On centre-stage: Some inspiring women Entrepreneurs from Poland
In the heart of Europe, a quiet revolution is reshaping the business landscape – Poland is witnessing an unprecedented surge in female entrepreneurship. These enterprising women have broken the glass ceiling and established their presence across diverse sectors.
#PolishWomenInBusiness #EmpoweringEntrepreneurs #WomenInPolishCommerce #BreakingBarriers
Polish women have taken bold steps into the commercial world, making significant strides and proving their mettle as astute business leaders. This flourishing trend is not merely a recent phenomenon; it has its roots in the aftermath of Poland’s transition from a socialist state to a thriving market economy.
#EconomicTransformation #WomenEntrepreneurs #PolandBusiness #SelfMade
The seismic shift in Poland’s economic landscape, marked by the privatization of state- owned enterprises, opened up a realm of opportunities for enterprising individuals. Many Polish citizens, faced with the challenge of livelihood, chose entrepreneurship as a means of self-sufficiency. Over the years, this entrepreneurial spirit has not only endured but thrived, contributing significantly to Poland’s economic vitality.
#PolandEconomy #FemaleLeadership #BusinessGrowth #EntrepreneurialJourney
Join us on a journey through Poland’s inspiring entrepreneurial landscape, where women are redefining success, breaking barriers and leaving an indelible mark on the nation’s business landscape. Read the stories of resilience, innovation and empowerment that deserves to be celebrated and shared.
> Ewa Chronowska- Partner, Next Road Ventures, Founder & CEO, Vestbee
Someone who has contributed hugely to the development of the startup ecosystem in Poland and CEE is Ewa Chronowska, Vestbee Founder and CEO – an entrepreneur, investor & startup mentor.
She has been active in the Venture Capital market and has been investing in startups for over a decade. She also become one of the youngest female General Partners in Europe. Her investment activities did not stop her passion for entrepreneurship. Just look at her magnificent track record – she bootstrapped Vestbee, the largest platform for startups and investors in CEE, and founded regional angel network and Next Road Ventures, an early-stage VC fund.
Quite prominently, she also actively supports women in VC and female founders and fulfills her mission to bridge CEE with developed Western ecosystems. Fact is that she is also a big name behind the CEE VC Summit – the biggest event for VC Fund Managers in CEE.
> Maja Schaefer, Co-Founder & CEO, Zowie, and Code Heroes
To her credit goes that fact that Maja Schaefer has co-founded two business ventures – a software development company, Code Heroes and Zowie, an AI powered customer service automation platform for improving customer experience of ecommerce brands. As CEO and Co-Founder of Zowie, she has steered the company to great success, grabbing attention from top investors and customers alike. The total financing obtained from top global investors like Tiger Global Management and Inovo Venture Partners totaled $19.6M. She has also been featured on Forbes 30 Under 30 list.
> Małgorzata Sitkowska- Co-Founder, Amano
Małgorzata Sitkowska, Co-Founder, Amano is another woman entrepreneur having an influence on the regional startup ecosystem. Amano is a company developing the marketplace and tools to improve shopping experience. The start-up was backed by leading regional VCs including, Next Road Ventures, Kaya VC, Kogito Ventures and number of business angels. Prior to this, she co-founded Daily.pl, a food delivery company, which has had a successful exit to Wolt in 2018.
> Dorota Rymaszewska, Founder & CEO, hiPets
Dorota Rymaszewska has a prominent presence in the Polish startup market, as the Founder and CEO of hiPets, a SaaS-enabled marketplace for pet owners. After the inception of the company in 2020, it has been growing dynamically and has built an amazing track record. So far, it has acquired the name of the biggest pet media group in Poland, entered the UK market, and attracted the attention of customers, investors, international conferences, and media publications too.
Prior to hiPets she co-founded HiDone, a mobile marketplace for services, and also boasts of rich experience in senior positions at companies such as Coders Lab, Booksy, and PZ Cussons.
> Diana Koziarska, Founding Partner at SMOK Ventures
Diana Koziarska is a Co-Founder of ReaktorX, a pre-acceleration program for first-time founders, and a coworking space ReaktorWarsaw, that also holds open events and mentoring sessions for the community. In 2019 she became one of the Founding Partners of a well-known VC firm – SMOK Ventures, investing in early-stage software and game development companies across CEE.
It is significant that her contribution to the market has been widely acknowledged. Plus, she has also been named (amongst many) CESA Female Role Model of the Year and Forbes 30 Under 30.
> Magdalena Surowiec, Managing Partner, Unfold.vc
“Let’s unfold the future” is the motto of Unfold.vc, an early-stage tech investor, where Magdalena Surowiec became the Managing Partner. And, after 20+ years of professional experience, she left a significant footprint in the development of regional startup and VC ecosystem.
In the past, she held many important positions – like the Managing Partner position at Leonarto, another VC firm, and the CEO position at Lemon Sky, a leading Polish digital agency. Apart from all this, she is a startup supporter, a mentor and an expert, and a lecturer at Polish universities.
Source: https://www.vestbee.com/blog/articles/top-100-women-from-vc-and-startup-
ecosystem-in-poland
Avtar Madan
Himanshu
Shree Lahiri
Poonam Sinha
