The city of Tallinn in Estonia is investing €100,000 in four smart-city start-ups.

The companies won the Tallinnovation competition to support smart cities and were picked from ten entries. Working with the Tehnopol Science & Business Park, the city chose the four winners and will invest €100,000 in them.

The winners of the third Tallinnovation competition were 10Lines, Koduandur, FOB with MyGames, and FudLoop:

• 10Lines develops smart robots for marking roads. The robots allow road markings to be drawn more accurately, more efficiently, and with a smaller environmental footprint.
• Koduandur warns the families and care workers of elderly people if they are not moving about their home as usual, which may indicate they have had a fall or a health problem.
• FOB and MyGames allow sports grounds to become completely self-service by managing the booking, payment, access, lighting and other functions.
• FudLoop is developing smart food sharing cupboards and says it is the first company in the world to offer food sharing as a service. As part of the project, the network of food sharing cupboards in Tallinn will be expanded and opportunities created for sharing food.

Aivar Riisalu, chair of the innovation committee of Tallinn City Council and of the competition jury, said the entries in the competition covered a very wide range of business ideas.

“It was pleasing to see that the winners covered both software and hardware from different sectors, showing the potential and the readiness for innovation in so many spheres of life,” he said. “We are excited to see how the chosen will be put to work and become internationally successful through their partnership with the city of Tallinn. The work of Tallinnovation has supported businesses in doing exactly this.”

Indrek Orav, CEO of Tehnopol, said organising the Tallinnovation competition fitted with the fundamental aim of Tehnopol of supporting world-changing innovation.

“Making the urban space smarter makes life more convenient and more sustainable for all of us,” said Orav. “The winning entries in the competition create value for businesses and for people. We greatly appreciate the chance to help businesses reach their potential by giving them financial support, an environment to test their solutions, and practical advice from mentors.”

The aim of the Tallinnovation innovation competition is to improve the services and the environment of the city for residents and visitors. The competition gives support to cooperation between the city and technology companies and promotes the use of innovative smart city hardware and software products in Tallinn.

The innovation fund reached €100,000 for the first time, and it will be divided between the winners. The competition winners will also benefit from contacts and advice from Tallinn city, and the support of the Tehnopol network of mentors. Work on developing and deploying the technology will start in the coming months.

Other companies that have previously received support from the innovation competition are Thinnect, KrattWorks, Solintel, Ringo Eco, Bikeep, R8 Technologies, Teede Tehnokeskus, Fusebox and Aiotex.