Enormous business potential, developing BPO/SSC/ITO sectors and prestigious scientific bodies. Now, Kraków can also add a flourishing star-up sector to this list.
The business potential of Kraków and Małopolska can be discussed for hours. The location of the region itself, with A4 motorway, a transit corridor from Western Europe to Ukraine called CORRIDOR III, and Kraków Airport, is beneficial to the region. It is here that the business service outsourcing sector is developing, and thanks to the recent direct connections, among others with Dubai, cooperation with companies from the Middle East and Asia can be deepened. This potential is also strengthened by special economic zones and an established position of research and development entities.
Exchange of experience and and a chance for exposure
As indicated by Startup Poland foundation, Kraków is the leading Polish city in terms of the number of registered start-ups. The capital of Małopolska annually hosts about 50 events dedicated to start-up technology with the biggest Kraków-based companies of this type having already obtained a total of PLN 500 million in investments. What makes Kraków so attractive for start-ups? For sure, access to many business partners and potential clients plays a crucial role. It is worth noting that according to the Polskie Startupy 2017 report, the most frequently provided services by the companies in question are B2B-oriented big data services. Equally important is access to graduates of prestigious universities that are places which not only educate programmers desired by start-ups,
but also raise the innovativeness of created solutions. This is important as new companies are more and more often developing products and services in the field of biotechnology, medtech and fintech. Moreover, industry events such as Impact CEE, Digital Dragons, Smogathon, Tydzień Startupów or Małopolski Festiwal Innowacji should not be forgotten, as they are a place where you get the chance to exchange experience and inspirations, as well as present your offer. Start-ups are also constantly supported by local governments and numerous accelerators and funds.
Higher goals, wider perspective
An important difference between start-ups and small companies is the high potential of the latter to develop despite facing a much greater risk. As said by Julia Krysztofiak-Szopa, a president of Startup Poland, in the introduction to the last year report, it is risk and mutual experience that allow start-ups to willingly engage in helping other companies, exchange knowledge and support local communities. Another factor that distinguishes start-ups from other companies is the business model. These companies very often choose innovative products and services,
want to revolutionize their industries and create solutions that will significantly simplify everyday activities or improve the comfort of users or recipients of these services. This can be heard in the statement made by Anna Ryś (the co-founder of TurboTłumacznia.pl and Smogathon initiative, the CEO of AnyMind start-up and ambassador of the Małopolska Innovation Festival) for LoveKraków.pl, who emphasizes start-upers’ strong belief in changing the world for better.
Smogathon fights against smog
Smogathon is an interesting initiative that aims at helping to create and promote ideas for fighting against smog in the most polluted cities in the world. The initiative applies the model of hackathon, very popular in IT industry, which favours competition and the emergence of innovative solutions.
For many start-ups, profit is just one of the driving factors. According to Ryś, other important factors include the will to share knowledge, cooperate and create solutions that will help people by simplifying everyday activities or overcoming such problems as pollutants.
Brainly community
The dream of many start-ups is global success. This dream came true for Estimotein Kraków that based its offer on beacons – small radio transmitters communicating with smartphones. They can be used to e.g. find information about products in stores or to interactively guide tours in museums. Estimote currently serves approximately 70% of clients from the Fortune 500 list.
Beacony w wersji Estimote
The dream of many start-ups is global success. This dream came true for Estimotein Kraków that based its offer on beacons – small radio transmitters communicating with smartphones. They can be used to e.g. find information about products in stores or to interactively guide tours in museums.
Estimote currently serves approximately 70% of clients from the Fortune 500 list. Start-ups based on the use of modern technologies and big data, but also focused on cooperation and exchange of experience, are no exceptions. And as many start-ups emphasize, they really want to change the world.
