Editor-in-chief
At the sTARTUp Day 2025 festival in Tartu, the highest recognition went to SafePAS – a startup founded by TalTech Associate Professor Jekaterina Mazina-Šinkar. The company is developing Drug Hunter, a portable device for rapid drug detection.
At the sTARTUp Day 2025 festival, held in Tartu from 29-31 January, the most significant investment went to SafePAS, a startup founded by TalTech Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology associate professor Jekaterina Mazina-Šinkar, researcher Jelena Gorbatšova, and lecturer Evelin Halling. The company develops portable analyzer devices with laboratory-grade accuracy.
As a TalTech spin-off, SafePAS secured up to €400,000 in investments, with €200,000 coming from the Estonian Business Angels Network (EstBAN) and up to €200,000 from the Lithuanian venture capital fund Baltic Sandbox Ventures.
SafePAS’s flagship product, Drug Hunter, is a portable drug detection device capable of identifying and analyzing narcotic substances from a saliva sample in under six minutes. While traditional drug testing has relied on laboratory analysis or inaccurate rapid tests, Drug Hunter provides law enforcement with a precise and fast solution that can be used directly in patrol cars.
The device was developed in collaboration with Estonian police and won the Europol Innovation Award in 2023. According to Europol, Drug Hunter has the potential to revolutionize drug testing practices and enhance public safety.
According to Mazina-Šinkar, the investment will be primarily used for further development and scaling of Drug Hunter. “Our goal is to make the device smaller and automate its processes so that it fits seamlessly into any police vehicle and remains easy to use in complex situations,” she explained.
While drug testing has traditionally required either laboratory analyses or inaccurate rapid tests, Drug Hunter offers law enforcement agencies a precise and fast solution. Photo: SafePAS
Baltic Sandbox Ventures’ general partner, Sandra Goldbreich, emphasized that SafePAS’s solution brings laboratory-level analysis to outdoor conditions, opening up opportunities in multiple fields. “The SafePAS team has created a portable technology that has the potential to transform agriculture, medicine, and law enforcement,” said Goldbreich. In addition to Drug Hunter, SafePAS is developing a soil analyzer called Smagry, which enables rapid assessment of soil nutrient content.
According to EstBAN representative Jana Budkovskaja, strong market validation sets SafePAS apart. “From the beginning, they have worked closely with customers and adapted the technology based on practical feedback.”
The company is now on the verge of even more significant development – SafePAS has reached the final phase of the European Innovation Council’s EIC Accelerator program, where deep-tech and high-tech startups have the opportunity to secure a €2.5 million grant. The decision will be announced in the coming weeks.
