Inventor, 20, wins top award for device inspired by struggling great-grandmother

A Maltese medical technology entrepreneur has won a top EU award after inventing a device inspired by her great-grandmother's struggle to manage her medication. 

Elenya Spiteri, 20, won the AmCham EU Youth Entrepreneurship Award 2026 with her ‘Medilert’ automated medicine dispenser, beating two other finalists from Albania and Latvia.

The award comes with a €10,000 cash prize and a year of mentoring. 

Spiteri’s invention combines an automated dispenser with app-based monitoring and voice reminders, aimed at improving patient care for elderly patients.

Elenya Spiteri at the awards ceremony. Photo: Elenya Spiteri

“The idea started out in my great-grandparents’ living room," Spiteri said.  "I saw my great-grandmother struggle with her medications, and I saw the constant worry and stress it put on my family when she forgot to take her medication or took double the dose.”

“Medilert is that ‘living room moment’. I took that idea and built a company out of it,” she said, adding that she started the company last year before entering her invention into competitions around Europe.

Describing the win as “surreal” and a “moment of pride”, Spiteri said the award would help build Medilert’s credibility and support the scaling up of its operations.

'Dream to have my own company'

The Saint Martin's Institute of Higher Education student said her long-term plan for the company was to expand into other European markets and work on Medilert full-time.

“It has always been my dream to have my own company; working on the company doesn’t feel like a job to me, but rather a mission. I also plan to keep studying, as knowledge is always the door to achieving your dreams.”

The AmCham award, now in its 14th year, was created by the American Chamber of Commerce to the European Union. Since 2021, it has focused on start-ups with female founders, co-founders or lead team members.

Spiteri was declared competition winner after delivering a presentation about her company and facing a grilling from a panel of senior business leaders, policymakers and EU-US representatives.

'Strong example of a young woman entrepeneur'

She received the award at this year’s AmCham EU Annual Gala, which featured the participation of European Commissioner Glenn Micallef’s cabinet, EU Commissioner Maria Luís Albuquerque and senior members of the US mission to the EU.

AmCham EU CEO Malte Lohan called Medilert a “strong example of how young women entrepreneurs are bringing fresh thinking to Europe’s economy”.

“Elenya has shown what is possible when a clear business idea is matched with the determination to bring it to market. We are pleased to recognise her achievement and the example she sets for women entrepreneurs across Europe.”

Other finalists included Albanian entrepreneur Bora Selenica, who was recognised for her ‘Pigi’ financial education app aimed at children aged five to 14, and Latvian entry Marija Ručevska for her early-stage venture capital fund investing in pre-seed and seed tech companies across Baltic and Nordic states.

The competition was held in collaboration with JA Europe, a leading European organisation providing teaching, volunteering and mentoring experiences.