A.I. Building Management System DABBEL Wins Startup Hub’s Poland Prize
(Warsaw – Poland) An injection of international technology entrepreneurs would be a game-changer for the Polish innovation ecosystem. The evening of December 16th in the filled trading room of the Warsaw Stock Exchange, La Grande Finale of Startup Hub: Poland Prize provided a glimpse of a new transformative future as foriegn founders pitched their early stage ICT and energy related products. The event was hosted by Startup Hub Poland CEO Maciek Sadowski and the Strategic partner was PGNiG.
Poland: The Land Of Opportunity
The appealing marco-economics of Poland have been well established. The Polish economy has delivered 30 years of uninterrupted economic growth and currently has among the fastest growth rates in the European Union. The population is highly educated with first-rate and cost effective IT talent. The large industrial and manufacturing sector, interested in time and cost savings, are reviewing Industry 4.0 solutions. What has also become clear more recently is an increased appetite and demand for innovation demonstrated by programs like Poland Prize.
The Poland Prize program’s focus is to establish Poland as the country of first choice to conduct business in Central and Eastern Europe. It is co-sponsored by the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development which selected 6 operators to entice the most promising foreign startups to bring their business to Poland. Startups have benefits from the programme that include a simplified visa route, grants and networking. Over the last year and a half as an operator, Startup Hub Poland has executed 3 batches of the Poland Prize and helped 26 startups grow in Poland.
DABBEL Wins Startup Hub’s Poland Prize Batch #3
In the Industry 4.0 sector, storytelling can be a challenge but not for Abel Samaniego – CEO and Founder of DABBEL who captured the jury’s attention by describing his product as “AI Self-Driving Buildings.” The Germany based company has the mission to develop the most scalable, cost-efficient and sustainable ‘Building Automation Technologies.’ It is a holistic solution that unifies all controls in one single concept and is able to adapt independently to any building. DABBEL sits on top of the current Building Management and controls the building autonomously leading to time, cost and energy savings. The product appeared to have the advantage that it could incorporate and integrate many of the other Industry 4.0 innovations around lighting and cooling.
Laava Tech was the 2nd place jury winner and 1st place audience winner with a product that will decrease lighting energy consumption for indoor farming.
The Real Winner Can Be Poland
Startup Hub’s Poland Prize proves that with soft landings and institutional support, international entrepreneurs can operate and grow in Poland with several founders from past batches giving positive assessments of the program and remain engaged with the Polish market. However a 3 month program, supportive as it may be, remains a short runway to gain traction in a new country. To have lasting success, international entrepreneurs need an ecosystem where they can operate independently, hire talent, sell their products and ultimately, belong.
It was often said during the event that the startups are winning ‘Poland’ itself. A great prize indeed. Yet if this country can utilize the value of these international entrepreneurs, than Poland itself can be the real winner.
