Business

Iceye, the Helsinki-based space-tech startup founded by Polish entrepreneur Rafał Modrzewski, has closed a €200 million funding round, drawing a mix of international and domestic investors. Notable backers include General Catalyst, the Polish fund Vinci, and Rafał Brzoska’s RiO Family Office.

In a market where consumer electronics are losing their sparkle, one Polish retailer is defying the trend. Media Expert has turned a shrinking sector into a growth story, quadrupling revenues and quintupled operating profits over seven years.

Poland's largest urban mining company, i.e. metal recovery from recycling, faces several challenges. A huge investment is underway in Zawiercie, on which the future of the group depends. If the project is successful, revenues could reach as much as USD 5 billion within five years.

Imagine a group of businessmen swapping boardrooms for dig sites. In under fifteen minutes, a handful of well-known Polish entrepreneurs raised enough money to launch one of the most ambitious archaeological missions in Egypt ever led by Poles. A year later, they journeyed to see firsthand what their investment had unearthed.

Sebastian Mikosz, CEO of Poczta Polska, discusses the rollout of parcel lockers, the digital overhaul ahead, relations with trade unions, and the company’s fresh start in courier services following its acquisition of Orlen Paczka. “The men and women working at Poczta Polska are my heroes. They operate in conditions far below market standards. Our core IT system dates back to the year 2000, and many of our branches still run on Windows 2007,” he says, outlining the scale of the challenges facing the state-owned operator.

Bogdan Benczak, the newly appointed leader of Poland’s largest insurance group, has outlined his agenda for the coming quarters. With his team, he intends to rebuild market share in mass property insurance, expand the health insurance business, and launch a new claims handling system. When asked about group restructuring, specifically a merger between PZU and Pekao bank, he remained cautious: “We are awaiting legislative decisions on this. If these aren’t feasible, PZU will remain solvent and compliant with its dividend policy,” Mr. Benczak assured

Even as interest rates decline, the net profits of the ten banks listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange continue to surge. But this time, interest income is playing a smaller role. Instead, banks are benefiting from much lower provisioning for legal and credit risks compared to last year. Millennium shows the biggest improvement, PKO BP remains unmatched in boosting interest income, and mBank stands out in fee and commission income.

The plant-based product segment in Poland is valued at PLN 1.1 billion (EUR 260m) and has experienced a significant boom, with sales more than doubling – growing 109% between 2020 and 2022. Today, growth has slowed and the market is undergoing a natural selection process. Is the future truly plant-based? “If the economic situation does not improve, I believe that despite educational, environmental, and health initiatives, consumers will ultimately make choices based on their budgets,” says Karolina Kubara, vice president of the company behind the Dobra Kaloria brand.

One of the oldest cava producers will unlock dozens of new markets for the Polish group. And this is just one acquisition on the road to PLN 1 billion in revenue. “I dream of building an international business. This is a great time for Polish entrepreneurs," says Jakub Nowak, president and owner of JNT Group.

Men over fifty are increasingly reporting age discrimination in the job market. But the issue goes far deeper than age alone. It’s a complex tangle of shifting expectations, obsolete experience, and ambitions undermined by the new economic reality.