Polish Startups Report 2017

Tri-City is fighting for a position in the third Polish Startups Report 2017. This is a study that results in an analysis showing the Polish startup market in terms of quantity and quality. It includes the number of startups in the regions, business models, funding, and industries. The number of completed surveys translates into the position of a given region in a specific ranking of Polish innovation hubs.

The report will be published by the Startup Poland foundation and will be used for scientific research. Results will not include the names of startups or assign responses to specific entities or individuals.

The survey is intended for people who are a (co-)founder, partner or CEO of a startup .
We encourage you to complete the survey.

Olivia supports the BohaterON – Turn on the story campaign

“BohaterON – Turn on history” is a nationwide socio-historical campaign, carried out for the fourth time. Its purpose is to thank the heroes of the Warsaw Uprising, even in a symbolic way, for their courage, steadfastness and sacrifice in the hour of trial.

As part of the fourth edition of “BohaterON”, sixteen educational workshops for young people from secondary schools will be organized throughout the country. A virtual Compendium of the Insurgent will be made available on the project’s website , gathering biographies of heroes who fought in 1944 for the liberation of the capital.

At the heart of the initiative, however, is the idea of social mobilization and encouraging ordinary Poles to express their memory of the insurgents and their appreciation for their attitude during the war with a simple gesture – sending a special Card for the Insurgent. They can be found in the outlets of the partners of the action, m.in. in the Museum of the Second World War.

The Energa Group was also involved in the “BohaterON” programme. On 1 August, Energa will encourage the residents of Gdańsk and residents of the Olivia Business Centre, where the headquarters of the energy group is located, to send Cards for the Insurgent. At From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., near the entrance to the Olivia Gate B building, there will be a stand where volunteers of Energa and Olivia Business Centre will issue insurgent postcards. A group of volunteers from Energa and Olivia Business Centre will also move around the OBC and individually encourage people to sign the cards.

Details of the “BohaterON – Turn on History” campaign will be available on its official website in a moment.

Olivia supports BohaterON – Turn on the history project

“BohaterON – Turn on history” is a nationwide socio-historical campaign conducted for the fourth time already. Its aim is to thank Warsaw Uprising heroes, even if in a symbolic way, for their courage, perseverance and dedication in times of trial.

As part of the 4th edition of “BohaterON”, the sixteen educational workshops for the youth from secondary schools will be organised in the whole country. On the project’s website there will be a virtual Insurgent’s Compendium, which includes biographical notes of the heroes fighting in 1944 for free capital.

However, the heart of the initiative is the idea of social mobilisation and encouraging ordinary Poles to express their memory of insurgents and recognition of their attitude during the war with the help of a simple gesture – sending a special Card for an Insurgent. They can be found in offices of project’s partners, for example in the Museum of the Second World War.

Also Energa Group engaged in “BohaterON” project. On 1st August Energa will be encouraging the residents of Gdańsk and Olivia Business Centre, where the headquarter office of Energa Group is located, to send Cards for Insurgents. From 9:00 am to 1:00 pm around the entrance to Olivia Gate B there will be a stand, where Energa and Olivia Business Centre volunteers will be giving special cards for insurgents. The group of Energa and Olivia Business Centre volunteers will be moving around OBC and individually encouraging to sign the cards.

Detailed information about the “BohaterON – Enable History” project can be found soon on the official website.

Olivia chooses Gdansk, choose you too!

With the start of St. Peter’s Fair. Dominika, one of the oldest and largest trade fairs and exhibitions in Europe, is about to start social and educational campaign “Choose Gdańsk. To live and to work” Gdańsk Global Foundation. Olivia Business Centre proudly supports the campaign. The aim of the project is to bring visitors closer to the potential of Gdansk, presenting its strengths and strong arguments in favor of them, as well as the people who have decided that Gdansk will become their home. They chose this place to live and work. The honorary patronage over the project was taken by the Mayor of the City of Gdańsk, Paweł Adamowicz.

“We, the inhabitants of Gdańsk, love our city and we know exactly why ,” says
Jarosław Śmigiel
, marketing director at Olivia Business Centre. “Now we want to convince others that it is a great place not only to live, but also to work. A place worth bonding with for years or maybe for the rest of your life, including the professional one.

The project will focus on key issues for people considering relocation, such as quality of life, education, work, health, sport, culture and art, social integration, innovation and entrepreneurship.

During the St. John’s Fair. Dominika, look out for other interesting facts and data about Gdansk, which confirm that it is an ideal place to live and work.

Thanks to the cooperation with the Gdańsk International Fair, the
campaign will reach, according to the organizers’ estimates, over one and a half million people (from outside the Tri-City) visiting the St. Dominic’s
Fair. The arguments in favor of living in Gdańsk will appear m.in. on information and advertising media promoting this unique event for the city.

The “Choose Gdańsk” initiative is the subject of the website wybragdansk.pl

, where m.in will be presented periodically. Information and curiosities about the city, as well as the profiles of people who have chosen this place to live and work. The information campaign will also be carried out on Facebook and Instagram. The start of this edition of the project is accompanied by a change in its visual identity. The new logo and visual identification system have been developed by the Linia2 Agency.

Ultimately, the project is to be presented during key events for Gdańsk, in cooperation with institutions whose activities include the promotion of the city and the Gdańsk agglomeration in Poland and abroad.

The organizer of “Choose Gdańsk. To live and to work” is the Gdańsk Global Foundation. The honorary patronage over the project was taken by the Mayor of the City of Gdańsk, Paweł Adamowicz. In addition to Olivia Business Centre and Gdańsk International Fair, the campaign is also supported by Pomeranian Employers, the Gdańsk Foundation, the European Solidarity Centre and the Gdańsk Tourism Organisation.

We chose Gdansk, choose you too! 🙂

Discussion on the role and significance of cooperation between Gdańsk and the Scandinavian countries

The role and significance of Gdańsk’s cooperation with the Scandinavian countries and the building of a strategic partnership on the North-South axis based on cooperation between Polish and Scandinavian countries – these were the main topics of the Jagiellonian Club meeting, which took place on 4 July at Olivia Business Centre.

The meeting was chaired by Bogusław Wieczorek, a representative of the Jagiellonian Club in Gdańsk. It was opened by Dr. Krzysztof Mazur, President of the Jagiellonian Club.

Then Adam Balcer, author of the report of the Centre for Analysis of the Jagiellonian Club entitled: “To the North return! Opportunities and obstacles in cooperation with the Scandinavian countries”, He presented the basic theses of the above-mentioned publications, concerning the strategic analysis of the importance of Polish, Pomerania and Gdańsk in this context.

Poland should establish a strategic partnership with the Nordic Council countries as natural allies ,” said Adam Balcer. Choosing such a course results from the changes taking place in Europe and in the world: closer cooperation between the eurozone countries, the growing importance of Russia and the need for Poland to make a ‘modernisation leap’.

Balcer noted that Poland has recently intensified its cooperation with the Scandinavian countries, but compared to the cooperation with the Visegrad Group countries, this relationship is still in the shadows. Meanwhile, there are many reasons not to neglect the Scandinavian direction – for example, cooperation in the field of innovation, in the energy sector or in administration.

The next item on the agenda of the meeting was a discussion panel led by Marcin Kędzierski, PhD, Programme Director of the Centre for Analysis of the Jagiellonian Club. The conversation revolved around the question: What role should Gdańsk play in opening Polish to Scandinavia, as well as what challenges await Pomerania and Gdańsk in cooperation with Scandinavian countries in the near future.

The discussion was attended by: Andrzej Bojanowski – former Deputy Mayor of Gdansk (2009-2017), Maciej Grabski – investor of Olivia Business Center in Gdańsk, Magdalena Markiewicz, PhD – Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Economics at the University of Gdańsk for development and cooperation with business, Michał Stąporek – Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Trójmiasto.pl. Representatives of local and regional authorities, academia and business were also invited to the discussion. The discussants paid particular attention to the need for closer relations at many levels with the representatives of the Baltic Sea Region countries. Particular attention was paid to the need for the exchange of knowledge and experience in the area of education and innovation in business and tourism.

The report “Turn North!” is available in its entirety here.

The Jagiellonian Club is a conservative and republican Polish socio-political think tank founded in 1989 in Krakow. The club’s goal is to maintain and spread the republican way of thinking about Poland and the world. The organization was established in 1989, just after the end of the Round Table talks, and gained legal personality in 1994. Currently, the Club is a nationwide organization conducting educational, expert, journalistic activities and implementing civic political initiatives.

In its activities, the Club refers to the heritage of the First Polish Republic and the Second Polish Republic, the “Solidarity” movement as well as Christian thought and philosophy. According to the Preamble to the Statute of the Association, the mission of the Jagiellonian Club is to act for the good and benefit of the Republic of Poland and to multiply the spiritual, intellectual and political heritage of Polish through care for the common good, justice, responsibility, entrepreneurship and respect for tradition and religion.

Expert activity within the Centre for Analysis of the Jagiellonian Club is carried out in the spirit of respect for four fundamental values: freedom, property, community and tradition.

I invite you to see the gallery from the event:

The discussion about the role and meaning of the cooperation between Gdańsk and Scandinavian countries

The discussion about the role and meaning of the cooperation between Gdańsk and Scandinavian countries, as well as building of a strategic partnership element on the North-South axis in the form of Poland’s cooperation with the states of Scandinavia – these are the main topics of the Jagiellonian Club’s meeting in Olivia Business Centre, which was held on the July 4.

The meeting was led by Bogusław Wieczorek, the representative of the Jagiellonian Club in Gdańsk, while Krzysztof Mazur, PhD, President of the Jagiellonian Club, opened it with his speech.

Next, Adam Balcer, the author of the Jagiellonian Club Analysis Centre’s report: “Turn to the North! Opportunities and obstacles in cooperation with Scandinavian countries”, presented the main theses of his publication concerning strategic analysis of the importance of Poland, Pomerania and Gdańsk in this context.

Poland should establish strategic partnership with the countries of the Nordic Council as its natural allies – said BalcerTaking such a course results from the changes taking place in Europe and in the world: strengthening the cooperation between euro-zone countries, growing importance of Russia, as well as Poland’s need to make a “modernisation jump”.

Balcer also noticed that recently Poland has intensified its cooperation with Scandinavian countries. However, if we compare it with the cooperation with the Visegrad Group countries, this relation still remains in the shadow. Meanwhile, there are many reasons not to neglect Scandinavian direction – for example cooperation in the scope of innovation, in energy sector or administration.

The next subject on the agenda was a discussion panel held by Marcin Kędzierski, PhD, the Programme Director of the Jagiellonian Club Analysis Centre. The conversation revolved around the question about the role which Gdańsk should play in opening Poland up to Scandinavia, as well as challenges which will be waiting for Pomerania and Gdańsk in the nearest future, when it comes to the cooperation with Scandinavian countries.

The following guests took part in the discussion: Andrzej Bojanowski – former Vice President of Gdańsk for economic affairs (2009-2017), Maciej Grabski – Olivia Business Center’s investor in Gdańsk, Magdalena Markiewicz, PhD – an associate dean of the Faculty of Economy at the University of Gdańsk for the development and business cooperation, Michał Stąporek – Deputy Editor in Chief of Trójmiasto.pl. The representatives of local and regional authorities, as well as representatives of academic circles and business were also invited to the discussion. Participants paid special attention to the significance of closer relations with the representatives of Baltic Sea region countries on many levels. Emphasis was also put on the significance of the exchange of knowledge and experience in the scope of education and innovation in business and tourism.

“Turn to the North!” report is fully available here.

The Jagiellonian Club – a Polish association and social-political think tank with conservative and republican profile, established in 1989 in Cracow. The Club aims at supporting and spreading the republican way of thinking about Poland and world. The organisation was established in 1989, shortly after finishing the Round Table Talks, and it acquired legal personality in 1994. Currently, the Club is a Polish nationwide organisation, which conducts educational, expert, journalistic activities and implements civil political initiatives.

In its activities the Club refers to the heritage of First and Second Republic of Poland, the “Solidarity” movement and Christian thought and philosophy. According to the Preamble of Articles of Association, the mission of the Jagiellonian Club is to act for welfare and benefit of the Republic of Poland, as well as to multiply spiritual, intellectual and political heritage of Poland, taking care of common good, justice, responsibility, entrepreneurship and respect for tradition and religion.

Expert activity within the scope of the Jagiellonian Club Analysis Centre is conducted in a spirit of respect for four fundamental values: freedom, ownership, community and tradition.

“Nothing that started yesterday ends up today!” – about the 3camp powered by Interizon meeting

On Thursday, July 6, the fourth edition of the meeting of expats living in the Tri-City from the 3 camp powered by Interizon series took place. The event was organized by the Pomeranian ICT Cluster Interizon in the Gallery of Various Arts. The event was a partnership between Olivia Business Centre and the Gdańsk Tourist Organisation, which gave foreign guests a very practical gift – vouchers for the Tourist Card.

This edition was unique compared to the previous ones, because this time foreigners were shown what a fantastic place they live in. Due to the limited number of places, only 20 people took part in the event. The participants came from, among others, Great Britain, France, Russia, Ukraine and Croatia. This group also included representatives of the community of Residents of Olivia Business Centre, m.in. from Amazon and PwC, who decided to tie their lives to the Tri-City.

The participants of the meeting were captivated by the fantastic atmosphere, the uniqueness of the place and the multitude of inspirations provided by the representatives of the Gdańsk artistic community, such as Maciej Kosycarz and Magdalena Beneda.

Both artists presented their career stories along with the context of development in the area of business and connections with new media and new technologies, which facilitate the development of relationships and social contacts, including the possibility of building reach to recipients and customers.

Maciej Kosycarz talked about the history of the creation of extraordinary photographs of Gdańsk, from his archive, as well as from an unusual collection of photos taken by his father Zbigniew. On the other hand, Magdalena Beneda, an artist, painter and graphic artist, who manages to combine art with business, presented her own collection of unique paintings, porcelain and fabrics with motifs of monuments and the most important places on the map of Gdańsk.

We believe that the 4th edition of the 3camp powered by Interizon meeting allowed to build new relationships between members of the international IT community, which, according to the motto “Nothing that started yesterday ends up today!”, will be lasting and will help participants develop their professional lives.

Summer under palm trees in Olivia

The next edition
of Summer Under the Palm Trees
is behind us! This time we refreshed ourselves to the sounds of the amazing
Jacek Kulesza’s
music and made new friends while waiting for refreshing juices. Once again, there was a vote for what you would like to have in the garden – this time there was a duel between hammocks and deckchairs,
the hammocks won
. Thank you all very much for coming and we invite you next Thursday for more surprises!

Our summer campaign aims to bring closer the idea of our

Garden, which grows in the very heart of Olivia:) During the day, the over 1000-square-meter Garden, filled with greenery, is to serve as a place for meetings, relaxation and workshop space, and in the evenings it will serve as a center of social and artistic events, also dedicated to the residents of the Tri-City.

We invite you to see the photos:

“Nothing that started yesterday ends up today!” – some words about a 3camp powered by Interizon meeting

On Thursday, July 6, the 4th edition of the meeting of expats who live in Tricity was held as part of 3 camp powered by Interizon. The event was organised by Pomeranian ICT Cluster Interizon in Galeria Sztuki Rozmaitnych. Olivia Business Centre and Gdańsk Tourism Organisation, which handed a very practical gift to the foreign guests – Tourist Card vouchers, were the partners of the event.

This edition was unique in comparison with previous ones because this time foreign guests were shown how fantastic the place they live in is. Due to a limited number of seats, only 20 people could participate in the event. Participants came, among other countries, from: Great Britain, France, Russia, Ukraine and Croatia. Among these guests there were also the representatives of Olivia Business Centre Residents’ community, among others from Amazon and PwC, who decided to spend their lives in Tricity.

Participants were captivated by a wonderful atmosphere, uniqueness of place and multitude of inspirations from the representatives of Gdańsk artistic milieu – Maciej Kosycarz and Magdalena Beneda.

Both artists presented their own career histories together with the context of development in the area of business and relations with new media and new technologies, which facilitate the development of social relations and contacts, including the development of ways to reach recipients and clients.

Maciej Kosycarz told about the history of unique photos of Gdańsk from his archive, as well as from an unusual collection of photos taken by his father Zbigniew. While Magdalena Beneda – artist, painter and graphic designer, who knows how to combine art with business, presented her authorial collection of unique paintings, porcelain and fabrics with the motives of historical buildings and the most important places on the map of Gdańsk.

We believe that the 4th edition of 3camp powered by Interizon meeting enabled to build new relations between members of international IT community, which, according to the slogan ” Nothing that started yesterday ends up today!”, will be long-lasting and will help participants develop their professional life.

Passion puts a smile on your face. About a boy who wants to do more

Searching, as well as continuous development of passion is a very important issue in every person’s life. If we follow our passion, we can live fuller, wiser and, for sure, more interesting life. However, to see the effects of such actions, you need to start in a right way and as soon as possible. That is why, we would like to tell you about a boy, whose engagement prepossessed us so much, that we decided to introduce him to our entire Olivia Business Centre community.

This story begins many months ago, when, among the audience of Olivia Camerata chamber music, we met a 13-year old boy. He, without any help, found information about the possibility to participate in the event, he registered via e-mail (nowadays it is much easier than in the past :)) and… appeared in Olivia Sky Club. Seemingly, ordinary behaviour, but – taking into account the fact that information on Camerata’s concerts is published on selected websites and our hero is only 13 – we should appreciate both the fact that he reached it, as well as that finding the announcement at the right time and in the right place (which is rarely visited by teenagers) helped match many elements 😉

This way, Mateusz Chaj (because he is the hero of this story) became a regular participant of events, meetings and conferences organised in Olivia Business Centre. Since admission to the majority of them is free (although registration is required), there is no age limit. That is why, Mateusz took an active part in such projects as Olivia Cooltura’s meetings with Marek Kamiński and Maciej Kosycarz or Jagiellonian Club, during which the role and meaning of the cooperation between Gdańsk and Scandinavian countries were discussed. It is a broad and diversified range of topics and activities, taking into account both the age of our hero and his basic activities at school. If we add also signing up to OBC team and cycling for Gdańsk as part of “Cycle in May”, we have a nearly complete picture of Mateusz – a person with many passions.

We decided to appreciate and distinguish Mateusz’s incredible involvement in the development of our community, also because we think that proactive attitude is one of the most important attributes of everyone who wants to create their future successfully. We are also very glad that Mateusz’s family accepted our invitation to Olivia Business Centre and that we could get to know better the boy, for whom openness and curiosity about the world are a standard and who wants to and can bravely enjoy the surrounding world (what is more he covered for us nearly 560 kilometres) 🙂

This is what Mateusz said about Olivia Business Centre during our meeting: – I like this place. I like it for many interesting events in which I can participate. I began with concerts of classical music. I also participate in meetings with famous people in Sky Club. I am always very curious about what they are going to say and Olivia Business Centre even gives me a chance to talk to them. Maybe one day I will be working here. Besides, I expected that Olivia Business Centre will be the best in terms of kilometres covered. Anyway, we achieved good results. I hope that next year they will be better – he added with smile on his face.

We want Olivia Business Centre to be a friendly meeting place for different environments and people. That is why, we are trying to create optimal conditions for personal and professional development, as well as to support people in creating new activities or developing their passions. Our events, meetings, conferences (several hundred a year!) are addressed not only to Olivia’s employees, but also all Tricity residents. The example of Mateusz can be for sure an inspiration for everyone, who is looking for ways and conceptions of how to develop their potential and talents.

– It is very motivating for us that such a young boy, Mateusz who is now fourteen, even now puts a lot of hope in pursuing his career in Olivia. We don’t know what his life will look like and which choices he will make, but we have noticed and decided to recognise his today’s involvement, passion, openness and continuing determination to learn. He is a unique young person. Mateusz loves cycling, that is why we presented him with a new bike – says Monika Bogdanowicz from Olivia Business Centre, who is responsible, among other things, for CSR area in the company.

– Our entire family was invited to Olivia Business Centre. It was a great astonishment and a huge surprise for us! Mateusz has always been interested in many unobvious subjects and has always taken part in various near and far expeditions and trips. I am glad that his passion for meeting interesting people and cycling has been noticed and distinguished with such a beautiful gift. I think that he will be cycling with confidence that it is worth doing more. For yourself and others – adds Małgorzata Chaj, Mateusz’s mother.

See the photo gallery from the meeting: