WP2 Investments in a panel at the XXXIII Economic Forum in Karpacz
Where is the VC market today? What are its prospects? But what is the availability of valuable companies on the Polish market?
The future of the venture capital fund market - this was the slogan of the discussion panel at the Economic Forum in Karpacz on 3 September this year, in which Wojciech Pysiewicz, co-founder of the WP2 Investments fund, shared his opinions.
We are definitely at the initial stage on this market - said Wojciech Pysiewicz. - The availability of public funds from the National Centre for Research and Development and the Polish Development Fund (PFR) has certainly contributed to its development. Out of about 200 funds active in recent years, about half have benefited from public funds.
A few years ago, we had an Eldorado on the domestic market when it comes to financing - public funds entered the final peak of their investment period, there was a lot of private capital on the market, there were low interest rates, but... We came down to earth quite strongly. Telling fairy tales about unicorns or raising funding on the basis of cool presentations is over. There was a crisis, and so from investments in technology startups at the level of 3 billion 600 million in 2021 and 2022, we have recently gone down to 1.5 billion last year, and in 2024 it will not be much more.
The market cleared up a bit. Projects that have a unique technology or the first group of paying customers, a validated model, and develop largely in a slightly different, healthier way, are now in demand.
We must also remember that venture capital financing is not for everyone. These are high-risk investments, with great potential not only for technological uniqueness, but also for the size of the market and the scale of these projects.
I sincerely believe that this ecosystem will grow. Although, for example, looking at what is happening on the Polish stock exchange, where the WIG has increased by more than 80 percent since October 2022, this recovery is completely invisible on the venture capital market. It will probably come with the opening of subsequent rounds of public funds, in the first/second quarter of 2025 - summed up Wojciech Pysiewicz.
What else we learned from the debate:
- How much does the market owe to public funds?
- How is this market/ecosystem educated?
- Who is bothered by a long investment horizon?
- What does our investment market look like in the global context?
- How important is an ecosystem of managers who have the skills to manage funds effectively?
The leaders and creators of this market took part in the discussion:
- Paweł Borys, Managing Partner at MCI Capital S.A.
- Zoltan Varga, Managing Director, CentralMediacoport
- Jacek Chwedoruk, Global Partner, Rothschild & Corothsield & Co
- Wojciech Pysiewicz, CEO of WP2 Investments Sp. z o.o.
Moderated by Piotr Rożek, PAP Biznes.
We hope that we have encouraged you to watch the complete debate.