Skip to main content

Prototron Top 40 Application Form

· 10 min read

We have participated in the Prototron funding program for the second time and submitted our application for consideration. Below are the details of our application form for the Prototron Top 40. We share this information to provide transparency about our funding journey and to illustrate the kind of projects we are working on as transparency is one of our core values

One-liner of your idea​

Beehive Data Analytics

What problem are you solving? Describe the problem you're addressing and its significance in the market or industry​

30% of bee colonies are dying every year, affecting global crop pollination and food security, caused by lack of information and inefficient beekeeping practices

Describe the prototype you’ll be developing. Outline its specific objectives, goals, features, and functionalities​

Objective: Develop a comprehensive alerts system for beekeepers that monitors critical hive parameters and delivers actionable notifications.

Core Features:

  • Multi-source data integration: Real-time monitoring of hive weight and temperature via IoT sensors, plus bee activity detection through entrance cameras using computer vision
  • Intelligent alert engine: Both simple threshold-based alerts (weight loss >2kg, temperature >35°C) and AI-driven anomaly detection for complex behavioral patterns
  • Multi-channel notifications: Email and SMS delivery with customizable urgency levels and scheduling
  • Colony-specific configuration: Individual alert rules per hive with historical context and seasonal adjustments

Goals: Enable proactive hive management by detecting critical events like swarming preparation, robbing attacks, varroa mite infestations, and environmental stress before they cause colony loss. The system transforms raw sensor data into actionable insights, reducing manual inspection frequency while improving colony survival rates.

Target Users: Commercial beekeepers managing 10+ colonies who need scalable monitoring solutions.

Outline the key milestones and deadlines for the prototype/business for the following year.​

Q1​

Complete basic alert rule engine and email notifications Contract Alexei for scales prototype development (20 units planned) Software testing with simulated data Order camera + Jetson Orin Nano setups for internal testing

Q2​

Complete first batch of 10 scales prototypes for testing Develop integration APIs for scales and camera data Begin testing with 8-12 tech-savvy beekeepers (May+ season start) Internal camera testing and algorithm development

Q3​

Deploy all 20 scales across 15-20 beekeepers Real-world testing during peak beekeeping season Deploy 3-5 camera setups with select advanced beta users Collect extensive user feedback and performance data

Q4​

Launch pre-orders for scales (€300-400 each) and cameras (€600-800 each) Secure 30-50 pre-orders to fund next batch production Begin seed funding preparation with proven market demand Key Targets: 85% alert accuracy, 20 scales + 5 cameras deployed, 15-20 beta users, 40+ pre-orders.

What will you do in the following three months after receiving the Prototron grant? Outline the key milestones and deadlines for the prototype/business.​

Month 1: Foundation Development

Week 1-2: Set up development environment and contract freelance frontend developer Week 3-4: Design alert rule engine architecture and database schema Contract Alexei Prokopov for scales prototype development (20 units) Hire community/product manager for marketing and user acquisition Order 5 camera + Jetson Orin Nano setups for internal testing Month 2: Core System Implementation

Week 5-6: Develop threshold-based alert engine (founder + AI assistance) Week 7-8: Implement email notification service with rate limiting Freelance developer builds alert configuration UI and dashboard Community/product manager establishes larger beta testing group (15+ beekeepers) Begin scales prototype development and camera algorithm testing Month 3: Testing and Hardware Integration

Week 9-10: Deploy anomaly detection for weight and basic video patterns Week 11-12: Integrate first batch of scales prototype data with alerts system Community/product manager coordinates initial field testing with 8-10 beekeepers Begin camera integration testing (internal development) Prepare comprehensive SMS notifications and mobile interface Deliverables: Functional alerts system, first 10 scales prototypes ready for deployment, 5 camera setups for testing, 8-10 initial beta users, camera algorithm foundation, 80%+ alert accuracy.

Specify the resources required to fully develop your prototype - human resources (developers, designers, testers, etc.), tools, technologies, and funds. Take into account every aspect of developing your prototype and also the resources that you already have​

Human Resources:

  • Lead Developer/Founder (Artjom Kurapov): Backend alert engine, API integration, IoT architecture, and device installation
  • Hardware Contractor (Alexei Prokopov): IoT scales design, prototyping, and manufacturing preparation - Contract required
  • Freelance Frontend Developer: Alert dashboard UI, mobile interface, and user experience - Need to contract
  • Community/Product Manager: User acquisition, beta coordination, feedback integration, and market research - Need to hire

Technology & Infrastructure:

  • Cloud & GPU hosting: Alert processing infrastructure
  • Communication services: SMS gateway and email notifications for real-time alert delivery
  • Development tools
  • Hardware prototypes: Entrance observer cameras with edge computing
  • IoT manufacturing: Professional-grade scales
  • Logistics support: Device packaging, shipping, field deployment
  • Installation services: On-site setup, configuration, and technical support

Please provide a detailed financial forecast, including projections for revenue, expenses, cash flow, and profitability​

Revenue Projections (12 months): Month 6: Launch with €150/month (8 Starter customers + 2 Professional customers = €15×8 + €49×2) Month 9: €375/month (15 Starter + 5 Professional customers) Month 12: €645/month (25 Starter + 8 Professional customers) Year 1 Total Revenue: €6,500

Expenses: Development team: €28,000 (2 engineers, reduced scope) Infrastructure & hosting: €2,400/year Marketing & customer acquisition: €3,000 Legal & business registration: €1,500 Total Year 1 Expenses: €34,900

Cash Flow: Initial funding needed: €35,000 (Prototron) + €5,000 (personal/pre-seed) Break-even point: Month 24-30 with 80+ active subscribers Monthly burn rate: €2,500 (Months 7-12)

Profitability Timeline: Gross profit positive: Month 12-15 Net profit positive: Month 18-24 Target 20% net profit margin by Year 3 Key Metrics: 12K EUR ARR target by Month 12, 70% gross margins, < 8 % monthly churn rate.

How much funding would you need from Prototron? Please outline the budget and what you will do with the grant. Be detailed​

Requested Amount: €35,000

Detailed Budget Allocation: Personnel & Contracts (€20,500 - 59%):

  • Lead Developer/Founder: €4,000 (4 months × €1,000/month)
  • Freelance Frontend Developer: €4,000 (4 months × €1,000/month)
  • Community/Product Manager: €4,500 (6 months × €750/month)
  • Hardware Contractor (Alexei Prokopov): €8,000 (4 months × €2,000/month)

Hardware & Manufacturing (€9,000 - 26%):

  • Scale units manufacturing: €6,000 (20 units × €300 each)
  • Entrance observer camera setups: €3,000 (5 units × €600 each)
  • Technology Infrastructure (€3,240 - 9%):

Logistics & Operations (€1,500 - 4%): Device packaging and shipping: €500 Installation expenses: €1,000 (50 installations × €20 each)

Cloud hosting & GPU infrastructure: €2,400 (12 months × €200/month) SMS gateway services: €240 (12 months × €20/month) Development tools and licenses: €600

Operations Buffer and contingency (€760 - 2%)

How many of the resources mentioned above do you already have, and how many do you need to find?​

Existing Technical, Academic, Market Foundations: Founder/CTO with full-stack development and computer vision expertise Existing Gratheon platform codebase and microservices architecture IoT sensor prototypes and entrance observer hardware Public API infrastructure and working mobile application Published whitepaper on entrance observer technology Open source codebase attracting volunteer contributors TalTech and Tartu University students conducting market analysis ML groups developing hornet detection and bee species classification Contact with local beekeeping group Relationships with ~10 Estonian beekeepers for testing

Resources Needed: Frontend Developer: React/mobile developer for enhanced UI Community/Product Manager: User acquisition and product feedback Additional funding: €15,000 beyond Prototron grant for sustained operations Market expansion: Broader beekeeping network and partnerships Regulatory compliance: Business registration and telecom approvals

Identify up to three potential risks and challenges that may arise during the development process and how you would mitigate those risks​

Risk 1: Hardware Integration Complexity IoT sensors may have connectivity issues in outdoor conditions.

Mitigation: Implement error handling, offline buffering, and extensive field testing. Develop fallback alert systems using manual input.

Risk 2: Low Market Adoption Rate Beekeepers are conservative and may resist new technology.

Mitigation: Start with early adopters, create ROI case studies, offer freemium model, partner with beekeeping associations.

Risk 3: False Alert Accuracy Issues AI detection may produce false positives/negatives, damaging user trust.

Mitigation: Begin with reliable threshold alerts. Gradually introduce ML features with user feedback loops and confidence scoring.

Please describe your product market potential​

Market Size: Europe: 13M colonies (EU27) with 20-25% annual losses. Middle East: Turkey 8M, Iran 6M colonies, 25-30% losses. Combined 27M colonies. U.S. crisis: record 60% commercial losses (2024-2025), up from 17.7-76.2% previous year - 1.7M colonies died.

Core Problem: Traditional beekeeping requires "hard, frequent, unscalable work" - weekly 20kg hive inspections in protective suits. European beekeepers managing cross-border apiaries cannot scale monitoring. U.S. winter losses: 40.2% (2024-2025). Varroa mites, viruses, pesticides drive crisis. Priority issues: observability (100%), unscalable operations (90%), overwintering collapse (80%).

Disruption Opportunity: European/Middle Eastern markets lack integrated solutions. Gratheon's IoT + computer vision + AI alerts transforms reactive to predictive management, potentially preventing 20-30% losses across 27M+ colonies during critical period.

Who are your main competitors? Define what sets your product apart from competitors. Highlight your product's benefits and value proposition​

Main Competitors: BeeHero (Israel) - IoT sensors lacking video integration. Beewise (Israel) - 400/month), expensive all-or-nothing model. Broodminder - hobbyist IoT with limited enterprise features. Purple Hive/ApicAI - basic entrance monitoring.

Key Differentiation: Only integrated platform combining IoT + video analysis + AI insights. Modular approach allows incremental adoption vs expensive robotic systems. AI-driven alerts detect complex behavioral patterns (swarming, pest intrusions) competitors miss.

Competitive Advantages: Real-time edge computer vision with published research. Serves underserved mid-market (10-100 hives) between hobbyist tools and enterprise robotics. Cost efficient: €300-800 hardware vs €15,000+ robotics. Only solution providing environmental + behavioral monitoring with AI correlation

Describe your paying customers and the users of your solution​

Primary - Commercial Beekeepers (5-100 hives): Pollination services (90% income), honey secondary. Own specialized equipment, maintain warehouses, hire workers, use mobile apiaries. Pain points: scaling inspections, managing distant locations, preventing colony losses. Willingness: €200-500/month for proven ROI.

Secondary - Tech-Savvy Hobbyists: 1-10 hives seeking data insights. Motivated by bee welfare/learning over economics. Often engineers comfortable with technology. Value education and behavioral analysis. Price sensitivity: €50-150/month with ease-of-use focus.

Tertiary: Urban beekeepers (neighbor-friendly monitoring), farmers (pollination verification), research institutions (behavior studies), new beekeepers (guidance).

User Personas: Industrial operator (200+ hives, 5 locations) needs scalable monitoring. Semi-commercial (25 hives) wants early warnings. Tech enthusiast (5 hives) desires behavioral analytics

Pricing Strategy and Revenue Model​

SaaS Tiers: Starter €15/month - web app, basic management, 10 hives (hobbyists). Professional €49/month - IoT integration, analytics, alerts, 50 hives (semi-commercial). Enterprise €149/month - unlimited hives, entrance observers, AI insights, priority support (commercial).

Hardware Revenue: IoT scales €300-400 (70% margins). Entrance cameras €600-800 (60% margins). Installation €50-100/deployment.

Projections: Year 1: 40 customers (€25 ARPU) = €12K ARR. Year 2: 150 customers (€35 ARPU) = €63K ARR. Year 3: 400 customers (€45 ARPU) = €216K ARR. Hardware: 100 units/year by Year 2 = €40K.

ROI Justification: Preventing single colony loss ($200-500) justifies annual subscription. Reduced labor (2 hours/hive/month at €20/hour) = €480 savings/hive. 5-hive operation: €2,400 savings vs €588 Professional cost = 300% ROI.

Go-to-Market Strategy​

Phase 1 (Months 1-6): Target Estonian/Baltic beekeepers through local associations. Leverage 10 existing contacts for beta testing/testimonials. Participate in regional conferences and fairs. Focus on word-of-mouth within tight-knit communities.

Phase 2 (Months 6-18): Content marketing via educational blogs, YouTube demos, ROI case studies. SEO targeting "beehive monitoring" keywords. Social media on Facebook groups and LinkedIn networks. Freemium web app driving upgrades.

Phase 3 (Months 12-24): Partnerships with equipment suppliers, cooperatives, breeding companies for channel sales. Integration with existing software platforms. Academic collaborations for research validation.

Acquisition Tactics: Direct sales through on-site demos. Referral programs incentivizing recommendations. 30-day free hardware trials. Educational positioning as learning tool vs monitoring system.