The November conference is another event in the ScaleUP Academy series - an initiative carried out as part of the ScaleUP support program. In recent weeks we have been working on creating an interesting program of our meeting and today we would like to reveal the first details to you.

The HR area is a topic that is often overlooked at the initial stage of startup development. Usually, there are "more important" things - customer acquisition, product improvement. However, as the company grows and the team grows, new challenges arise when it comes to managing a growing structure. And this is what we will want to talk about during the upcoming conference. 

Questions related to these issues will be answered by a.o. Róża Szafranek - Founder & CEO HR Hints, Founder & CEO Culturivy® Institute. Leader and expert in the field of organizational effectiveness at the market-business-people interface. She is the author of Culturivy® method of increasing the efficiency of organizations by arranging, measuring and organizing the human area, which has been tested in 150+ companies in Poland, Europe and the United States and published in the form of a book, which premiered in 2023 in the USA. 

Jarosław Sroka - coordinator of the InCredibles mentoring program - will also appear among the speakers. Since July 2009, as a Member of the Management Board of Kulczyk Holding, he has been responsible for supervising the areas of corporate communication, investor relations, marketing and public affairs. A graduate of the Institute of Journalism at the University of Warsaw. He also studied at the prestigious international school of business leaders IESE Business School at the University of Navarra in Barcelona and at the University of Banking and Insurance in Warsaw. Member of the Information Governance Council at the Warsaw Stock Exchange and the Program Council of the Capital Market Leaders Academy. Member of the Council of the Civil Development Forum Foundation, the Council of the POC and Member of the University Council of the Wrocław University of Economics. President of PGA Poland.

The opening presentation will be led by Marek Kamiński - a Polish innovator, entrepreneur, philosopher and extreme traveler. He was the first in the world to reach both poles of the Earth without outside help. On May 23, 1995, he reached the North Pole, and on December 27, 1995, he reached the South Pole, for which he was entered into the Guinness Book of Records. Currently involved in the "LifePlan Academy", "Power4Resilience" and Kamiński Academy projects, which are all about building life resilience and fundamental life skills

And these are just some of the Experts who will honor us with their presence on this day. We will inform you about the next points of the program soon. 

Although the "Power of Technology" conference, which we organized in May for our portfolio companies, is behind us, we want to share with you for a moment the joy and emotions that accompanied us that day.

At Google for Startups Campus, we gathered many distinguished guests, as well as outstanding speakers who shared their knowledge and experience on the latest technologies and their impact on the VC market and start-ups. We learned what technological trends will dominate in the coming years, what tools are key to the development of companies, and how VC funds evaluate technological start-ups. There was also a discussion about the technological potential of Poland ;).

Did the conference meet our expectations? Definitely yes! Seeing the number of smiling guests and the commitment during the discussion, we are convinced that it was a successful event. And you can find out about it by watching a short video report.

We, on the other hand, carried by positive emotions and acting in advance, invite you to the next conference. We cannot reveal the title and topic yet, but it will certainly be a response to the demand you report to us. The date is here - we meet on November 19, 2024 at Google for Startups Campus - book your time!

See you!

Five two-day conventions, ten days full of knowledge and practice, twenty participants and countless new skills. The B2B Sales Executive Program 2024 is behind us – learn the details of this unique series of workshops!

Is it possible to support business activities and at the same time build partnerships and relationships with portfolio companies? Definitely yes! Partnerships and joint search for sales solutions were supported by an extensive 10-day training program "B2B Sales Executive Program". We organized the training as part of our ScaleUP powered by WP2 Investments portfolio companies support program, in cooperation with SellWise - Consulting and Training, one of the highest rated and most effective training companies in Poland.

It was a unique initiative addressed to the management boards and founders of companies, which took place in five two-day modules. The meetings were spread over time from February to May 2024. The program began with a "Kick-off" meeting, which allowed the participants to learn about the details of the series, the goals of the workshops and the trainers. The first workshops, which took place in Łódź, were devoted to modern sales and B2B sales management. Participants had the opportunity to explore key aspects of the sales process, such as researching customer needs, building value propositions, and commercial communication strategy. Magdalena Krawczak and Łukasz Połubianko, consultants from SellWise, provided a solid dose of knowledge and practical tips, which were then consolidated through homework.

Each subsequent meeting, both stationary in Łódź and online, brought new challenges and topics to work on. The participants explored the secrets of building effective teams, managing company finances, modern prospecting and analytics in sales and marketing. Thanks to the tasks to be carried out independently, each participant had the opportunity to implement the acquired knowledge in practice, as well as receive feedback from the trainers.

The "B2B Sales Executive Program" was also an excellent opportunity for networking and strengthening cooperation between participants. Joint trips to Łódź and evening integration meetings, including one in the film atmosphere at the Stare Kino hotel, enabled the establishment of lasting business relationships.

The numbers speak for themselves:

• 5 two-day sessions
• 20 participants from 13 companies
• 5 trainers from SellWise
• 40% of the time is devoted to theory, the rest to practice

We are extremely grateful to all participants for their commitment, openness and activity. In particular, we appreciate that they donated their valuable time, often stopping at weekends, to attend our workshops. We also thank the SellWise hosts for their professionalism and inspiration.

Let the photo gallery below remind the participants of the great moments we spent in the training room and not only;) And those who could not take part this time may be encouraged to follow the information about the next editions of our trainings. Because although the "B2B Sales Executive Program" has come to an end, we are already looking for topics for the next edition, which will take place in 2025.

"The Power of Technology" - WP2 Investments conference for you, our companies, this Thursday in Warsaw. Check out what we have prepared for you.

Over the last few weeks, we have been working on finalizing all the details of our event. The plan was for you to be able to share your own experiences related to the implementation of new technologies on the one hand, and on the other hand, listen to lectures by experts and practitioners from the market who have implemented or are researching the latest technological solutions. Each of you will be able to get something out of this mix of knowledge and experience for yourself and your company.

What is as important to us as the program is to give you the opportunity to present what you do to a wider audience. That is why this time we have nearly 200 confirmed people on the guest list - representatives of our friendly VC funds, Business Angels, Law Firms, marketing agencies and other participants of the startup ecosystem. We hope that you will make the most of the planned networking breaks and gain a lot of new contacts.

After clicking on the link below, you can read the full program of the event.

We are waiting for you on May 16! See you.

The second quarter of this year is thematically marked by new technologies in our fund. Mustafa Suleyman's book "The Coming Wave" fits perfectly into this topic. The creator of DeepMind and CEO of Microsoft AI has a lot to say in technology topics, showing two sides of the coin.

Mustafa Suleyman began his serious professional career as a startup founder. In 2010, he founded DeepMind Technoligies - a company that was one of the first to focus on the subject of artificial intelligence. The company was one of the first to be supported by Elon Musk. After 4 years, DeepMind was acquired by Google. At that time, it was the largest acquisition of the American giant in Europe.

After leaving DeepMind, Suleyman was announced as CEO of Microsoft's new division, Microsoft AI, in early 2024.

In his work, Suleyman very often draws attention to the ethics associated with the use of AI and other new technologies. He points out that it is necessary to constantly study the impact of artificial intelligence on the real world. 

The "coming wave" is a kind of alarm, showing the dangers associated with the very rapid development of new technologies and their impact on the world around us. 

We hope that after reading you will be closer to the answer to the question whether new technologies are more of an opportunity or a road to disaster.

Are new technologies real changes or just a big hype? How will the changes taking place in this area develop today? Are we facing a revolution? And whether all technologies can be implemented in startups. We will talk about all this on May 16 at our fund conference.

Over the last few weeks, we have been working to finalize the details of the program of our conference, which we are organizing for you, our portfolio companies - as part of the ScaleUP Academy program.

We managed to combine several points of view at one event - start-ups that built breakthrough technologies or developed existing solutions. VC funds that invest in technology and have technology companies in their portfolios. Finally, we will also get to know the point of view of market experts - entrepreneurs, IT specialists or practitioners who build, implement and monitor what is happening in the area of new technologies on a daily basis.

And so you will be able to listen to the debate, in which Piotr Ciżkowicz from Nunatak Capital and Wojtek Walniczek from OTB Ventures will take part. Two experienced Partners from one of the most "technological" funds will talk about what technologies are investable for funds, what a technology company must have to be able to invest in it and how to build a technology startup to successfully obtain financing.

In addition, representatives of ICEYE - Rafał Modrzewski - and Silent Eight - Julia Markiewicz will talk about their successes in building technology companies. You will be able to get to know their point of view on how to successfully develop a technological business idea.

And these are just some of the speakers and speeches that we have prepared for you.

In the coming days, we will reveal more and more details to you. Stay tuned.

2023 was supposed to be the year of subsidies. And it was. The first year after a several-year break in which money and subsidy programs actually appeared. It was the first such year. We have another 3 years ahead of us. This is the last time of the transfer of large funds and large programs changing not only Poland, but also Polish enterprises.

2023 was also a year of perturbations. For political and often non-substantive reasons, it was also a year of postponed deadlines and decisions. And this is also worth saying honestly on the forum.

2023 was also the year in which the largest subsidy program for entrepreneurs was launched, i.e. the high-profile, media-savvy SMART program as part of the FENG program. Over PLN 10 billion was to be distributed, of which PLN 4.45 billion already in the first call. In the end, PARP launched only 41% of this amount, co-financing 198 out of over 1540 submitted applications. In percentage terms, this means less than 13%. Experts expected much more and with much more exposure to digital businesses.

Meanwhile, it was factories that won, not start-ups. For example, only 4, i.e. 2% of all co-financed projects, were transferred from fintech projects, and as many as 19 projects, i.e. almost 10%, from the packaging industry. And it is not about the fact that the packaging industry cannot be innovative and worthy of subsidies, but rather about the too large and noticeable by many analysts sector disproportion in the program, which was not intended to be dedicated, nor was it intended to reward this category. 

Some experts explained such results by the change of the leading institution and the lack of appropriate competences on its part. PARP, which now evaluates startup projects, has been evaluating projects of large manufacturing companies in recent years, in previous perspectives. And this factor still remains in the assessment, hence the argument of a part of the market, which thus explains the disproportion in favor of factories at the expense of startups in the first edition of SMART FENG in 2023, may seem justified. Similar conclusions were made by the leading institution itself, which changed the rules in the next edition. Its results and possible effects of the changes will be known in Q3 in 2024.

Speaking of conclusions, two from the first edition of SMART seem to be crucial. First of all, it was confirmed that you need to have a very well-developed and parameterized innovation. Which, in the case of digital/cloud projects, often means referring to global competitors available online, also from Poland. In addition, it is worth having an innovation that is easy to implement right away, hence the promotion of projects that are not necessarily digital, but quickly translated into production lines.

Secondly, SMART has shown that the SMART path in FENGU is not everything, because there are also other programs where similar projects have a better chance of successfully obtaining funds, despite much less media hype and potentially lower allocation. Such programs are, for example, Regional Operational Programs, attractive especially to those of our companies that have headquarters or at least branches outside Warsaw, Wrocław or Poznań.

The second program that was in the news in 2023 was the successor to Go to Brand, i.e. the Innovative SME Brand Promotion Program. Mapped as important for companies that already want to scale their business internationally, after the changes it turned out to be attractive, but difficult to implement. The obligatory parameter of at least 30% of export revenues in the year preceding the submission of the application, introduced in the home straight, eliminated many companies from the application, including a large part of our portfolio companies. Finally, 2 of our companies submitted applications in this program and both received funds for trips, flights, hotels, participation in fairs and trade missions on foreign markets. 

The third important subsidy stream for our portfolio were energy programs. Here, the delays are significant. In 2023, programs to improve the energy efficiency of enterprises were partially launched at the level of the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management and regional Provincial Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management. On the other hand, programs for the construction of biomethane plants with very large subsidies amounting to tens of millions of zlotys were postponed several times last year, and finally, after the post-election personnel changes last autumn, they are only now starting in Q2 in 2024.

As you can see, due to various delays, most of the programs were postponed for subsequent months. Hence, the decisions in many of them are announced only in 2024. We can see this in our portfolio companies. For obvious reasons, we cannot talk about details, but since the beginning of the year, in 2 resolved programs, 3 of our companies have received funding. 3 applications submitted and 3 positive decisions. 100% effectiveness. We are only in the first quarter and it is already clear that 2024 may be even better than 2023. We are reaping the fruits of our joint work from the second half of last year. The next results will be available at the end of April. And what else will happen this year? West Pomeranian Regional Operational Programme, Małopolska Regional Operational Programme, Lublin Regional Operational Programme, Silesian Regional Operational Programme, Eastern Poland Programme and the 3rd edition of the SMART path. In addition, there are programs for digitization, automation and the development of industry 4.0. There will be a lot to do, and each such program is an opportunity for you to get the capital needed for the development of your company.

Taking into account all the events on the subsidy market, not only from 2023, it is worth noting one more important thing. Namely, we are in 2024. So we are in the middle of this subsidy perspective, extended for the years 2021-2027. Temporarily, we are at the halfway point, but we have spent only a fraction of the funds allocated for it. This is where analysts differ, because some of them take into account the funds launched on the KPO account, which, after all, has not formally started to this day. Anyway, the fact is a fact - we are halfway there, and we have not spent even half of what we were supposed to spend. What does that mean? This means one thing -  a very large stream of funds that must be spent quickly, otherwise they will be lost, and the Polish economy and Polish entrepreneurs simply cannot afford it.

That is why we have 3 hot years of work ahead of us, because the money is there, and after the autumn elections there is also the belief of experts from the subsidy market that subsidies are a priority topic for the new government. Anyway, the first foreign visit of the new prime minister showed it very clearly. Now it is time to translate large national and European declarations into improving the system and accelerating subsidies. Polish enterprises and our companies are ready for this. Is it worth it? Nothing changes here - there is no cheaper and easier capital for the development of the company. In addition, without giving away shares. Welcome!

During the November conference, we focused on an extremely important problem in the life of startups - fundraising. You had the opportunity to learn how to look for capital in difficult times, what are the market prospects and what investors look at when choosing ideas to invest in.

This time we also want to focus on an important and "up-to-date" topic, which concerns you more and more - the topic of new technologies. We will look at what the market prospects are, we will listen to investors and startups who deal with breakthrough technologies on a daily basis. We will check what experts in this field think about it. Will AI replace humans? Or maybe startups will not survive without implementing machine learning? But how to do it? How to prepare the organization for the implementation of new technologies? We will try to answer these and other questions.  There will be an opportunity to exchange views, experiences and effective networking.

Therefore, book your time today - on May 16 we will invite you to Warsaw. We can't reveal more details at this point, but be patient - we'll be revealing the first cards soon.

We promise inspiring guests, a decent dose of knowledge and a fantastic atmosphere.

See you on May 16!