News
GPW Venture Network Day
PRESS RELEASE
- The Warsaw Stock Exchange (GPW) hosted the GPW Venture Network Day on 9 October 2023, a unique event focusing on synergies between the dynamic stock market ecosystem and ambitious start-ups
- The event brought together prominent experts, leaders, and personalities from the fields of finance, technology, and innovation
- The event featured the launch of GPW’s latest initiative, the GPW Venture Network
The Warsaw Stock Exchange (GPW) has been actively involved in the Polish startup ecosystem for several years. The stock exchange is where business comes together and, as such, it is the perfect place for startups to exchange experiences and meet VC funds. The mission of the stock exchange is to bring business together, and networking is the key to the development of startups. This is why GPW has organised an event that is truly unique in Poland, addressed to the broad startup ecosystem: the GPW Venture Network Day.
“As GPW, we are friends both with startups working towards an IPO and with existing issuers looking for innovative solutions to strengthen their market position. The biggest companies, both domestic and foreign, present on our market increasingly understand that establishing cooperation and investing in young teams full of passion and ideas really makes sense,” said Marek Dietl, President of the GPW Management Board when opening the event.
The event was attended by startups, accelerators, associations and foundations active in the startup market, VC funds, business angels, companies cooperating with startups, industry media, and central and local government institutions. The objective of the GPW Venture Network Day was to enable startups to present their solutions to potential investors and, at the same time, to enable the presentation of startup cooperation programmes offered by listed issuers. Public institutions also presented their offer during the event. It was a unique opportunity for stakeholders in the startup ecosystem to establish valuable business relationships.
The event featured the launch of GPW’s new initiative, the GPW Venture Network, the first project of its kind on the Polish market aiming to build a bridge between the startup ecosystem and GPW issuers. The establishment of the GPW Venture Network is part of the implementation of GPW’s strategy for 2023-2027.
“The main objective of the programme is to support startup projects in achieving their financial targets, give the participants access to networking, and create a place for the exchange of experiences and a platform for the creation of new directions for the Polish ecosystem. In particular, the initiative will aim to facilitate the creation of relationships between stakeholders in the Polish startup ecosystem. The programme is designed to broaden GPW’s offer by reaching companies at any stage of development, bringing together startups, VC funds, business angels, and accelerators. Animating the market will help its participants take advantage of the synergies generated by the collaboration of startups with leaders: key players in each industry. This approach creates unique conditions for increasing the innovativeness of key business players in Poland as well as conditions for the dynamic growth of innovative startups. Investors, including VC funds and business angels, will be able to effectively support the development of projects that have been positively validated by the market, thus increasing the chances for the emergence of unicorns on the Polish capital market,” said Ignacy Bobruk, Head of the GPW Venture Network and originator of the GPW Venture Network Day.
GPW provided three stages, panel discussions, and a unique networking space for conference participants. In the lobby of the Centrum Giełdowe building at 4 Książęca Street, an exhibition space was available for selected startups and members of the startup ecosystem. On the Pitch Studio stage, startups from various sectors had the chance to present their projects directly to renowned investors from Poland and the GPW Venture Network Day Programme Board, which brings together representatives of stakeholders in the startup ecosystem and was set up to tailor the event to market needs.
On the Reverse Pitch Studio stage set up on GPW’s Trading Floor, key companies listed on GPW and other entities running cooperation programmes for startups presented their goals, in particular the principles of cooperation and the offer for startups.
The Discovery Studio stage presented the latest and most important trends that define the world of innovation. This thematic stage was the venue for the presentation and summary of the Startup Poland Foundation report “If not CVC then what?”. The industry leaders participating in the panel discussions raised the topics of foreign cooperation, expansion, and the current challenges facing the Polish innovation ecosystem.
The Networking Area provided an opportunity to establish direct contacts with innovators, entrepreneurs and investors, and discover new opportunities for collaboration. The space gave a chance to find potential business partners, exchange experience, and build new relationships in the dynamic environment of the Polish startup ecosystem.
The GPW Venture Network Day is an ambassador event for Europe’s largest startup event, Viva Technology, an annual technology conference dedicated to innovation and startups held in Paris.
The GPW Venture Network Day was organised by the Warsaw Stock Exchange. The Startup Hub Poland Foundation was the main ecosystem partner. KGHM Polska Miedź was the strategic partner, and the Polish Investment and Trade Agency (PAIH) and the Industrial Development Agency (ARP) were the institutional partners. Supporting partners of the event were BNP Paribas Bank Poland, NCBR Investment Fund ASI, NCBR Akces, and the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development (PARP). Ecosystem partners included: COBIN Angels, Innovations Hub Foundation, Startup Poland Foundation, inQUBE University Business Incubator, Technological Park Koszalin, Cooperation Fund Foundation, Startup Wrocław, Tangent Line, Youth Business Poland, Ekipa Investments, EUCON Grupa Prawnicza, Fundequate, HugeTECH, Startup Voice, and Porozumienie Spółek Celowych.
The event was held under the media patronage of My Company Poland.
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The Warsaw Stock Exchange Group (GPW Group) operates trading platforms for shares, Treasury and corporate bonds, derivatives, electricity and gas, and provides indices and benchmarks including WIBOR and WIBID. The index agent FTSE Russell classifies the Polish capital market as a Developed Market since 2018. The markets operated by the GPW Group are the biggest in Central and Eastern Europe. For more information, visit www.gpw.pl