Poland has worked diligently in the past decade and become an entrepreneurial powerhouse. However, Poland’s society is very entrepreneurial. Poles are said to have sufficient skills to start and run a business. Reportedly, 78% of adult Poles believe that self-employment is a good career path (second highest among European countries).
In recent years, Polish entrepreneurs have gained popularity due to their success and contributions to the global economy. Many Polish entrepreneurs have created innovative businesses and products that have gained recognition both domestically and internationally.
In addition, many young entrepreneurs start their own businesses and attract investment from both local and international sources. This has helped to raise the profile of Polish entrepreneurship and showcase the country’s potential as a hub for innovation and business. To mention a few, Hardt Hyperloop’s Polish rival Nevomo bagged €5 million, e-signature platform Autenti raised €8.5 million and computer vision startup Wizart picked up €1.1 million.
Some of the reasons for Poles to be successful in entrepreneurship are their strong work ethic, resilience, innovation, access to education and resources, global mindset, and hard work.
Here, TFN has listed 10 successful companies founded by Poles that you need to watch out for in 2023.
PayPal
Founder/s: Peter Thiel, Max Levchin, Luke Nosek, Ken Howery, Yu Pan
Founded year: 1998
Total funding: $194M
A popular digital payments platform, PayPal allows individuals and businesses to send and receive money online. Headquartered in San Jose, California, it allows users to link their bank accounts or credit cards to their PayPal accounts, and then use either the PayPal balance or linked accounts to make payments or receive payments from others.
It is used for online shopping, sending money to friends and family, and accepting payments for goods or services. In addition to these, PayPal also offers other financial services, including credit and debit cards, loans, and merchant services.
OpenAI
Founder/s: Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Greg Brockman, Ilya Sutskever, John Schulman, Wojciech Zaremba
Founded year: 2015
Total funding: $12B
OpenAI is an artificial intelligence research laboratory consisting of a team of researchers and engineers dedicated to creating and advancing AI safely and beneficially. Its mission is to develop advanced AI systems that can solve a wide range of problems from natural language processing to robotics. The company aims to create AI that is not only capable of achieving impressive feats but also aligning with human values and can be deployed safely and ethically. Recently, OpenAI is highly talked about due to the popularity of its AI chatbot ChatGPT.
Earlier this year, the Redmond giant Microsoft invested $10 billion in OpenAI. Microsoft said the partnership will accelerate breakthroughs in AI and help both companies commercialise advanced technologies in the future.
Snowflake
Founder/s: Benoit Dageville, Thierry Cruanes, Marcin Zukowski
Founded year: 2012
Total funding: $1.4B
A Californian cloud-based data warehousing company, Snowflake provides a platform for storing, managing, and analysing data. The platform is designed to be fast, flexible, and scalable and analyse massive amounts of data in real time. Built on a unique architecture, it separates computing and storage, allowing customers to scale their data storage and processing independently. Eventually, customers only pay for the resources they use, making it a cost-effective solution for managing and analysing large volumes of data.
Klarna
Founder/s: Sebastian Siemiatkowski, Niklas Adalberth
Founded year: 2005
Total funding: $4.2B
The “buy now, pay later” giant from Sweden offers a variety of payment and financing services to consumers and retailers. Its BNPL service lets customers purchase goods and pay for them later in installments while it also offers other services such as direct payments, pay after delivery, and financing options.
Klarna also provides a range of tools and services to merchants, including marketing and customer insights, fraud prevention, and invoicing services. Its approach to payments and financing emphasizes simplicity and transparency, and the company is known for its user-friendly mobile app and website.
CD Projekt Red
Founder/s: Marcin Iwiński, Michał Kiciński, Adam Kiciński
Founded year: 2002
Total funding: NA
Warsaw-based CD Projekt Red is a games developer with worldwide recognition, which was founded as a distributor of foreign video games. Later, the company shifted its focus to game development and began working on the first installment of The Witcher series. Since then, it has become one of the most prominent game developers in the world.
CD Projekt Red is known for its commitment to storytelling, player choice, and open-world game design. It is also known for its close relationship with its fan community and dedication to fixing and improving its games post-launch.
ShipBob
Founder/s: Dhruv Saxena, Divey Gulati, George Wojciechowski, Jivko Bojinov
Founded year: 2014
Total funding: $335M
Headquartered in Chicago, ShipBob is a technology-driven logistics company that provides e-commerce orders for direct-to-consumer brands. It offers a range of services to its clients, including order fulfillment, inventory management, shipping and tracking, and customised packaging. Also, it provides real-time analytics and reporting to help businesses make informed decisions about their supply chain and inventory management.
Its services are primarily aimed at small to medium-sized businesses looking to outsource their e-commerce logistics operations. With Shipbob, businesses can seamlessly manage their e-commerce operations from a single dashboard.
InPost
Founder/s: Rafal Brzoska, Michał Różański
Founded year: 2006
Total funding: NA
Transforming e-commerce deliveries, Poland-based InPost operates a network of self-service lockers that allow customers to pick up and drop off packages at their convenience without the need for face-to-face interactions with couriers or store staff. These lockers are available 24/7 and are located in convenient locations such as shopping centres, gas stations, and post offices.
InPost also provides a range of logistics and delivery solutions for businesses, including last-mile delivery, cross-border logistics, and returns management.
Expensify
Founder/s: David Barrett, Witold Stankiewicz
Founded year: 2008
Total funding: $27.7M
San Francisco-based Expensify, a fintech startup provides expense management software for businesses and individuals. Its software automates the process of expense reporting and tracking, allowing users to easily capture receipts, track expenses, and generate reports. It also offers a range of additional features such as automatic receipt scanning, GPS mileage tracking, and credit card import.
Expensify also offers a corporate card program for businesses, allowing employees to make purchases with a company credit card and automatically track expenses with its software. Currently, it is used by over 10 million users worldwide, including individuals, small businesses, and Fortune 500 companies.
DocPlanner
Founder/s: Luca Puccioni, Lucjan Samulowski, Mariusz Gralewski
Founded year: 2012
Total funding: $139M
DocPlanner headquartered in Poland is a healthcare booking platform that works worldwide and allows patients to book appointments with healthcare providers online. The platform allows patients to search for healthcare providers based on specialty, location, and availability, and to book appointments online in real time. Patients can also read reviews from other patients and compare prices to find the best provider for their needs.
DocPlanner’s platform is used by millions of patients and thousands of healthcare providers worldwide, and the company has established partnerships with major healthcare organisations and insurance companies. It offers a range of other services for healthcare providers, including patient management tools, online marketing services, and data analytics.
Wish
Founder/s: Peter Szulczewski, Danny Zhang
Founded year: 2010
Total funding: $1.6B
With its headquarters in San Francisco, Wish is an e-commerce platform that allows users to shop for a wide variety of products at low prices. Its platform operates as a marketplace connecting buyers and sellers worldwide. The platform features a wide variety of products, ranging from electronics and clothing to home decor and accessories.
Wish’s platform also features a social component, allowing users to connect, share product recommendations, and leave reviews. The platform uses data analytics and machine learning algorithms to personalise the shopping experience for each user, recommending products based on their browsing and purchase history.
