Maigre encouraged more Northern and Eastern Europe companies to participate in the challenge.
"It was boosting to get recognition for our revolutionary data visualization tool only two years after the company's inception," Maigre said in December. "It shows how an Estonian company can develop new technologies that strengthen the Alliance's cyber capabilities."
Feedback from conference attendees helped a different challenge winner, Troika Solutions, confirm there was an interest in battlespace data fusion and visibility.
The company received other opportunities based on the work it presented at the challenge, though those prospects were not specifically tied to people the company spoke with at NITEC, said Pam Rooney, who is in International Operations at the company.
The company has also been working on a project to expand a demonstration of in-field drone repair using additive manufacturing (3D printing) and drawings authenticated by blockchain technology, Rooney said in November.
Troika Solutions demonstrated the in-field drone repair work at a NATO exercise called CWIX, the Coalition Warrior Interoperability eXercise, Rooney said.
Rooney's advice for the 2019 challenge participants was to "prepare yourself to hear relevant speakers and understand NATO priorities and processes!"
SensorUp Founder and CTO Steve Liang also had advice for future participants: to build something disruptive and massive.
Participating in the challenge added credibility to the company, Liang said.
At NITEC the company's presentation focused on enabling a standards-based Common Operational Picture for the internet of military things. Several commands will share an identical display of important information like troop positions, called a Common Operational Picture, to plan collaboratively.
Asked what the company has been up to since the challenge, Liang said SensorUp has expanded from 10 full time employees to 15, and expects revenue to triple in 2019.
The next NITEC, "NATO and the High North: Technology Ultramarathon," will be held in Oslo, Norway on 20-22 May 2019.
You can enter this year's Defence Innovation Challenge at bit.ly/2019DIC.