Techstars | All things startup in Warsaw №186
Welcome to Warsaw’s go-to newsletter for startup news and events! A quick review of last week’s highlights and must-attend events. Got news or an event to share? Let us know—we’d love to feature it!
Editor’s Edge
If last week had a scent, it’d be eau de ambition and burned hemp. While politicians bicker and summer interns try to learn how to hold a coffee cup, the Polish startup scene was busy getting real work done. Green Lanes raised €2.8M to turn hemp into furniture, Menlo Electric lit up FT’s Fastest-Growing list like a solar flare, and Tequipy made IT logistics sound… well, almost sexy.
Meanwhile, Bank Pekao casually dropped 70,000 wearable payment rings into the wild. Want to feel like a Marvel villain and pay for your croissant? There’s a ring for that. And yes, the rumors are true—PZU and Pekao are merging to create a €47B financial Godzilla. The MoU is signed, the lawyers are grinning, and somewhere, a PowerPoint is already overheating.
But don’t sleep on this week either. SXSW just landed in London (because Shoreditch wasn’t smug enough), and Warsaw is holding court with the Perspektywy Women in Tech Summit, Thursday Gathering x Women in Tech, and a Data Science Summit that promises more LLMs than your group chat can handle. Oh, and a live pentest demo if you enjoy watching firewalls cry.
Buckle up—whether you’re into wearables, AI ethics, or just want to know what startup is using Netflix to teach you languages (hi Poliglotter), this week delivers.
And with that, let’s dive in.
Last Week's NEWS
💎 Poland’s Real Crisis Isn’t Politics—It’s Population
Poland has long been hailed as a post-communist success story, with uninterrupted economic growth, strong institutions, and global praise as “Europe’s growth engine.” But behind the optimism lies a deep demographic crisis. The country is aging rapidly, and its population is shrinking. Eurostat projects a decline from 37.6M today to under 34M by 2050—and possibly 24M by 2100. Read more. [demographics, policy]
💎 Tequipy Raises €700K to Reinvent IT Logistics
Polish startup Tequipy has secured €700K from Unfold.vc and leading angel investors to scale its IT asset logistics platform for remote-first teams. With clients across the U.S., UK, and Saudi Arabia, and €310K in April revenue alone, Tequipy is proving the global demand for smart, scalable IT logistics. Its pay-as-you-go model reduces waste, boosts onboarding speed, and gives full visibility into hardware management. Read more. [logistics, SaaS]
💎 Pekao Launches 70,000 Payment Rings
Bank Pekao is rolling out 70,000 smart payment rings this summer—battery-free, waterproof wearables that allow users to pay or withdraw funds with a simple tap. Known as Peoring, these devices function like contactless cards and are part of Pekao’s digital innovation push. Offered free to new customers and discounted for existing ones, the campaign aims to attract 700,000 new clients by 2027. Read more. [fintech, banking]
💎 Orlen VC Invests in ReVentas Recycling Tech
Orlen VC has invested in Scottish startup ReVentas, which is developing cutting-edge technology to purify commonly used plastics like polyethylene and polypropylene. The tech dissolves and cleans polymers to remove dyes, fillers, and fragrances, making the plastic reusable in packaging, automotive, and consumer goods. This move supports Orlen Group’s commitment to climate neutrality and a circular economy. Read more. [climate, recycling]
💎 Levelly.ai Named Finalist in SWPS Booster
Warsaw-based Levelly.ai, a platform focused on eliminating pay gaps through automated audits and compensation analytics, has been named a finalist in SWPS University’s Startup Booster for Social Impact. Selected from 90 applicants, the startup impressed a jury of 30+ experts with its measurable social value. Read more. [HRtech, equality]
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💎 Outline AI and Poliglotter Awarded at Infoshare 2025
Infoshare 2025, CEE’s largest technology conference, awarded €20K to Italian biotech startup InSimili for its in vitro drug discovery platform. Germany’s Exoheal and Italy’s Rilemo followed in 2nd and 3rd place. The Gdańsk Startup Award also made its debut, honoring Polish startups Outline AI (urban planning automation) and Poliglotter (language learning overlays for Netflix). Read more. [startups, competitions]
💎 Green Lanes Prepares for 2025 NewConnect Listing
Green Lanes, a Polish producer of hemp-based wood alternatives, plans to go public on NewConnect in 2025 after raising PLN 12.5M (~€2.8M) in Series C. Its eco-friendly product, Strumber, is made from hemp and flax to replace hardwoods like oak. Backed by investors like JR Holding and Total FIZ, the startup aims to produce 10,000 cubic meters annually from a new facility in Lublin. Read more. [materials, sustainability]
💎 Menlo Electric Tops FT1000 Europe’s Fastest-Growing Firms
Polish solar distributor Menlo Electric leads the Financial Times’ FT1000 ranking for 2025 with 830.8% CAGR. The Warsaw-based firm beat out UK fintech Allica and German adtech Almedia. This year’s list reflects Europe’s shift toward digitization and clean energy, with strong showings from software, energy, construction, and finance. Read more. [growth, energy]
💎 16 AI Strategy Playbooks You Can’t Ignore
Top firms including Accenture, Amazon, BCG, and Bain have published AI strategy playbooks to help organizations align automation with outcomes. These guides, free and battle-tested, cover frameworks for value creation, CX transformation, risk management, and AI maturity. As AI adoption accelerates, fluency in these models will define leadership success. Read more. [AI, strategy]
💎 LesMills Launches Elite Fitness Camp in Sri Lanka
Only 16 spots are available for a 7-day Les Mills fitness retreat in Sri Lanka, featuring international stars Adam Wadhwa and Lydia Johansson. Hosted at the boutique Panta Rei Resort, the camp blends tropical luxury with intense daily training in formats like BODYCOMBAT, GRIT, and CORE. With its global reach and scientific backing, LesMills offers an immersive experience for fitness enthusiasts looking to train with the best. Read more. [fitness, travel]
💎 Venture Café and ARIA Bring Global Innovation Engine to the UK
Venture Café, the global network for inclusive innovation ecosystems, is launching in the UK in partnership with the Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA). The initiative will debut in London in early 2025, followed by two more cities, creating a UK-wide platform to bridge science, society, and entrepreneurship. The partnership aims to amplify frontier research through curated events hosted with ARIA, UK universities, and industry leaders. Read more. [innovation, partnerships]
💎 VetApp Wins Swiss Healthtech Awards
Polish startup VetApp has emerged as a rising force in European healthtech, winning Best Pitch and Investor Award at Switzerland’s Tenity Digital Health Accelerator Demo Day. VetApp integrates neurosymbolic AI to support veterinary pre-diagnosis via chat and video consultations, already attracting over 18,000 users in an 8-month pilot. Read more. [healthtech, AI]
💎 CEE’s Tech Valuation Hits $117B
The total market capitalization of the 100 largest tech companies in Central and Eastern Europe reached $117B, up 10% year-over-year, according to Digital Poland’s latest report. While the number of unicorns dropped to 32, a new class of “dragons”—valued between $250M and $1B—is emerging. Mid-tier tech firms are driving regional innovation. Read more. [startups, valuation]
💎 Startup Funds Face Marathon, Not Sprint, in Poland’s Venture Ecosystem
Launching a VC fund in Poland can take up to a year—even with institutional backing. Despite announcements in 2024 by PFR Ventures supporting four new fund managers under FENG, only one began investing by May 2025. The delay highlights structural inefficiencies: UOKiK, KNF, and KRS processes are time-sequenced and paper-heavy. UBO verification and physical LP documentation further extend timelines. Read more. [venture capital, regulation]
💎 Poland’s PZU and Bank Pekao to Merge and Form a European Financial Powerhouse by 2026
Poland’s largest insurer PZU and major lender Bank Pekao have signed an MoU to merge by mid-2026, aiming to form one of Europe’s strongest financial entities. The consolidation, backed by the government, could unlock €4.7B in Tier-1 capital and enable €47B in new credit portfolios. The plan involves restructuring PZU into a holding company and merging it with Bank Pekao, which will lead the combined entity listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. Read more. [finance, mergers]
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This week's events
📅 June 2–7, 2025
SXSW London 2025: Europe’s Creative & Tech Powerhouse Arrives in Shoreditch
Europe’s first edition of SXSW lands in Shoreditch, London, transforming over 25 venues into innovation stages for technology, music, screen, business, and art. The festival will host over 1,000 companies from 60+ industries and 50+ countries. Featured speakers include DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis, OnlyFans CEO Keily Blair, and Idris Elba. Music headliners include Grammy-nominated Tems and UK pop star Mabel. Read more. [conference, startup]
📅 June 3, 2025
Pentesty – Symulacja Ataku: Free Polish Webinar on Cyber Defense
Dive into cybersecurity with this live Polish-language webinar hosted by ISEC and AMP S.A., simulating an actual exploit of CVE-2024-43425. Led by Łukasz Dolata, the session includes a theoretical intro, real-time penetration attack demonstration, and critical defensive strategies. It targets QA professionals, software engineers, and security teams, emphasizing why regular pentests are vital to proactive digital safety. Read more. [cybersecurity, workshop]
📅 June 4–5, 2025
Perspektywy Women in Tech Summit 2025 – The Power of Collaboration
Held at EXPO XXI Warsaw, this is Europe and Asia’s largest tech event for women. Over two days, 10,000+ talents will gather for 400 speakers, 50 workshops, 500 mentoring sessions, and a two-day job fair. From AI to robotics and quantum tech, the summit features inspiring stories, tech showcases, and meaningful career opportunities. Read more. [startup, conference]
📅 June 5, 2025
Thursday Gathering #234 – Her Insight. Our Future
Venture Café Warsaw partners with Women in Tech for a hybrid event focused on women-led innovation and global startup strategies. Hosted at CIC Warsaw, this evening includes office hours with Tar Heel Capital Pathfinder, workshops on GTM strategies, branding, MicroPython, and an Open Pitch powered by OVHcloud. Special panels feature Polish and international accelerators, closing with a diversity talk led by Hong Kong’s ecosystem leaders. Read more. [networking, startup]
📅 June 6, 2025
Data Science Summit AI / ML Edition 2025
Taking place in Warsaw’s Kinoteka and online, DSS is Poland’s top AI/ML event attracting 1,500+ professionals and 200+ speakers. Topics include LLMs, MLOps, GPT, ethical AI, and real-world applications in healthcare and business transformation. Attendees gain access to 100+ sessions, matchmaking, VoD, and an exclusive afterparty. Read more. [machine learning, workshop]