Techstars | All things startup in Warsaw №188
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
Missed last week? Don’t worry, we watched the timeline so you didn’t have to. Poland’s startup scene gave us everything: climbing walls, billion-euro exits, and AI-fueled fashion drops. Reclimb kicked off a crowdfunding campaign with €3M in grant-fueled chalk dust behind it. Meanwhile, Atmos Ventures got its mic-drop moment with the $1B+ acquisition of Oxford Ionics—yes, Poland’s got quantum swagger now.
Over in venture land, Tar Heel Capital basically won prom king at PSIK 2025, BASEIG is dressing up commerce with AI, and ReSpo.Vision is proving you only need one camera to track world-class footballers (and possibly war zones next). Sintra.ai turned a weekend project into €12M ARR. You? You took a nap and missed it.
Now for the main course: this week’s events. WRLD Hack will teach you blockchain in a language that sounds like a Final Fantasy spell. Aula Polska is throwing a pizza party to celebrate 18 years of startup soul. FuckUP Night brings the failure stories you didn’t ask for but desperately need. And Nocny Market is where your Thursday turns into a Spotify playlist, complete with cocktail deals and pierogi.
Basically: from billion-dollar exits to vegan burritos, Warsaw’s startup week is doing just fine.
And with that, let’s dive in.
Last Week's NEWS
💎 Reclimb Launches Equity Crowdfunding with PLN 13.7M Grant Backing
Polish sporttech startup Reclimb has launched an equity crowdfunding campaign, inviting individual investors to co-own the company behind SkyWall, an interactive climbing system. The move follows a significant milestone: a PLN 13.7 million (~€3.1M) grant awarded under the SMART program by the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development. Read more. [sporttech, crowdfunding]
💎 Polish VC Atmos Scores Win with Oxford Ionics’ $1.075B Acquisition by IonQ
Poland-based Atmos Ventures has hit a milestone as its portfolio company Oxford Ionics is set to be acquired by U.S. quantum computing giant IonQ for $1.075 billion. The deal, largely in stock, merges IonQ’s quantum stack with Oxford Ionics’ ion-trap-on-a-chip innovation, paving the way for scalable fault-tolerant quantum computers. Read more. [quantum computing, venture capital]
💎 BASEIG Raises €460K to Power AI-Led Fashion Commerce
BASEIG, a Warsaw-based AI-commerce platform enabling creators to launch fashion brands, has raised €460,000 from private investors. With revenue already surpassing 2024 totals in Q1 2025, the company eyes a debut on NewConnect. BASEIG integrates design, logistics, and marketing with AI tools that optimize drop timing. Read more. [fashion tech, AI commerce]
💎 EIC Pre-Accelerator Launches with €500K Grants for Deep Tech Startups
The European Innovation Council has opened its EIC Pre-Accelerator call, targeting startups in underfunded EU regions. Selected startups can receive up to €500,000 in funding and coaching, along with fast-track access to the EIC Accelerator. The program is open until November 18, 2025, and supports early-stage deep tech ventures at TRL 4–6. The €20M budget aims to bridge national, regional, and EU-level financing. Read more. [deep tech, EU funding]
💎 MCI Capital Exits Answear.com with Nearly 3x Return
MCI.TechVentures, a fund under MCI Capital, has sold its entire 19.3% stake in Answear.com via ABB, yielding a nearly 3x return. The exit marks the culmination of a multi-year expansion strategy that saw Answear grow into a regional e-commerce leader. The company posted over PLN 1.5B in revenue in 2024 and continues to post double-digit growth into 2025. Read more. [e-commerce, private equity]
💎 Tar Heel Capital Acquires 75% of Med-Gastr to Expand Private Healthcare
Tar Heel Capital (THC) has acquired a 75% stake in Med-Gastr, a specialist clinic in gastroenterology. The investment aligns with THC’s consolidation strategy in Poland’s private healthcare sector, emphasizing early diagnostics and operational efficiency. Poland suffers from low preventive screening rates, and THC aims to fill this gap through Med-Gastr and related platforms. Read more. [healthcare, private equity]
💎 Tar Heel Capital Pathfinder Wins Top VC Awards at PSIK 2025
Tar Heel Capital Pathfinder was named Venture Capital Fund and Deal of the Year at the PSIK 2025 awards for its exit from Wellbee, a digital mental health startup. The deal returned 10x to investors and was co-founded by THCP. This marks a milestone for the PFR Starter program and signals the viability of venture building in Poland. Read more. [venture capital, mental health]
💎 Google Injects €15M to Power Ukraine’s Startup Resilience
Google’s Ukraine Support Fund has now disbursed €15 million to 98 startups, offering equity-free capital and cloud credits amid war conditions. Startups like Allbionics and OpenBabylon represent a surge in local innovation despite adversity. Operated by 1991 Accelerator, the initiative combines funding, mentorship, and technical support to drive long-term recovery through tech entrepreneurship. Read more. [Ukraine, startup funding]
💎 ReSpo.Vision Raises €4.1M to Disrupt Sports Analytics with Single-Camera Tech
ReSpo.Vision, a Polish deeptech startup, has raised €4.1 million to scale its single-camera 3D motion tracking solution. Clients already include PSG, Chelsea FC, and major football federations. The company holds rare FIFA certification and plans to expand its platform to defense and medical use cases. Vinci S.A. led the round, signaling confidence in ReSpo.Vision’s global potential. Read more. [sports analytics, computer vision]
💎 Sintra.ai Raises €15.8M as ARR Surpasses €12M in First Year
Baltic startup Sintra.ai has closed a €15.8M seed round led by Earlybird VC, with backing from Inovo.vc and Practica Capital. The platform offers AI helpers for solo founders and SMEs, integrating with tools like Gmail and Meta. Built in 2023 as a weekend project, Sintra now supports 40,000+ customers in 100+ countries. Read more. [AI, SME tools]
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My notes:
💎 Blackstone’s €500B Bet on Europe Puts Warsaw on the Map
Blackstone’s plan to invest €500 billion in Europe signals a strategic shift. Poland—once peripheral—is now seen as a pivotal market. With GDP growth forecast at 3.5% in 2025 and rising tech talent, Warsaw is attracting major capital. Investors cite three trends: geopolitical urgency, deep tech momentum, and returning talent. Read more. [investment, Poland]
💎 Why “Work” Must Be Redefined in the Age of AI
The future of human dignity may depend on decoupling identity from productivity. As machines absorb more tasks, redefining work becomes urgent. Rather than clinging to outdated productivity metrics, experts call for recognition of care work, imagination, and presence as valuable societal roles. Universal Basic Income pilots across Europe and the U.S. have shown positive results. Read more. [future of work, AI ethics]
💎 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. Read more. [AI, strategy]
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This week's events
📅 June 16, 2025
WRLD HACK: Motoko – Intro to Web3 Programming
If you’ve ever been curious about how to program for the decentralized web or want to explore blockchain beyond buzzwords, WRLD HACK: Motoko is your gateway. This free online workshop guides participants into the world of Motoko—a language designed by the DFINITY Foundation for building apps on the Internet Computer, a blockchain designed to integrate with the internet itself. Ideal for high school/university students and early-stage developers with basic coding knowledge, this hands-on event covers Internet Identity, smart contracts (canisters), and introduces ICP.Ninja, a browser-based IDE. Read more. [hackathon, web3]
📅 June 17, 2025
Aula Polska #197 – Aula Wakacje (18th Birthday Meetup) [PL]
Celebrate 18 years of Poland’s longest-running startup community in a no-presentation, riverside meetup filled with pizza, drinks, and memories. Aula Polska #197 ditches the traditional format in favor of unfiltered networking and summer ambiance by the Vistula River. Expect informal conversations with founders, startup teams, investors, and curious newcomers. Entry includes two bar coupons and fresh pizza (first come, first slice!). The evening honors Aula’s evolution from a knowledge-sharing event to a key pillar of Warsaw’s startup scene. Read more. [networking, startup]
📅 June 18, 2025
FuckUPs Night in Warsaw: ULTRA.VC x Ū HUB [EN]
Join ULTRA.VC and Ū HUB for an evening of real talk and raw lessons from the startup world. FuckUPs Night celebrates failure as a stepping stone with candid stories from startup veterans, including Eugene Valuev (ULTRA.VC), George Kachanouski (ScootAPI), Maksim Artiomenko (umowa.io), and Gleb Kawaleü (Karma Crew). Following the talks, attendees enjoy curated networking, wine, food, and summer vibes. Bonus: umowa.io will showcase their incubator tools for Polish tech talent. Read more. [community, founders]
📅 June 19, 2025
Thursdays at Nocny Market – DJ Lineups, Cocktails, and Culinary Fireworks
Warsaw’s Nocny Market becomes an audio-culinary playground every Thursday. Expect vibrant DJ sets (June 19: SEBASS), 1+1 cocktail deals, and dozens of food stalls serving everything from vegan burritos to Baltic seafood and high-end éclairs. No tickets, no dress code—just street art, mixology, music, and culinary diversity on a repurposed railway platform. A true slice of Warsaw nightlife and cultural identity. Read more. [culture, entertainment]
📅 June 20–22, 2025
Multicultural Days at the Centrum Wielokulturowe
A three-day celebration of diversity, migration, and community at Warsaw’s Multicultural Center. Expect workshops, storytelling, music, panel discussions, and food from around the world. The event, co-organized by the Polish Migration Forum and Plan International, embraces inclusivity and civic dialogue. With programming in Polish, English, and Spanish, it welcomes all—whether lifelong residents or new arrivals. No registration required—just show up. Read more. [community, culture]