<PAGE>

                                                                    EXHIBIT 31.1
                    CERTIFICATION OF CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
            PURSUANT TO SECTION 302 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

I, Birge Bargmann, certify that:

     1. I have reviewed this annual report on Form 10-KSB of Proteo, Inc. (the
"registrant" or the "small business issuer");

     2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement
of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the
statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were
made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

     3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial
information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the
financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as
of, and for, the periods presented in this report.

     4. I am responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls
and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for
the small business issuer and have:

          a)   designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such
               disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under my
               supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the
               small business issuer, including its consolidated subsidiaries,
               is made known to me by others within those entities, particularly
               during the period in which this report was being prepared;

          b)   evaluated the effectiveness of the small business issuer's
               disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report
               my conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls
               and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this
               report based on such evaluation; and

          c)   disclosed in this report any change in the small business
               issuer's internal control over financial reporting that occurred
               during the small business issuer's most recent fiscal quarter
               (the registrant's fourth fiscal quarter, in the case of an annual
               report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to
               affect, the small business issuer's internal control over
               financial reporting; and;

     5. I have disclosed, based on my most recent evaluation of internal control
over financial reporting, to the small business issuer's auditors and the audit
committee of small business issuer's board of directors (or persons performing
the equivalent functions):

          a)   all significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the
               design or operation of internal control over financial reporting
               which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant's
               ability to record, process, summarize and report financial
               information; and

          b)   any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or
               other employees who have a significant role in the registrant's
               internal control over financial reporting.


Date: March 31, 2006

                                    By:   /s/ Birge Bargmann
                                         ------------------------------------
                                          Birge Bargmann
                                          Chief Executive Officer
                                          (Principal Executive Officer)