What This Day Is About
Polish Tech Night is the meeting point for the founders, investors and ecosystem builders connecting Poland to the international tech scene. The 2026 edition takes place in Berlin in the days leading into GITEX Europe, turning the city into a hub for Polish-rooted innovation meeting German, European and global capital.The format is built around three things:
- Showcasing Polish tech at its frontier — across Health Tech, Deep Tech, Food Tech and Digital Transformation, with Defence Tech in planning as a possible fifth track.
- Putting founders in front of the right rooms — investor panels, jury feedback, demo tables and curated networking with VCs and corporate innovation leaders.
- Connecting ecosystems — Polish regional hubs, German institutions, accelerators and CEE-wide programmes meeting in one place to plan what comes next.
Polish Tech | Night 2026 is also a part of our 3-day Polish Tech | Scale program for startups wanting to explore the German ecosystem, and considering entering the DACH market. If you're interested – apply here to Polish Tech | Scale.
Themes on the Table
- Polish founders building globally. The state of Polish tech on the international stage — who's breaking out, what's working, and what the next wave of global-scale companies from Poland looks like.
- The Poland–Germany corridor. How Polish founders enter and scale on the German market, and how German capital is finding Polish deal flow.
- Multiple verticals, one room. Curated pitches and conversations across Health Tech, Deep Tech, Food Tech and Digital Transformation — each track judged by sector-specific operators and investors.
- Investor sourcing in 2026. How European funds are building pipeline into CEE, which sectors are attracting capital, and where the next round of cross-border bets is being placed.
- From ecosystem to ecosystem. Regional hubs from across Poland and CEE-wide programmes presenting how they connect founders to international markets — and how Berlin fits in.
Program
The day runs across two parallel stages – the Lexis Room as the main stage, the Reception Room (the one with DeLorean) as the second stage – with the Demo Tables Area open throughout for exhibitors, networking and B2B meetings.15:30 — REGISTRATION · DEMO TABLES · NETWORKING
Doors open. Exhibition floor live: Polish startups, regional ecosystems, accelerator programmes and partners.Lexis Room — Main Stage
- 16:00 — Opening: Why Polish Tech? With Ewa Geresz, Tobias Szarowicz, Tomasz Sieroń and Adam Formanek. The Polish Tech team opens the day with the story behind the initiative — why now, why Berlin, and what we're building together.
- 16:10 — Polish Tech Minds: Polish Founders Changing the World. With Michał Karbowiak (Polish Tech Minds). Ten minutes of inspiration on the most exciting Polish founders building globally.
- 16:20 — Polish Tech Success Story: Building a Global MedTech from Poland. Speaker: Miłosz Wiciński (Infermedica/Doctor.One)
- 16:35 — Pitch Competition I · Health Tech Track. Four startups, four minutes each. Prize: Wild Card to Smart Health Europe 2027. The call for pitches is now open.
- 17:10 — Deep Tech CEE (speaker invited — to be confirmed). The state of Deep Tech in Central and Eastern Europe, and the international partnerships shaping where the region goes next.
- 17:20 — Pitch Competition II · Deep Tech Track. Four startups nominated by Deep Tech CEE, regional ecosystem partners and Polish Tech. Submit your startup to pitch. Prize: wildcard prize to be announced.
- 17:45 — Networking Break · Demo Tables · B2B meetings
- 18:00 — Connect: Founder. Business Angel. Investor. Ecosystem Builder. Fireside with Martin Olczyk, moderated by Adam Formanek. What it takes to wear all four hats — building, investing, and building the ecosystem that makes both possible.
- 18:20 — Investors' Panel: How to Build a Polish Tech Pipeline. Moderated by Tom Sieron. Panel includes Martin Olczyk; further panellists to be announced — invitations extended to leading Polish and German funds.
- 19:00 — Polish Tech Pitch Finals. Five finalists, five minutes each — selected from across the day's pitch tracks. Judged by the investor panel and event partners. Prizes to be announced — cash prize and partner-funded prizes in confirmation.
Reception (DeLorean) Room — Second Stage
- 16:30 — Ecosystem Builders from Poland. Lightning presentations from organisations powering Polish innovation on the international stage. Invited: Deep Tech CEE, Startup Hub Poland, Startup Poland, StartSmart CEE, OMGKRK, Startup Wrocław, Gdańsk Bay Tech. Final line-up to be announced.
- 17:00 — Pitch Competition III · Food Tech Track. Four startups, four minutes each. Confirmed pitching: Bio Ice Cream Dots, Planeat. Further slots through open recruitment.
- 17:30 — Wrocław Startup Ecosystem (in planning). The Wrocław delegation — Startup Evolutions and the Made in Wrocław programme. Speaker line-up to be announced.
- 17:40 — Pitch Competition IV · Digital Transformation Track. Four startups, four minutes each. Confirmed pitching: Loggy, KlimaShift, Cogita AI. Further slots through open recruitment.
Pitch Competition · Apply Now
Vertical tracks, multiple pitching slots, one grand finale.Format:
- Four startups per track · four-minute pitches
- Five finalists selected for the Grand Finale · five-minute pitches
- Sector-specific jury per track · combined investor jury at the finale
- 🏆 Wild Card to Smart Health Europe 2027 (Health Tech track)
- Cash prize for the Grand Finale winner — amount in confirmation
- Further partner-funded prizes to be announced
Who should apply: Pre-seed to Series A startups with Polish roots or a Polish co-founder, building globally relevant products in Health Tech, Deep Tech, Food Tech or Digital Transformation.
Apply to pitch here: https://polishtech.org/events/polish-tech-night-2026/submit
Application deadline to be announced.
Demo Tables
The Demo Tables Area runs throughout the day between the Lexis Room, Reception Room and main entrance. Reserved for startups with Polish origins scaling internationally, Polish regional startup ecosystems, innovation-supporting organisations, and investor and corporate partners.To exhibit: hello@polishtech.org — subject line Demo Tables · 2 July.
Speakers (Confirmed and Invited)
- Michał Karbowiak — Founder, Polish Tech Minds. Builder of the global community spotlighting Poland's most exciting tech founders.
- Miłosz Wiciński — Infermedica / Doctor.One (to be confirmed). Operator behind one of Poland's most internationally recognised health-AI companies.
- Martin Olczyk. Founder, angel investor and ecosystem builder. Joins for a fireside on operating across all four roles, and the investor panel that follows.
- Anna Ullmann — Yeda. Founder of Yeda, pitching in the Health Tech track.
Further speakers, panellists and jury members to be announced. Invitations extended to leading Polish and German VCs, ecosystem partners and institutional partners. Final line-up updated on this page as confirmations come in.
Who Should Attend
- Founders building globally from Poland or with Polish co-founders
- Investors evaluating CEE deal flow
- Corporate-innovation leaders looking for Polish partners
- Ecosystem builders, accelerator operators and regional hub leadership
- German and European tech professionals curious about what's coming out of Poland — and Polish operators looking for their next move in Berlin