The Founders Night is a networking event giving start-ups an opportunity to expand their professional networks, find partners, investors and even potential clients. For the second time, they also had the chance to practice their pitches with experienced speakers in attendance.
Poland holds a special place in Europe
‘Once again, we have partnered with the Founders Night. Once again, we went to Lisbon to attend the Web Summit conference, which brings together some 80,000 people - innovators, investors and the representatives of the world of technology’, states Paulina Muszyńska, head of Startup Wroclaw at the Wrocław Agglomeration Development Agency (ARAW).
Paulina Muszyńska - Head of Startup Wrocław: ‘During the opening ceremony of the Web Summit, CEO Paddy Cosgrave said from the stage that Poland is the role model for the new Europe, as it is motivated, ambitious and highly organised. We are glad to be mentioned in such a special context during this grand opening. We will do our best to confirm that Paddy Cosgrave's words are true.'
'Founders Night is an initiative forged in Wrocław, as the city is ahead of everyone else in many respects when it comes to business development. That is why we are traditionally meeting in Lisbon, on the eve of the start of the Web Summit,’ says Magdalena Okulowska, President of ARAW. ‘We also have an economic mission organised in synergy with the Marshal's Office of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. We are joined by 22 entrepreneurs from Wrocław and Lower Silesia.
Pitches and feedback
The Founders Night also offers an opportunity to practice pitches - short presentations, which are all about capturing the attention of investors and raising funds. Start-ups received constructive feedback on their presentations.
One of the pitchers during the Founders Night was Marcin Matuszewski, co-founder and CPO of Owl Sentry. The company hails from Wrocław, but its representatives flew straight in from Silicon Valley in San Francisco to be at Founders Night.
‘We offer versatile devices that monitor pest activity in a given location. At the moment, our system deals with rats and mice, but we are working on new solutions for other pests,’ the CPO explains. ‘I humbly accept tonight’s feedback,’ he added.
The quality of the pitches was assessed by Ernest Szydelski, CEO of Hustro, Member of the Board of Startup Founders and organiser of the meeting. He pointed out that in order to stand out today in the world of innovation, especially AI-based ones, one has to keep one’s originality in mind.
Ernest Szydelski - Member of the Board of Startup Wrocław: ‘Focus on your vision and technology, your customers and your purpose. Because technology is only a tool that helps with achieving a given goal. You also need to have a good grasp of your customers’ needs and match the technology to their problem.
International meeting of the start-up community
Founders Night brings together not just start-ups, but also investors. The networking event piqued the interest of the start-up community from all over the world for the seventh time.
Georgi Tonchev of MyCFO came to the Web Summit from Bulgaria. He joined Founders Night to promote his start-up. ‘Our fledgling start-up ecosystem is relatively young at around 10 years old, but it is developing quite well and fast,’ he says. ‘We have good engineering schools in Bulgaria, which means that our foundations are solid. Our issue lies with the underdeveloped ability to commercialise our innovations. We are here because we are looking for funding and new experiences.
‘Most members of the Startup Founders association are more experienced entrepreneurs. That is why we try to help and solve problems in an atmosphere of mutual understanding, trust and complete honesty,’ Ernest Szydelski explained the idea behind the meeting.
Paulina Walkowiak, co-founder and CEO of C:UX, lives in Lisbon. Founders Night is an opportunity for her to meet friends and expand her professional network ‘Every year, I see new faces and encounter new people for the first time. We do not have access to the Polish network, even though we operate in the Polish market. The event is a great opportunity for us to meet people where we are,’ she says.
Wrocław-based start-ups around the world - why do they matter?
Paulina Muszyńska - Head of Startup Wrocław: ‘We need to showcase our start-ups to the world, and we need to make our start-ups aware of how other ecosystems and innovators work around the globe. Thus, we make it easier for them to attract investors and partners, as well as to reach markets other than Poland, where they can do more - this is what the Web Summit and Founders Night are all about.
‘We focus on start-ups, which become our business strategy in Wrocław. This gave rise to the Startup Wroclaw umbrella project, as these companies are the gateway to innovation and the development of the state,’ Magdalena Okulowska, President of ARAW, explains.
The event is organised by Startup Founders.
