Over the last 20 years, Krakow has become one of the most important tech hubs in Central and Eastern Europe. Alongside a talent pool of approximately 50 000 IT specialists and big, international companies, the Krakow tech ecosystem boasts a vibrant start-up landscape attracting talent and funds from all over the world. Read on to learn more about the Krakow start-up ecosystem and discover the 15 most successful start-ups born in Krakow.

Check out also: Krakow IT Market Report 2023

Kraków, dynamic start-up city

There are at least 150 companies in Krakow that meet the criteria of a start-up. And Krakow holds the first place in Poland in terms of start-up funding over 10M PLN ($2.6M). Two factors explain this leading position in investments: First the existence of a truly connected start-up ecosystem, including incubators, mentors, investors, and organizations collaborating with start-ups, such as the Foundation Supporting #OMGKRK or the Krakow Technology Park. And second, the international exposure of the new ventures operating in Krakow, putting Krakow on the map together with key tech hubs such as London, Paris, and New-York.

What do Krakow start-ups specialize in?

There are three very specific areas where Krakow start-ups specialize.

• The first group of start-ups are IoT ventures which includes Silvair, EMBETECH, Airly, SEEDia, Husarion, Findair, Estimote, Elmodis or Kontakt.io.
• The second group focuses on Sales & Marketing tools/services. The list here includes Zendesk Sell (formerly BASE), CallPage, Codewise, Synerise, SALESManago, FreshMail, Edward or edrone.
• And the third group, Game Studios. Over 20% of Polish game studios are based or have offices in Krakow, including Infinity Ward/ Activision (Call of Duty), CD Projekt RED (The Witcher, Cyberpunk 2077) and Gamesture (Questland).