncomfortable or awkward. Beyond the silver surfers is a generation of people for whom a smart phone and all the other digital contraptions of the 21st century are too complicated to bother with. As Business Insider reports, founders Ben Staudt and Tim Wagner are convinced that a plain watch is the best solution, since this is sure to be on one’s person even if one has a fall. Their startup Patronus has developed a smart watch with only two functions, to tell the time and to connect with an emergency contact or call center with just one click. Petronus works with the German telecom, so the watches do their job even when people are outside of their homes. The idea is so simple and convincing that Patronus has now gathered €27M in series A funding, less than a year after their €6M seed funding led by Berlin investor Cavalry. The investors see the potential of the watch – in future family members can track the whereabouts of the wearer, make calls, and the device could deliver health data to carers.