Tri-city startup ecosystem – WE ARE BIG!
Startup environment in Tri-city in Poland is a vibrant and still developing ecosystem. Little has been said about it on the international media so far. Tri-city formed by Gdańsk, Gdynia and Sopot, is a place with an extraordinary investment potential and attractiveness, particularly in the fields of:
- new technologies
- R&D (Research and Development)
There are a number of reasons for such a startup-friendly environment:
- developed social infrastructure – includes assets that accommodate social services, e.g. health sector: medical facilities, ancillary infrastructure (i.e. offices, carparks, training facilities)
- good quality of the Pomeranian environment
- a lot of highly-educated people – in Tri-city, there are prestigious colleges – The University of Gdańsk and University of Technology in Gdańsk. They both generate well-educated graduates each year
- high living standards – according the 2013 Social Diagnosis (Diagnoza Społeczna 2013) , the majority of Pomeranian inhabitants are satisfied with the place they live in because of a high civilization level, prosperity, social capital (graduates stay here) and attractive free time facilities.
In the last few years, a number of cluster initiatives has been undertaken in the Tri-city’s economic market. There are special places for startupers, venture capitalists as well as supporting organizations. Their number is still growing and moreover, thanks to already working entities and success of many companies, it is possible to raise the innovation of Pomeranian economy through Tri-city’s initiatives. Furthermore, our public administration is also eager to participate in activities aimed at fostering startup ecosystem in Tri-city.
Below, you can see the structure of the Tri-city startup ecosystem and its most significant places and events:
Co-working spaces for startups:
- O4 – located in Olivia Business Centre in the heart of Gdańsk. It’s a space designed for innovative startups and small companies. O4 offers support in financing ideas, education and international development. http://www.oliviacentre.pl/pl/
- Inkubator Starter – as their workers say: Starter is a space, knowledge and networking. It provides co-working, offices for young as well as experienced companies, secluded places for meetings and huge conferences and also a unique atmosphere. http://www.inkubatorstarter.pl
- Startup Zone in PPNT – Co-working space located in the new building of Pomeranian Science and Technology Park in Gdynia (PPNT). Over 400 m2 which creates a comfortable and friendly environment with all things needed to launch your business. http://ppnt.pl/en/startup/strefa-startup-gdynia
- Co-work in GPN-T – Science and Technology Park in Gdańsk has its own offer of co-working space for small companies and students who want to develop their ideas. http://www.gpnt.pl/oferta/co-work/
- AIP – Academic Incubators of Entrepreneurship are spaces dedicated to students who would like to start their professional careers and do not want to launch companies, yet. They are the first step on the way to business success. http://inkubatory.pl
- Gdyński Inkubator Przedsiębiorczości – the newest organization of that kind in Tri-city. Its activity will be concentrated on providing working space for startups. http://www.inkubator-gdynia.pl/
Events and supporting organizations:
- infoShare – the biggest in CEE Region Tech & New Media festival. In 2015, organized in Gdańsk in AmberExpo. Gathered more than 4500 participants, 80 international speakers, 5 stages and more than 150 exhibitors. A huge doze of inspiration for startupers. https://infoshare.pl
- Venture Day – an annual conference in Gdańsk. Its aim is to create an exceptional space for exchanging information and experiences. Startup environment mixes with venture capital funds, R&D manager, scientists and entrepreneurs. Venture Day consists of Speed Dating, workshops, individual meetings and lectures. Everything to nurture business ideas within Tri-city environment. Venture Day has its own Academy, which train scientists and entrepreneurs. http://ventureday.pl
- Wolves Summit – an international conference for startups, investors, corporations and entrepreneurs. During the first edition in April, over 3 days gathered 1235 attendees, 123 speakers, 117 investors, 102 startups in pitch competition. It mixes the newest trends with best practices in entrepreneurship, technology and investment. https://www.wolvessummit.com
- Interizon – The Interizon cluster associates the entities of 13 business sectors. The vast majority are IT, telecommunications and electronics companies. http://interizon.pl/index.php/pl/
- 3camp – regular meetings with experts and startup community from Tri-city. http://www.3camp.pl
- 3HACK.PL – Tri-city tech & startup communities info hub. 3HACK organizes events and supports the startup ecosystem. Twice a year, 3HACK.PL organizes 3HACK Party where several hundred people have fun. http://www.3hack.pl
- Geek Girls Carrots Trójmiasto – Geek Girls Carrots is a community for women interested in ICT. They organize meet-ups and workshops as well as support women in ICT world. http://geekgirlscarrots.org
- Startup Eve – an event organized by Black Pearls VC. Entrepreneurs, representatives of public administration, science and institutions supporting the development of Tri-city’s startups meet once a year before Christmas to celebrate the successes of the past year together.
- Pomorska Fundacja Inicjatyw Gospodarczych – Pomerania Foundation of Economic Initiatives creates a good atmosphere for creative thinking. It is involved in various projects as well as events. http://pfig.org.pl
- BIHAPI – a contest dedicated to popularize the Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) provided by telco operator and smart city services. BIHAPI – while concentrating on students mainly – invites all programmers to create new innovative application, system or services using Telco and Web APIs, Open Data and WebRTC. http://bihapi.pl
Investors and venture capitals:
- Black Pearls VC – the biggest venture capital company in northern Poland. The team specializes in capital management and invests in companies in an early development stage. Apart from investing, Black Pearls VC’s advisory activity supports companies, public administration and science sector with necessary knowledge and experience. It also provides potential for quick and international growth, private funding as well as indispensable know-how. The company’s results are visible in its efficiency and work – so far, it has obtained 170 000 000 PLN capital for its clients. Black Pearls VC invests mainly in LQT – technologies that improve the quality of life and in space sector. http://www.blackpearls.vc
- Business Angel Seedfund – BAS is a first seed capital investment fund established by business angels who succeed in launching their own businesses first. http://www.seedfund.pl
- ARP – Pomerania Development Agency sets standards for supporting entrepreneurship in Pomerania, and is a major partner to the local authorities in fueling regional development. https://www.arp.gda.pl
- Platinum Seed – a bridge between originators and investors. http://www.platinumseed.pl
- Inveno – creates a private equity fund INVENO specializing in investments in innovative small and medium-sized enterprises that are in the early stages of development, or planning to grow through the implementation of cutting-edge technologies. http://www.inveno.pl
Acceleration programs:
- Black Pearls VC – support for entrepreneurs. Black Pearls VC takes care of portfolio companies by providing incubation and acceleration programs as well as trainings and mentoring. Provides training services fully tailored to company’s needs. Experienced trainers plan effective programs for organizations in order to make sure they meet their targets. Black Pearls VC also offers face-to-face mentoring and coaching with experienced entrepreneurs. Apart from it, the team launched summer internship program called Startup Marathon, which supports the youth. http://www.blackpearls.vc
- Inkubator Starter – Space, knowledge and networking. Community. Starter improves the chance for success by inspiring creative thinking. Apart from the co-working space, it also provides knowledge and acceleration. It launched special Starter Rocket Acceleration Programme – a 4-month elevator program bringing startups to the global level by mentoring, conducting workshops, networking, international trips and seed investment. http://www.inkubatorstarter.pl
- Business Link Trójmiasto – The biggest accelerator in Pomerania. It’s special place where the startup originators, teams working on innovative projects, top investors and the biggest brands assisting startups meet. http://bl.przedsiebiorca.pl
- Gdańska Fundacja Przedsiębiorczości – It’s a foundation, which helps entrepreneurs set up their own business. http://gfp.com.pl
Startups:
In Tri-city, there are many dozens of startups, which have been collected and added to the Tri-city startup city map: http://startupcity.info
The list is continuously updated.
Photo credit: CC via www.gdansk.pl by Jerzy Pinkas