Warsaw is the largest academic center in the country and one of the hot spots for R&D in the CEE region, drawing in people from other cities, regions and countries to pursue their dreams and professional ambitions. No wonder Warsaw is the heartland of Poland's startup business. An impressive one in three startups sets up shop in the capital city, creating the right ecosystem for innovation – an ecosystem made up of corporations, investment funds, the creative sector and business-support institutions.

Warsaw is a robust technology hub, as reflected in its strong performance in rankings of business- and technology-friendly cities. It is well poised to become a major location for startup support in CEE, and this is the goal we are going for. The city already plays a significant role in incubating startups from Eastern Europe, in particular Ukraine.

And, as a local government, we are committed to promoting entrepreneurship and creating the right conditions for new businesses to thrive. We operate municipal business centers in which entrepreneurs and those who plan to set up a company can take advantage of free-of-charge training, workshops, mentoring programs and individual counseling. For a couple of years now, we have had in place a free-of-charge municipal acceleration program to help creators and innovators hone their business competencies and develop their projects with the assistance of experts.

Our firm belief is that by supporting startup founders, we invest in Warsaw’s development, as it is these kinds of people – driven, creative and innovative – that shape its future.

In Warsaw, people matter the most. We help them thrive and make their plans and dreams a reality.

Rafał Trzaskowski
Mayor of Warsaw