POLAND : NEXT START UP NATION IN EUROPE ?
The Startuppers Club has been interested in Polish startups for a long time. Indeed, we are convinced that Poland can become the next European Start Up Nation. The country has a large, well-trained and technology-oriented population. The “StartUp Poland” think tank has just published a report on Polish start-ups over the last 5 years which confirms this. Wrocław, the paradise of Polish start-ups According to Regiony, there are around 4500 technology startups in Poland, which is in the initial stage of the Start Up Nation. Many cities (Warsaw, Wrocław, Krakow, Lublin…) host innovative projects and want to encourage the emergence of startups. Each of these hubs has its own specificities, but the most dynamic region remains Lower Silesia. This area is led by Wrocław, close to the German border. According to Startup Poland, two universities in Wrocław strongly encourage cooperation with start-ups, particularly in the medical sector. Startups such as Bioavlee, Infermedica and Nestmedic are good examples. Another reason for Poland’s success as a Start Up Nation is the cost of developers. It is significantly lower than in Silicon Valley. Indeed, a senior developer in Krakow costs around €37,000. But development engineers are very well trained by Polish universities. And what’s more, Poland benefits from a flow of developers from Ukraine in particular, who are equally well trained and motivated. Krakow, Polish startups in Dragon Valley In reference to Silicon Valley, the startups in Krakow are called Dragon Valley. Legend has it that a dragon lived under Wawel Castle. The former industrial zone of Zablocie has been rehabilitated to become a centre for Polish startups. Even if it represents only 10% of the startups, the city competes with Warsaw, which concentrates 30% of Poland’s start-ups. Particularly in terms of financing since 40% of the innovative companies that have raised funds in 2018 are in Krakow. Krakow has rather concentrated its efforts in the fields of robotics and marketing with two universities as well. The investment fund Naspers has also fallen for Brainly. It’s a learning network that also has a presence in New York and has raised $30 million. Manta Ray, the fund of Sebastian Kulczyk (son of the richest man in Poland) has also invested in this startup! The Krakow Technology Park, which offers low rents for young Polish start-ups, has no vacancies. This incubator is the best in Poland! Lublin and Gdansk, rising stars of the StartUp Nation Lublin has become very dynamic for Polish startups over the last 5 years. Samsung has chosen this city to set up its startup incubator in January 2020. Recruitment started by focusing on Polish startups related to cyber security. Samsung announced that it wants to invest in the best innovative companies. Gdańsk specializes in startups related to artificial intelligence. Poland has been training talents in this field and has already experienced successful start-ups. Amazon bought Ivona, a voice recognition software to create Alexa, its intelligent assistant. New startups are already ready to become future successes such as BrainScan, SentiOne or VoiceLab.