Poland drives the Startup revolution in Central and Eastern Europe

With the rapid growth of technology companies, a growing appetite for global expansion, and the growing value of the ecosystem, Poland is emerging as the main architect of a new era of innovation in the CEE region.

Poland at the heart of the regional transformation

A decade ago, the CEE region was considered a source of skilled developers in the tech world rather than a hub for global innovation. Today, the situation has changed dramatically – and Poland stands at the very heart of this transformation. As shown by the Central and Eastern European startups 2025 report, the value of the entire startup ecosystem in the CEE region at the end of the first quarter of 2025 amounted to a record EUR 243 billion, with the largest share going to Poland.

Of the more than 275 companies classified as Scaleups in the CEE region, i.e. Startups that have already reached the phase of rapid growth and obtained funding exceeding EUR 15 million, most operate in Poland. What is more, Polish companies are increasingly appearing in the lists of companies with the greatest potential to achieve Unicorn status – Startups which have a value of at least a billion dollars.

Scaling in the Polish version

In Poland, not only is the number of technology companies growing – their quality and ability to expand is also growing. In the last five years, Poland has been the leader in the growth of the value of the Startup ecosystem in the region – the value of technology companies in our country has increased by over 150 percent since 2020, making it one of the fastest growing markets in Central and Eastern Europe.

The average value of a Series A investment round – the first large financing that a Startup raises after entering the market to build a team, develop a product and enter new markets – in Poland in 2024 amounted to EUR 9.6 million. This is a level comparable to Western European markets.

Success despite barriers

The development of Polish Startups is all the more impressive because it is taking place in conditions of still limited access to growth capital. In terms of the total value of Venture Capital financing in relation to GDP, the number of Scaleups per capita or the number of Unicorns (technology companies whose valuation exceeded USD 1 billion), the CEE region – including Poland – still remains below the European average. And yet it is here that Startups more often than elsewhere reach high valuations without the participation of large funds.

In the entire CEE region, as many as 80 percent of Unicorns were created with the participation of Venture Capital or private equity funds, but many Polish companies are developing without having to relocate their entire operations abroad – which proves the growing maturity of the domestic ecosystem.

Investors are returning to Polish

In 2024, Polish Startups raised a total of EUR 2.3 billion in  VC funding, which means an increase of about 30% compared to the previous year. In the first quarter of 2025, Polish technology companies have already raised EUR 442 million – which is 78 percent of the investment value from the same period of 2024.

Importantly, 74 percent of all VC capital in the CEE region in 2020–2024 went to companies at the  “late stage”  and “breakout” stages, i.e. well-established Startups ready to expand. Poland is following this trend – an increasing part of the financing goes to companies after the seed stage. In 2024, two important national growth funds were also launched: Cogito Fund II (EUR 90 million) and bValue Growth Fund ( EUR 90 million).

Expansion without losing identity

For many Startups from Central and Eastern Europe, the natural stage of development is to be present on foreign markets. 48 percent of Scaleups from the CEE region have moved their headquarters to another country – most often to the United States or the United Kingdom. However, in most cases – also among Polish companies –  the main technology and operational teams remain in the country of origin. This means that Polish R&D, engineering and product centres have not only survived the globalization of Startups, but have often gained new competences thanks to this.

Sectors of the future

In the entire CEE region, the most subsidized sectors are transport, energy, enterprise software and fintech. Since 2020, Startups operating in the hardware area in the transport and energy sectors have raised more than EUR 2 billion. Poland is also actively participating in this trend, and domestic companies are increasingly appearing on the map of international investments in sustainable development, artificial intelligence and automation.

At the same time, Poland is strengthening its position in dual-use technologies – especially in the defence and security sectors. In 2024, the country increased its defence spending to more than 4 percent of GDP, which creates space for Startups working with the State and NATO.

A region with ambitions

In a region that for years was considered the periphery of global innovation, Poland is now building a new narrative. With a strong engineering base, a growing entrepreneurial culture and a more mature financing market, it is becoming a natural leader in Central and Eastern Europe – but with ambitions that go much further.

For foreign partners and investors, this is a clear signal: Poland is no longer just an emerging market. It is a dynamic, globally competitive player, ready to collaborate, expand and build solutions that will have an impact far beyond the borders of the region.

Source: Dealroom, CogitoCapital, Shape Capital Partners, Vestbee – Central and Eastern European startups 2025