As part of the CapTTict project, in which the Faculty of Information Technology of the Czech Technical University in Prague (FIT CTU) is the leading partner, the Danube Digital Accelerator (DDAccelerator) incubation program was created. Its goal is to identify promising innovators and support their early-stage projects. Nine teams from six participating countries made it into the accelerator’s first round, including two teams with students from FIT CTU.
The first successful project from FIT CTU, titled FlowerPen, consists of Daniel Janota and Bc. Daniel Riley (FIT CTU) and Bc. Jan Tonner (FEL CTU). The project aims to simplify plant care using modern technology. Their service includes both software (a mobile app with information about specific plants), the ability to connect with other users, and a hardware solution.
“Our project offers a combination of a carefully designed app connected to the FlowerPen device, which provides real-time measurements of parameters such as soil moisture, temperature, or light levels received by the plants. We also offer community features that help users connect with others who share the same interest,” says Daniel Janota.
“Choosing the right path, both in terms of development and philosophy, was one of our biggest challenges. Having ideas is great – nothing would ever be created without them. But ideas without action remain just dreams. At a certain point, it's essential to stop generating new possibilities and instead find the right balance between functionality and vision. Thanks to the DDAccelerator program, our solution has become much more practical. We began focusing more on the business side – thinking about funding, approaching investors, and realizing that they are actually more accessible than we initially thought,” he adds.
The second successful project, CaseIndex, focuses on developing a tool that uses artificial intelligence to help legal professionals find relevant case law. Members of this innovative team are Bc. Dorian Charbulák, Kryštof Holý, Bc. Jan Wenzel, Jan Illetško, Bc. Jakub Horák, and their investor Tomáš Samek.
“The primary users of CaseIndex are legal professionals, especially tax advisors and lawyers, who need to efficiently search case law as part of their legal research. With CaseIndex, they can significantly reduce the time spent on research – potentially by up to 50% – while ensuring that they find relevant cases that their competitors might miss using traditional search methods,” explains Dorian Charbulák.
“For me, the most important part of the DDAccelerator program is the mentoring. We've already encountered two events that required crisis management since the beginning of the program. Having a mentor who actively monitors your progress and is available to support you is invaluable,” Dorian adds.
Both teams are part of a four-month incubation program, through which they receive comprehensive feedback, mentoring, and essential knowledge from business experts.
You can already apply for the third (and final) round of team selection. The DDAccelerator is open to students, start-ups, or teams with technically-oriented ICT projects. Out of the applicants, the top 10 teams will be selected to receive a four-month accelerator program (completely free, in English, and fully online). Applications are open until May 31, 2025.
