Bielik, PLLuM, ElevenLabs, OpenAI with ChatemGPT, and many, many other innovative enterprises and startups. All of these companies have one thing in common – they're Polish-owned. These few examples are just a small sampling of the entire emerging sector on the Vistula and Oder, which is vying for global markets. And it seems it has what it takes to compete.
We'll begin with a retrospective. The hall, or rather the halls, of the Computex 2025 trade show in Taipei. The biggest names in IT, and especially artificial intelligence, were on hand, including Nvidia and its CEO, who was greeted like a rock star.
Next to all this, at first glance, there was the inconspicuous Polish stand, which, however, in terms of what was presented there, was not so inconspicuous, and unlike other stands, for example the one from nearby Israel, it enjoyed much greater interest.
Poland defends itself with software
From all the Polish entrepreneurs, and also from other neighboring stands, one common refrain was heard: Poland is fighting back with software. And there's nothing surprising about that. Polish IT specialists have been among the world's best for years, as evidenced by the introduction to this article, as well as the recent success of Przemysław Dębiak, who won the most prestigious programming competition, the only one to beat OpenAI.
Global companies and great achievements are one thing, and the other – which is unfortunately still unnoticed – is the IT sector from the Vistula, or rather from the Oder, as it operates dynamically, especially in Lower Silesia.
More importantly, Polish IT companies – although often underfunded – are increasingly demonstrating that they are not only talents, but also ready-made products that can solve specific problems of modern cities, industry and climate.
Also read: Made in Poland, sold in Taiwan? Poles are and are growing in global technology.
It's no coincidence that Lower Silesia holds a key place in this puzzle. The region is already being called Poland's Silicon Valley, as it's here that most technology startups in the country are developing, and it was with the Lower Silesians that we embarked on our journey to Taiwan.
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Sebastian Paniak, founder of Meterd, came to Computex to demonstrate that Polish software can solve real problems facing modern cities. His company specializes in comprehensive energy transformations, although, as he emphasizes, these aren't classic modernizations, but rather a combination of sensors, AI algorithms, and a ready-made platform that displays real-time activity in buildings such as schools and offices.
– The problem is that cities often carry out thermal modernization, but then they do not have the technology that allows them to keep track of what is happening in their buildings – says Paniak.
The company is already collaborating with local governments in Poland, and on the horizon, as Paniak revealed to us, there is interest from Japan, among others, where local governments see the potential in Polish algorithms and want to test them in their cities, which is not surprising; for one client, the solution reduced CO2 emissions by 72 tons per year and generated €20,000 in savings.
In his opinion, there is no shortage of competences in Poland, but there is a lack of investors who would finally notice that Polish software has potential worth big money.
Digital city guardian?
Paweł Narolski, founder of Wrocław-based Neural, puts it bluntly: Wrocław is Poland's Silicon Valley. There's talent, there's determination, and despite adversity, companies are trying and showing they can compete for markets.
Neural creates the Netwatch system – artificial intelligence that acts as a digital guardian of cities.
“Our system analyzes data from cameras and sensors and can predict not only what has happened, but also what might happen. It pinpoints critical areas and suggests solutions before an accident occurs,” explains Narolski.
The system can also reduce the burden on city services. In a large city, it's difficult to manually analyze tens of thousands of hours of surveillance footage, but thanks to AI, it only takes a few seconds to search for footage on a specific topic, such as “black BMW, Legnicka Street,” instead of scrolling through footage for hours.
The first city to implement the system is Oława in Lower Silesia. Other cities in Lower Silesia are planned. Narolski is also in talks with authorities in Morocco (Casablanca), Taiwan, and Hong Kong.
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Lower Silesia supports expansion, i.e. Going Global
Wrocław entrepreneurs were able to come to Taipei thanks to the Going Global 4.0. program, implemented by the Marshal's Office of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship.
– This is an incredible opportunity for Lower Silesian companies to be present where the biggest ones do business, and it is also a huge opportunity for Lower Silesia to develop even faster – said Jarosław Rabczenko, deputy marshal of the voivodeship.
In turn, councilor Tymoteusz Myrda pointed out at the Polish stand that AI-based solutions can serve not only industry, but also tourism and other sectors.
Going Global, version 4.0, includes 28 trade missions around the world. This means entrepreneurs no longer have to pay for trade fair travel out of their own pockets.
We spoke more extensively about the program itself with Michał Rado, the deputy marshal of the voivodeship, who argued that thanks to the program, Lower Silesian entrepreneurs have signed dozens of contracts worth millions of zlotys.
Aleksander Ogrodnik: Lower Silesia is often referred to as Poland's Silicon Valley. We hear about many innovative projects from this region, but Silicon Valley operates globally and is known worldwide. What about products from Lower Silesia? Do they actually reach beyond Poland?
Michał Rado: Yes, returning to the term itself – I'm not afraid to use it myself and use it very often. Lower Silesia boasts being home to some of the world's largest corporations – Amazon, Google, Nokia. It's here that most startups are created – we're at the forefront, second in Poland. We also have foreign investments, like Mercedes. Intel was interested in us – we'll see what comes of it.
And as for what we're “taking” next, we're implementing another edition of the Going Global program, which takes our entrepreneurs to the world's largest trade fair. We're showcasing Lower Silesia and providing opportunities to network and gain international experience. This is the second edition of this program, and I suspect it won't be the last. As part of the missions so far, nearly 900 articles about Lower Silesia have been written. And that's just for 2024—we're already in 2025, so we'll see what lies ahead.
AO:You mention the Going Global program. What were the effects of this first part of the program?
MR: To be precise, the second edition is still ongoing, which began in March 2024 and will last until December 2025. In total, it provides for 28 economic missions – 9 took place in 2024 and we already have summaries of them.
From the surveys completed by entrepreneurs, we know that contracts worth nearly 7 million złoty were signed and approximately 70 contracts were concluded. Some details, of course, remain confidential as negotiations are ongoing.
Approximately 100 entrepreneurs participated in these nine trips. Importantly, based on surveys, we know which destinations are attractive to entrepreneurs – San Francisco, Hong Kong, and Dubai. These are places we keep coming back to, but new ones are also emerging, such as Taiwan, Vancouver, Paris, Berlin, Riga, and, once again, Hong Kong and Dubai.
AO: Destinations like San Francisco, Hong Kong, Dubai, Taiwan, and Vancouver have been mentioned, some of which are very technologically advanced. Are there any industries in which Lower Silesian entrepreneurs are particularly strong?
MR: We're very focused on new technologies – artificial intelligence, electromobility, the dual-use sector, i.e., the drone industry, and cybersecurity. In Asia, we've also attended trade fairs in Singapore and Hong Kong. We're also going to Riga for a food fair.
AO: The beauty industry? Perhaps less associated with Lower Silesia, but is it as powerful as technology?
MR: Yes, we have very strong companies here. I won't name names, but there are some that operate internationally and export cosmetics. They started collaborations at the fair, and even one of the Asian influencers – with over 1.5 million followers – spoke with our entrepreneurs, and today, as I know, talks about collaboration are already underway. I don't want to go into details, because it's ongoing, but something is happening.
The same goes for regional food products. We're starting to promote them, and in the next edition of Going Global, we'll focus even more on this industry, as regional products are enjoying enormous popularity abroad.
AO:Do Polish specialties suit your taste?
MR: I think so! We also plan to participate in trade shows in Chicago, which are very popular in the food industry. We also know that nearly 2 million Poles live in the Chicago metropolitan area, so it's a natural home for our regional products.
AO: All of this falls under the Going Global support for expanding into foreign markets. What other forms of support for entrepreneurs does the provincial government offer?
MR: First of all, it's important to add that entrepreneurs don't pay anything to participate in Going Global – space at the fair is free for them. Furthermore, the regional government co-owns several economic agencies. These agencies manage EU funds, providing low-interest loans and subsidies for training, re-inventing businesses, and starting a business. We also have a Lower Silesian Business Leaders program – we planned 10 meetings, but we held 11 due to overwhelming interest. We share information about available funds and cooperation opportunities.
AO: So this is a bit like a local “going global”? Or maybe more of a training series for entrepreneurs?
MR: It's more of a training program. We invite micro, small, and medium-sized businesses and provide them with specific information—where and how they can obtain support, and what opportunities are available. We also support events like Common Day, the Lower Silesian Local Government Congress, and the Economic Forum in Karpacz. Collaboration between local government, business, and academia is also important—that's our focus.
AO: You mentioned cooperation between local government, business, and academia. That's an interesting topic—what does this cooperation look like?
MR: Wrocław is a very strong academic center – we have the Wrocław University of Science and Technology, the University of Wrocław, and the University of Wrocław. It's a breeding ground for the talent we want to retain in Lower Silesia. We don't want the most talented people leaving for Silicon Valley in the US – we want them to stay in our own innovation valley. Therefore, cooperation between local government, businesses, and universities is crucial to creating attractive working conditions for young people here.
AO: Are you able to retain the most talented ones?
MR: It works. And that's the most important thing for us.
While Computex attracts hardware giants like Nvidia and Asus, the real revolution is happening behind the scenes, in the code. This is where tools are being created that will transform the way we live in cities, how we use energy, and how we navigate our streets.
AI is becoming increasingly accessible, and in the next few years it will simply become the norm. And Poland already has its place in this norm – not as a passive observer, but as an active player.
Alexander Ogrodnik
