MyDefence has been named Company of the Year, while BlinkTroll took home the Startup of the Year award. The awards were presented by Odense Robotics on stage at the robotics conference NextGen Robotics LIVE, where participants from both the international and Danish robotics industry were gathered.
Two companies with strong solutions within defence technology took this year’s awards as Odense Robotics brought the industry together at NextGen Robotics LIVE.
MyDefence, based in Nørresundby and developing advanced solutions to detect and neutralise drones, received the title as Company of the Year. At the same time, BlinkTroll was named Startup of the Year for their innovative robotic solution for shooting training.
“We are incredibly proud to receive this recognition through Odense Robotics – a network we truly value being part of and which makes a difference for innovation in Denmark. The award is a strong recognition of our entire team and the dedicated work we put in every day to develop and deliver advanced technological solutions. This recognition motivates us to continue pushing the boundaries of what is possible and strengthens our ambition to develop solutions that ultimately help save lives,” says Dan D. S. Hermansen, CEO of MyDefence.
In recent years, MyDefence has experienced significant growth and expanded its activities within counter-drone technology.
From incubator to scaling defence technology
The Norwegian-Danish company BlinkTroll started in the incubator at the Odense Robotics StartUp Fund at the Danish Technological Institute, where the company developed and strengthened both its technology and business. In 2025, they moved out but continue to be based in Odense, where they are now working to scale both organisation and business.
The company, originally from Norway, has in a short time brought its training system from development to deployment with both police and defence.
“Winning Startup of the Year from Odense Robotics means a lot to us.
Being recognized by peers in the robotics community hits differently. Seeing a defence company take this award feels like a real milestone for us and for the whole ecosystem. We took a gamble uprooting everything and moving to Odense, and we feel that choice paying off every day we’re here. We are just really grateful, proud, and more determined than ever to keep building and developing important tech,” says Øystein Hatlestad Hovland, Co-founder and COO of BlinkTroll.
Celebrating across the ecosystem
This year, the awards were presented at the robotics conference NextGen Robotics LIVE, which featured keynote talks, panel discussions and live demonstrations of new technology – and culminated in the award ceremony.
“It is a great pleasure to highlight some of the companies that are helping to move the industry forward. They develop solutions that not only create growth and jobs, but also help solve real-world challenges. And there is something special about doing this at NextGen Robotics LIVE, where the ecosystem is gathered – it creates a strong sense of community and provides a unique setting to recognise each other’s achievements,” says CEO of Odense Robotics, Søren Elmer Kristensen.
Recognition from the industry
The awards are presented annually by Odense Robotics and are given to companies that have distinguished themselves through innovation, growth and strong solutions within the robotics, automation and drone industry.
The winners are selected through a vote among Odense Robotics’ more than 350 member companies.
In the Company of the Year category, 4XRobots and Nordic Wing were also nominated, while Scurid and Spaceline Labs were among the nominees for Startup of the Year.
The Company of the Year award is sponsored by Middelfart Sparekasse, while the Startup of the Year award is sponsored by PLM Group.
NextGen Robotics LIVE is supported by several partners, including NextGen Robotics, Industriens Fond and AI MATTERS EU. The NextGen Robotics project is co-funded by the EU and the Danish Board of Business Development.
Odense Robotics is co-funded by the EU and the Virksomhedsudvikling Danmark
