Essential Robotics leaves the incubator and takes the next step towards hospitals
After a year in the Odense Robotics StartUp Fund at the Danish Technological Institute, Essential Robotics has developed a more mature solution and gained valuable experience from collaborating with hospitals. The company is now focused on preparing its robot for the market.
After a year in the Odense Robotics StartUp Fund at the Danish Technological Institute, Essential Robotics has developed a more mature solution and gained valuable experience from collaborating with hospitals. The company is now focused on preparing its robot for the market.
When Essential Robotics joined the Odense Robotics StartUp Fund at the Danish Technological Institute in 2025, the ambition was to develop an autonomous robot capable of taking over the time-consuming task of transporting empty hospital beds, freeing up valuable time in hospital operations.
One year later, the company is ready to leave the incubator with a stronger solution, hands-on experience from working with hospitals, and a more solid foundation for its continued journey towards the market.
“We’ve come significantly further than where we started. We’re not on the market yet, but we’re in a much stronger position, both technologically and in terms of our understanding of the business and our customers’ needs,” says Anton Jørgensen, CEO and co-founder of Essential Robotics.
A vote of confidence in the early stage
When Essential Robotics was accepted into the incubator, the company was still in its early stages. As a result, the programme quickly proved valuable in ways that went beyond access to facilities and expert guidance.
“It was a bit of a vote of confidence to be part of it. Being accepted, and knowing that someone believes in you, gives you a tremendous amount of courage,” says Rasmus Peter Junge, CTO and co-founder.
At the same time, the incubator provided access to competencies and experience that the company otherwise would not have had close at hand.
“Suddenly, it wasn’t just three guys trying to figure everything out on their own. We had a few more tools in our toolbox that we could draw on.”
More than technology development
For Essential Robotics, the incubator experience has covered everything from technology development to guidance on the administrative processes that come with preparing a robot for market launch. The company highlights the advice received from the fund’s mentors on CE marking, risk assessments, and documentation as an area where the programme made a tangible difference.
“If you don’t know how a process like that works, it’s incredibly difficult to carry out. Just having people with practical experience in conducting risk assessments or writing user manuals has been a huge help,” says Anton Jørgensen.
At the same time, being surrounded by other robotics companies and startups at the Danish Technological Institute created valuable day-to-day opportunities for sparring and knowledge sharing.
“Working side by side in the same hall made it very easy to point at something in the robot and ask, ‘Why are you doing it this way?’ They’ve faced many of the same challenges, so it’s been easy to exchange ideas and learn from their experiences,” says Rasmus Peter Junge.
Essential Robotics also points out that the incubator provided access to a strong network of investors, industry professionals, and experienced business leaders through events such as Community Day, ROBOTBRAG, and other activities.
“There are so many highly relevant people coming through, and you get the chance to discuss every aspect of your company because there are so many different profiles and perspectives represented,” says Emil Månsson, CCO and co-founder.
Closer to real-world operations
While being part of the incubator, the company has also moved closer to the environments where its technology is intended to create value.
Through a project with the Region of Southern Denmark and three hospitals in the region, including Odense University Hospital (OUH), Essential Robotics has had the opportunity to test and validate its solution in operational settings and gain insight into the workflows the technology is designed to support. Through the project, Essential Robotics is exploring how the robot can support the transportation of hospital beds to and from services such as cleaning and repair, and what is required for it to create real value in day-to-day operations.
“In short, it’s about validating that there is a business case for our product,” says Anton Jørgensen.
The focus is now on the next major milestone: getting the robot fully ready for the market.
“Quite simply, we want to get the robot out there, moving beds around hospitals and solving real problems for them. And of course, we’d also like to earn a living from it,” he concludes.