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EVOLUTIONS

PARTNER NETWORK FESTIVAL

MAY 27-28, 2026

EVOLUTIONS

PARTNER NETWORK FESTIVAL

MAY 27-28, 2026

ABOUT EVENT

EVOLUTIONS 2026 is an event at the intersection of technology, business, and art, taking place on May 27-28th in Wrocław. It brings together entrepreneurs, creators, investors, and tech professionals, creating a space to exchange ideas and build valuable relationships.

In 2026, we are focusing on AI and creativity, examining how artificial intelligence impacts the way we work, create, and make decisions. We demonstrate how to leverage AI as a tool that supports humans, while simultaneously highlighting the vital role of experience, sensitivity, and creative thinking.

MAY 26:
Day Zero

KAYAKING & NETWORKING During Day Zero

14:30 – Meeting Point at Przystań Zwierzyniecka

15:00-17:00 – Kayaking Trip on Odra River 

18:00 – Tech Tap Tuesday vol. 17 at Odra Pany Beach Bar

Check out details and register

MAY 27:
Workshop Day

WORKSHOPS

9:00-17:00 at Ace of Space in Renoma.

Join us at workshops led by experts from startup scene.

FINTECH TRENDS POLAND

Start at 17:00.

Side event for fintech enthusiasts featuring a report premiere on Wrocław fintech sector.

Register for Fintech Trends

BEFORE PARTY

Start at 17:00 at Pedet in Renoma. 

Check out workshops

MAY 28:
Conference Day

CONFERENCE

15:30 – 21:00 at Ace of Space in Renoma

Great keynote speakers and panelists on the stage. This year we are mixing innovation with art and creativity!

AFTER PARTY

Start at 21:00 at Recepcja (Neon Side Gallery, Ruska 46C)

Check out conference

Get your ticket today!

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CONFERENCE

Ace of Space

Świdnicka 40

 

THURSDAY | MAY 28

The conference will be in Polish with a few elements in English. Simultaneous translation via the Vasco app will be available.

15:30

Opening & Registration

16:00

Welcome

language: English

Paulina Muszyńska – Head of Startup Wroclaw

Natalia Świrska-Załuska – Startup Program Lead CEE at OVHcloud

Magdalena Śnieżek – head of Ace of Space powered by Globalworth

16:05

Where Ideas Become a City

language: English

Jakub Mazur – Deputy Mayor of Wrocław

16:10

Sovereign AI: Building Intelligence, Building Community

language: English

Artificial intelligence is often described as a race for models, compute, and breakthroughs.

Nicolas Romele – Marketing Director,  OVHcloud

16:30

Keynote speech “AI nas nie zabije, chyba..."

language: Polish

Marcin Maj – Niebezpiecznik.pl

17:00

Panel Discussion "Is Europe building a more human-centered AI—or falling behind global scale?"

language: English

This debate brings together voices from open-source communities, model builders like Bielik AI, and infrastructure players such as OVHcloud to explore AI not just as technology—but as a cultural and creative act.

Krzysztof Wojewodzic, moderator – CEO, Escola & Co-founder, AI_managers

Gilles Closset – Global AI Ecosystem Leader at OVHcloud

Karolina Gronek – Startup operator, ex- Zowie, Dafcode and RTB House

Bartek Kolasa – CTO, TechTree & AI Tinkerers

Paweł Kiszczak – Agentic AI/ML Engineer at Vstorm and Data Scientist at Bielik AI & SpeakLeash.org

17:45

Panel Discussion "Creativity in the Age of AI"

language: Polish

Artists reflect on identity, authorship, and how AI reshapes creative work.

Martyna Mrozek, moderator – Head of Product Design at CSHARK and academic lecturer at SWPS University

Joanna „frota” Kurkowska – Head of Strategic Research w  ZAiKS Lab

Wojtek Hazanowicz – co-founder and CEO of Muzaic

Edyta Jadowska – Visual Communication Designer & Video Creator, Capgemini

Grzegorz Primus – CEO, Powergam

18:30

VC Pitching

language: Polish

Investors:

Tomasz Serwan – Investment Director, Vinci S.A.

Filip Bogdziun – Investment Manager, Hard2beat

Kamil Tomkowicz – Investment Analyst, Warsaw Equity Group

Aleksandra Koperczak – Partner, Lowercap

Kamil Pruchnik – Senior Regional Representative, European Investment Fund

Jury: 

Sławek Chojnicki – Wrocław-based engineer and ex-CTO

Dorota Rymaszewska – Founder and CEO of hiPets

Jerzy Lipiński – Managing Partner, L Corp

Maciej Skrzypek – Legal Advisor & Partner, SLK PARTNERS

19:15

Panel Discussion “AI in Art: Threat or Creative Amplifier”

language: Polish

Does AI replace creativity, or unlock new creative dimensions?

Marta Solik, moderator – Founder & CEO stereochromatic.io, Vice President of Institut EuropIA Poland

Joanna Parasiewicz – The author of the novels „Uskrzydleni”, “Mistyfikator”, “Tancereczka” and “Dziewczyna z sierocińca”

Oskar Zięta – Designer & architect, Founder of Zięta Studio & Ultre

Kasia Pakosa – Co-Founder & Vocalist at KOSY, Artistic Director at Slavic Year & Founder of Mojo Sounds

19:55

Closing Keynote

language: English

Matt Szymanowski – Film Director, AI Creator, TEDx Speaker

20:15

Networking

21:15

After Party

Drinks & networking at Recepcja in famous Neon Side Gallery (Ruska 46C)

SPEAKERS

Gilles Closset

Global AI Ecosystem Leader at OVHcloud

Gilles Closset is developing the AI Ecosystem at OVHcloud, where he focuses on building and scaling a trusted network of AI Service Partners, Startups and ISV. With a Master Degree in IT services and over 15 years of experience in the cloud industry, he combines deep technical expertise with strong business acumen in digital innovation.
Gilles is particularly engaged in advancing sovereign and sustainable AI, working at the intersection of cloud infrastructure, data privacy, and ecosystem-driven growth. He regularly contributes to industry conversations on topics such as AI adoption, environmental impact, and the future of European tech sovereignty.

Nicolas Romele

Partnership and Ecosystem Marketing Director, OVHcloud

Nicolas Romelé is cloud and ecosystem marketing leader with extensive international experience across business development, partnerships and digital transformation. As Partnership & Ecosystem Marketing Director, he plays a key role in strengthening OVHcloud’s partner network and driving collaborative innovation around trusted, sovereign and sustainable cloud solutions. Known for his strategic vision and strong relationship-building skills, Nicolas actively supports the growth of the European cloud ecosystem.

SPEAKERS

Joanna Parasiewicz

Author of novels & Head of Communications at OVHcloud CEE

A clinical psychologist and a psychotherapist currently pursuing certification.
She has been involved in the world of new technologies since the start of her career. She has led communication and marketing initiatives for companies including Amadeus, Alcatel-Lucent, HP, Microsoft Dynamics, and Symantec. Previously, she worked on two working groups for the European Commission.
A lover of French cinema, Russian literature, and mountain climbing, and a history enthusiast. In her personal life, she is the author of the books: “Uskrzydleni,” “Mistyfikator,” “Tancereczka,” “Dziewczyna z sierocińca,” “Przepowiem ci przyszłość,” and “Dziewczyna z jeziora.”

Edyta Jadowska

Visual Communication Designer & Video Creator, Capgemini

Visual communication designer and video creator working at the intersection of AI technology and authentic storytelling.
Based at the Applied Innovation Exchange in Wrocław, she creates explainer videos and brand content for business clients, using AI tools to accelerate production while preserving brand voice and the uniqueness of the final result.
In parallel, she creates short narrative videos using AI. Her short film Not Endings Not Beginnings has been presented and awarded at international festivals (including AI International Film Festival in Los Angeles and the Portugal Indie Film Festival).
On Instagram, she uses AI to visualize her own poetry, reflections, and social concepts, allowing her to create solo, without a production crew, while maintaining her own voice and creative control.
Working simultaneously in both business and artistic contexts, she has developed an approach to AI centered on a key question: when does AI accelerate the creative process and when does it sabotage it? She prioritizes context, communicative intent, and the artist’s own decisions over automation for its own sake.

Kasia Pakosa

Co-Founder & Vocalist at KOSY, Artistic Director at Slavic Year & Founder of Mojo Sounds

A vocalist, composer, lyricist, producer and voice educator from Wrocław, Poland. Rooted in traditional folk music and contemporary sound, she creates original compositions while reviving Lower Silesian folk songs through concerts, workshops and urban rituals in Poland and abroad. She is the co-founder of the band KOSY and the duo Jarmużek/Pakowska, whose work brings ancestral songs into modern collective experience.

She is also the founder of Gabinet Głosu, an original voice practice space combining vocal pedagogy, sound therapy and body awareness. Trained in piano, jazz and contemporary vocal music, she moves fluidly between artistic performance, education and ritual-based community work.

Between 2022 and 2025, six albums featuring her work were released, including projects with symphonic orchestras and choirs. Since 2019, she has led international women’s singing workshops focused on collective voice, cyclical traditions and emotional expression through folk songs. Since 2024, she has served as artistic director of the Slavic Year collective and co-created immersive listening and ceremonial projects exploring voice, transition and community.

Joanna "frota" Kurkowska

Head of Strategic Research w  ZAiKS Lab

Head of Strategic Research at ZAiKS Lab, where she is responsible for researching topics such as the impact of social media platforms on music distribution, the future of entertainment, and the synergy between music and gaming. She is also a co-host of the podcast “Wycinki z przyszłości” (Snippets from the Future), which focuses on futurism, tech businesses, discussing research, and commenting on industry events, as well as the author of “NetspherePop,” a series of essays and analyses on component culture and the future of entertainment. At AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków, she teaches the course “The Future of Digital Entertainment” as part of the Trendwatching & Future Studies program.

Wojtek Hazanowicz

Co-founder and CEO of Muzaic

A professional musician, engineer, and entrepreneur. His musical journey began with classical music and later expanded into the fields of innovation and arts education. As President of JM Poland and Secretary of the Polish Music Council, Hazanowicz has been actively involved in the development of musical culture for many years. He founded his first business—focused on IT and e-commerce—during his computer science studies (Computer Science, Warsaw University of Technology) in 2006.

Karolina Gronek

GTM Manager, Zowie

Karolina has been an operator across Poland’s most AI-forward startups at every stage – from RTB House, an early European pioneer of ML in adtech, through Zowie, one of the first Polish startups in the AI agents space, to co-founding Weartist, an AI fashion photography SaaS. She’s seen from multiple angles what Polish AI founders do well, where they hit ceilings, and what the ecosystem still owes them.

Bartek Kolasa

CTO, TechTree & AI Tinkerers

Bartek Kolasa is a Wrocław-based engineer with deep expertise in AI, knowledge graphs, and large-scale data analytics. He was a founding engineer at DataWalk, a graph + AI investigations platform now used world-wide by government agencies, banks, and law enforcement. Today he’s CTO at TechTree, an European AI company building a remote-first B2B talent network, and co-organizes AI Tinkerers in Poland.

Krzysztof Wojewodzic

CEO, Escola & Co-founder, AI_managers

Krzysztof Wojewodzic, PhD | CEO of Escola | $15M+ in AI projects. His portfolio includes training and advisory roles for:

  • Automotive & Tech: Amazon, Google, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen.
  • Retail & Energy: Żabka, Biedronka, Media Expert, E.ON, Orlen.
  • Finance & Telecom: ING Bank, Pekao, Orange.

An internationally recognized consultant, he has presented at premier events such as the Global AI Summit and the Global Leadership Conference.

Martyna Mrozek

Head of Product Design at CSHARK and academic lecturer at SWPS University

Head of Product Design at CSHARK and academic lecturer at SWPS University, where she teaches digital product design. She is also an implementation PhD candidate and scholarship holder at the SWPS Doctoral School Institute of Design. Her work spans EdTech, MedTech, Pharma, and DeepTech, with a strong focus on designing responsible, future-oriented digital products. She is particularly interested in integrating sustainability, inclusivity, and equality into emerging technologies. Alongside her professional and academic roles, she mentors young talents and startups and contributes to building interdisciplinary teams and future-ready skills across both business and academia.

Oskar Zięta

Designer & architect, Founder of Zięta Studio & Ultre

Designer, architect. In his work, he combines design and artistic qualities with modern technology. He developed one of the most advanced steel processing technologies, FIDU (Freie Innendruck Umformung – internal pressure forming), which has received numerous awards, including the Red Dot Design Award 2008, the Schweizer Design Preis 2008, the German Design Council Award 2009, and the Audi Mentor Prize 2011.

He designed the Plopp stool (a traditional Polish air-filled object), which is part of the permanent collection at the Centre Pompidou in Paris as one of twelve chairs that have changed contemporary design. The collection of products made using FIDU technology also includes chairs, coat racks and clothing stands, coasters, ladders, benches, and lamps. His designs intertwine technology, materials science, engineering, and art.

In Zurich and Wrocław, he runs the design and research studio Zieta Prozessdesign, where he develops the FIDU method and its industrial applications, such as ultra-lightweight frames in Ultre vehicles or rapidly deployable fortification structures.

His projects have been exhibited in the collections of the Cardi Black Box Gallery in Milan, the Stilwerk Limited Editions Gallery in Hamburg, the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich, the Museum für Gestaltung in Zurich, and the Badisches Landesmuseum in Karlsruhe, as well as at festivals such as the London Design Festival 2010 and Vienna Design Week 2011.

Winner of numerous awards, including Materialica 2009, Good Design 2009, DMY 2008 for innovation in the production process, and YDMI 2008. Recipient of a scholarship from the ETH Zurich Institute of Technology.

Marta Solik

Founder & Creative Director Stereochromatic Solutions & Vice President Institut EuropIA Poland and CEE

AI fashion. Film. Immersive VR. Historical reenactments. She works where artificial intelligence becomes a language of storytelling.

In 2026, she curated the Polish selection of AI films for the World AI Film Festival in Cannes. Finalist of the AI Design Awards 2024 and 2025 in Barcelona, including in the Fashion category. Top 25 out of 1,500+ in the AIO Wear Designer Partner Program.

She teaches, advises, and connects people. She is building the Polish creative AI scene.

Grzegorz Primus

CEO, Powergam

Film producer and IT entrepreneur, Co-founder and CEO of PowerGam – a catalog of narrative e-learning courses for businesses. Creator of the Power Story Learning methodology, which utilizes narrative series in the learning process. Since 2012, he has also run Great Interactive, a company specializing in creating gamification platforms for large corporations.

Matt Szymanowski

Film Director, AI Creator, TEDx Speaker

Matt Szymanowski is a Polish American film director, writer, and AI creator working at the intersection of traditional cinema and emerging technologies. He is a Berlinale Talents alumnus, Sundance Institute finalist, TEDx speaker, and international host and speaker at film and AI festivals exploring the future of storytelling. He has led workshops and lectures at institutions including Ludwigsburg Film Academy and the Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź, focusing on the relationship between AI and cinematic authorship. His projects include A Human Future, a hybrid documentary exploring the impact of AI on humanity and creativity, and Captive Mind, a psychological sci fi film blending live action cinema with emerging AI driven storytelling techniques.

Marcin Maj

Niebezpiecznik.pl

An OSINT analyst and journalist with 18 years of experience. On a daily basis, he focuses on so-called white intelligence, as well as reporting on and analyzing online scams, legal loopholes that enable fraud, personal data protection issues, and technologies related to privacy and the threats to it. For years, he has been conducting training sessions on OSINT, data protection, and employee safety. He is the co-author of our comprehensive video course on these topics. He has collaborated with various media outlets, companies, and NGOs, writing press articles for industry publications as well as more in-depth thematic pieces and analyses. His specific technological interests include OSINT and data analysis, but also various niche areas, such as the use of sound waves in investigations and attacks.

As an experienced journalist and trainer, Marcin can discuss security in a way that is understandable even to “non-technical” people. He is often the first person to respond to reports of issues submitted to the editorial office. If someone reports a problem concerning your company to us, Marcin will likely call you.

Jakub Mazur

Deputy Mayor of Wrocław

Born 21.05.1977 in Wrocław. Graduate of the University of Economics (former the Academy of Economics) inWrocław from 1995 to 2000 and University of Wrocław, Faculty of Law and Administration, forum 1997 to 2002.

25 years of experience in business: companies from various economic sectors, corporate and strategic consulting, company creation, including start-ups, entrepreneur and promoter. Successfully introduced business entities to the Stock Exchange. Areas of expertise: IT, spatial planning, urban planning, energy, advertising, marketing strategy, construction industry, foreign investments, B2B relations.Co-creator of the success of the European Capital of Culture 2016 in Wrocław. Deputy Mayor of Wrocław since 2018. Directly oversees the Department of Strategy and Sustainable Development. Representative of the city in national and Representative of the city in national and international associations and institutions. Responsible for creating and implementing strategic documents for the city, agglomeration, and region with a perspective up to 2050. Member of international organizations, representing the city in international relations.

Member of the European Regional Executive Committee (RexCom) of ICLEI and Co-Chair of the Committee on Local Government Structure, Urban and Metropolitan Areas at the Joint Commission of the Government and Local Government.

Aleksandra Koperczak

Partner of Lowercap

A partner at Lowercap, where she is responsible for building the pipeline, transactions, and executing the investment strategy. Previously, at DFR Inwestycyjny, she led investments in companies such as YourKaya, LiveKid, Pergamin, and KFB Acoustics. What gives her the greatest satisfaction in her work in VC is seeing how the people she invests in are making a real impact on how our reality is changing.

Tomasz Serwan

Investment Director, Vinci S.A.

Tomasz Serwan is an investment director at Vinci S.A. He has extensive experience in the venture capital industry. From 2019 to 2023, he managed the CVC fund at Alior Bank S.A., while also serving as the bank’s ESG director. Previously, he was an investment director at Tar Heel Capital Pathfinder and AIP Seed Capital. Since 2009, he has been actively involved in the startup ecosystem, making dozens of investments in companies at various stages of development.

Jerzy Lipiński

Managing Partner, L Corp

Founder of a consulting firm. He specializes in helping Polish private companies become more professional. He prepares businesses for profitable sales or secure succession planning. For nearly a decade, he has been associated with the Voelkel Group (one of the largest family-owned companies in Poland).

Filip Bogdziun

Investor Manager at Hard2beat

Filip Bogdziun is an Investment Manager at Hard2beat, a Polish early-stage VC fund investing in deep-tech companies at pre-seed and seed stage. He has nearly 10 years of experience in early-stage venture investing, with a focus on hard-to-build technologies, defensible IP and founders building companies with a real technological moat.

Dorota Rymaszewska

Founder and CEO of hiPets

Founder and CEO of hiPets, a rising star in global pet tech. After giving up a promising career in regional television and student musical theater, she went from sales expert to sales and business coach to top positions in corporate structures (P&G, PZ Cussons) and startups (Booksy).

She has worked with teams on five continents, from Brazil to Kazakhstan. One of the most intense and extroverted figures on the Polish startup scene.

Kamil Tomkowicz

Investment Analyst, Warsaw Equity Group

Kamil joined Warsaw Equity Group in April 2025, bringing a strong background in social
entrepreneurship. As President of Our Future Foundation, he has engaged 20,000+ students
in mentoring and educational programs with partners such as Amazon, Samsung, GE, and
Goldman Sachs, and received the Polish Prime Minister's Award for the best social project of
the year 2023.
At WEG, Kamil has been involved in investment analysis including &Charge, where he
serves as a Board Observer. He also contributes as a speaker and juror in innovation
programs including Samsung Solve for Tomorrow, the European Economic Congress, and
Queen Mary University of London Social Venture Fund.
Kamil holds a B.A. in Economics and International Markets from Kozminski University in
Warsaw and studied at MCI The Entrepreneurial School in Innsbruck.
Outside of work, Kamil enjoys reading scientific books, and playing chess — having placed
3rd at the XIX International Najdorf Chess Memorial in Warsaw.

Sławek Chojnicki

Wrocław-based engineer and ex-CTO

Sławek is a Wrocław-based engineer and ex-CTO. He’s spent the last several years building SaaS products from the inside — through the good parts and the expensive lessons. Today he builds independently and prefers bootstrapping over chasing rounds. His three favorite answers to most startup advice: “no”, “never”, and “what the fuck for”.

Maciej Skrzypek

Legal Advisor & Partner, SLK Partners

A legal advisor and partner at SLK Partners, he has spent over a decade translating the world of transactions into a language that both lawyers and founders can understand. He specializes in providing legal services for VC and PE investments, M&A transactions, and corporate law—advising tech companies and startups at every stage of growth, from the first funding round to complex acquisition processes. He knows what makes a deal close and what blows it up. He holds a law degree from the University of Wrocław and a finance degree from the Warsaw School of Economics.

Get your ticket for the Conference!

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PS Bring your friends! The more tickets you buy the cheaper they get! 💪

WORKSHOPS

Ace of Space

Świdnicka 40

WEDNESDAY | MAY 27

9:00 - 9:30

Registration and Opening

9:30 - 11:30

Online Advertising from Scratch: Steps You Need to Take Before Launching a Campaign

Magdalena Bielawska – Digital marketing expert, founder of adsetterka.pl

language: Polish

Want to launch an online advertising campaign but don’t know where to start? This workshop will walk you through everything you need to prepare before spending a single dollar on ads.
We’ll start with the basics—you’ll learn how to set a specific campaign goal and choose the right KPIs to measure it. Next, we’ll check if your website is ready to handle ad traffic: we’ll discuss UX issues as well as legal requirements related to GDPR and Consent Mode.
We’ll walk you through the process of setting up ad accounts and configuring analytics—so that from day one of your campaign, you have full insight into its results. You’ll also learn what types of campaigns are available to you and how to choose the right ones for your goal. Finally, we’ll discuss practical guidelines for creating effective ads.
This workshop is designed for people who are taking their first steps in online advertising and want to avoid the most common mistakes made at the beginning.

A Partnership That Works: How to Generate Revenue with OVHcloud Solutions

Albert Tischbierek – Head of Sales, Hostersi

language: Polish

FREE ADMISSION

What does a partnership that really works look like? In this session, Hostersi will share their experience in building and growing a business using OVHcloud solutions. They’ll cover specific examples, their approach to customers, and insights you can apply to your own business.

Imagine You Are Setting Up a VC Fund… How Do You Do It?

Kamil Pruchnik, PhD – Senior Regional Representative of the European Investment Fund (EIF) to Poland

language: Polish/English

There are countless workshops on how to become a successful entrepreneur, raise funding from VCs, and pitch to business angels. But what about the “other side” of the table?

  • What is it like to set up a VC fund?
  • How do you start?
  • What matters most?
  • And how do funds raise capital themselves?

The purpose of this workshop is to give participants a practical, nutshell overview of how VC funds are created, what key elements matter in the process, and how fund managers raise capital from investors.

After this workshop, you will not be an expert in setting up a VC fund.

But you should have a clearer understanding of the process, as well as a better “feel” for what your investors — the VCs — are looking for when they review start-ups, and why they focus on these specific aspects. 

Build Your GTM Foundations: ICP & Buyer Persona — with a dedicated AI Agent

Maciej Szott – CEO GoToSmith

language: Polish/English

A hands-on GTM workshop for B2B founders in the early stages of revenue generation. In just two hours, using your own laptop and your company’s data, you’ll build your ICP and Buyer Persona with the help of a dedicated AI agent. You’ll walk away with ready-to-use files—not slides—that you can immediately upload to Claude and start using.

11:30 - 12:00

Coffee Break

12:00-14:00

What do the finances say about the startup?

Slawomir Borkowski – an experienced financial manager, currently an independent consultant and external CFO

language: Polish/English

A practical workshop on reading and preparing financial information for investors and others. Definitely aimed especially at non-financial professionals.
How do you go from raw accounting data to a financial model?
What information is included in a traditional financial statement, and what is included in a management report?
How can the presentation of financial data change perceptions of a company?

LinkedIn Expert Profile: How to Build Your Expert Brand, Gain Trust, and Attract Clients.

Łukasz Dębski – Social Media Manager, OVHcloud

language: Polish

If you want LinkedIn to generate business opportunities for you, this workshop is for you. You’ll learn how to create an expert profile, what kind of content to post, and how to consistently build trust that leads to collaborations and sales.

Analog Prompting: Generate an Image with Your Own Hands
An intuitive painting workshop for overstimulated minds.

Anna Hałas – artist, creative educator, and founder of the POMALU studio

language: Polish/English

In a world where Midjourney can generate flawless images in three seconds, we are taking a bold step back.

Think of your brain as the processor, your emotions as the input data, and the paintbrush as your analog prompt.

I invite you to a 2-hour offline session where we shut down our laptops, close our tabs, and step off the digital grid. Together, we will create something no algorithm can ever replicate—an authentic, tactile, and physical record of your presence in the "here and now."

No technical art skills or prior painting experience required. Just bring your raw human curiosity, and let’s create some beautiful, un-programmable errors!

Branding for leaders.
3 perspectives: Milan. SF. NYC.

Rafał Solski – CEO & Creative Producer, John Weston Group

language: Polish

A workshop on building modern leadership through branding, storytelling, and the deliberate shaping of perception.

During the session, Rafał Piotr Solski will present three perspectives on building brands and leaders, drawn from his work and experiences in Milan, Silicon Valley, and New York.

The workshop is based on real-world case studies of global brands and organizations, practical exercises, and the proprietary Black Horse Method.

Topics:
• how to build a leader’s brand world and your own position
• why perception often trumps competence and budget
• focus as the most important tool of modern leadership
• founders’ storytelling and selecting people for projects
• how to find your “safe position” in business and communication
• the leader’s image, aesthetics, and presence as tools for building authority
• “Tiger on the Street” — a leader’s energy before the first word is spoken
• Art & Business — building relationships, standing, and access

14:00-14:30

Refreshment & Snacks

14:30-16:30

CRAFTing Your Startup with Design Thinking

Yash Chawla, PhD – Deputy Head, Department of Computational Social Science, Founder of CRAFT Lab, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology

language: English

A fast-paced, practical introduction to the mindset of human-centered validation. Instead of spending two hours rushing a product to market, the workshop will give you the essential tools needed to stop guessing and start proving your ideas. We will discuss how to structure discovery interviews to uncover real problems, translate those insights into a focused problem statement, and learn the techniques for building a "Low-Fidelity" MVP. Your take away will be a clear roadmap for testing your assumptions and a repeatable framework to ensure you are building something people actually want.

The Art of Letting Go: A Leader's Solitude—How Not to Let Your Mind Get the Best of You

Joanna Parasiewicz – Head of Communications at OVHcloud CEE

language: Polish

The higher up you are, the less often you hear the truth. The greater the responsibility, the harder it is to share it, but this workshop won’t be about delegating tasks.

It will be about why it’s so hard to let go, even when we know we have to. We’ll look at how identity influences business decisions, what it means to be a leader in isolation, and how to relinquish control without losing influence.

How to enter the U.S. market and stay there for more than just a vacation.

Paul Mydlo – Chief Business Development Officer for North America at Scalo

language: Polish/English

A fast-paced, practical introduction to the mindset of human-centered validation. Instead of spending two hours rushing a product to market, the workshop will give you the essential tools needed to stop guessing and start proving your ideas. We will discuss how to structure discovery interviews to uncover real problems, translate those insights into a focused problem statement, and learn the techniques for building a "Low-Fidelity" MVP. Your take away will be a clear roadmap for testing your assumptions and a repeatable framework to ensure you are building something people actually want.

16:30-17:00

Networking

17:00-19:45

Fintech Trends Poland

Discover innovative solutions and ideas that are driving transformation in the worlds of finance and technology. Meet leaders in the FinTech and AI industries, discover new opportunities, and find inspiration to take action.

Register for Fintech Trends

17:00-22:00

Before Party at PEDET (Renoma)

Drinks, talks, and music at the food court downstairs.

Get your ticket for Workshops!

Get your ticket

One workshop is 49 PLN (with exceptions).

PS 📢 Buy 2 and more workshops to get a higher discount!

EXPERTS

EXPERTS

Kamil Pruchnik, PhD

Senior Regional Representative of the European Investment Fund (EIF) to Poland

He acts as the ambassador of EIF and promoter of EU initiatives in Poland, with the ultimate goal to boost private investments in Poland and enhance competitiveness and innovativeness of the Polish economy. For his contribution in promoting EU instruments in Poland, he received a special recognition by the Polish Banks Associations. Before moving to Warsaw, Mr. Pruchnik led EIF commitments in 15 countries (worth EUR2.5bn) to financial intermediaries (banks, investment funds, leasing companies and fintech). In the past, Mr. Pruchnik worked at HSBC Group (in Poland and in the UK) in various roles including: corporate governance, strategy and commercial banking. Before transitioning to corporate banking, he started his career as an economist working at: NBP (Polish Central Bank), the World Bank and the UN. Mr. Pruchnik received Ph.D. at Warsaw School of Economics (thesis advisor: prof. L. Balcerowicz, f. Minister of Finance and f. Governor of NBP). He conducted parts of his studies and research at Georgetown University and Harvard University. For his dissertation, Mr. Pruchnik won first prize in the competition organized by the Polish Bank Guarantee Fund (2023).

Sławomir Borkowski

Experienced financial manager & external CFO

An experienced financial manager, currently an independent consultant and external CFO specializing in supporting startups. With over 20 years of experience in venture capital funds, large and small companies, he has worked on mergers and acquisitions, capital raising, management projects, and financial restructurings. An engineer by training, he worked at Arthur Andersen, where he gained financial expertise, the Impel capital group, the consulting firm Crido, and others. He is fluent in several languages and combines financial expertise with a passion for unconventional business projects.

Joanna Parasiewicz

Head of Communications at OVHcloud CEE

A clinical psychologist and a psychotherapist currently pursuing certification.
She has been involved in the world of new technologies since the start of her career. She has led communication and marketing initiatives for companies including Amadeus, Alcatel-Lucent, HP, Microsoft Dynamics, and Symantec. Previously, she worked on two working groups for the European Commission.
A lover of French cinema, Russian literature, and mountain climbing, and a history enthusiast. In her personal life, she is the author of the books: “Uskrzydleni,” “Mistyfikator,” “Tancereczka,” “Dziewczyna z sierocińca,” “Przepowiem ci przyszłość,” and “Dziewczyna z jeziora.”

Łukasz Dębski

Social Media Manager, OVHcloud

He has been involved in the social media industry since 2007. He gained experience at interactive agencies such as 121PR, Dentsu, and Socjomania, where he conducted training sessions on communication on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms. For the past five years, he has been with OVHcloud, where he is responsible for the company’s social media communications in the CEE region. He is passionate about road and gravel cycling.

Magdalena Bielawska

Digital marketing expert, founder of adsetterka.pl

A digital expert with over 7 years of experience in online marketing, gained at leading agencies in Wrocław. As a freelancer, she combines data analysis with creativity to develop personalized growth strategies. She specializes in scaling e-commerce sales and building brand image in the beauty, real estate, and legal industries.

Albert Tischbierek

Head of Sales, Hostersi

With over 15 years of experience in the IT industry, he supports companies across Europe in achieving their business goals through effective collaboration with outsourcing service providers and technology partners such as OVHcloud, AWS, and Google. He specializes in building partnerships, developing sales channels, and creating synergies between business and technology. He is passionate about using modern tools—particularly AI, process automation, machine learning, and predictive analytics—to optimize organizations and foster innovation. In his personal life, he is a drummer and a lover of Japanese culture.

Yash Chawla, PhD

Deputy Head, Department of Computational Social Science, Founder of CRAFT Lab, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology

With close to 15 years of international experience in academia and business, he specializes in research on diffusion of innovation, societal impact of technology, sustainable development, social media communication, and energy policy. He leads prominent projects, including the National Science Centre (Poland) funded MoSAic project and the Lower Silesian Startup Ecosystem Report – an initiative by ARAW and Startup Wroclaw. He regularly publishes in top academic journals while collaborating actively with industry as a consultant in R&D communications, C-suite personal branding, marketing, and sustainability. Driven by a commitment to social impact, Dr. Chawla has reached over 150,000 individuals of all ages through his initiatives such as Everyday AI and Effective Use of Social Media. His outreach and training efforts focus on empowering communities to leverage technology ethically and enhance digital literacy, fostering positive change at both local and global levels.

Anna Hałas

Artist, creative educator, and founder of the POMALU studio

Artist, creative educator, and founder of the POMALU studio. She masterfully navigates between two seemingly opposite worlds. For 15 years, Anna has been professionally active in the IT industry, working within the realm of logic, systems, and technology. After hours, she swaps her keyboard for a paintbrush, letting raw emotions guide her creative compass. As the founder of Anna Hałas Art, she has spent years teaching others how to use intuitive painting to silence their inner critic, let go of the need for perfection, and embrace beautiful, un-programmable errors. Having a deep understanding of the fast-paced tech world, she designs her workshops as a proven, analog „system reset” for overstimulated minds.

Maciej Szott

CEO GoToSmith

For 18 years, he has served as a founder and operator at B2B industrial companies (Luxon LED — build, scale, exit; ZEME — marketplace, >70 million PLN). Today, he advises B2B founders on GTM strategy and builds an AI context layer to support the scaling of tech companies.

Paul Mydlo

Chief Business Development Officer for North America at Scalo

A technology leader with a passion for bridging the gap between the Polish and U.S. markets. With over a decade of experience in the tech industry, Paul has built a strong track record in selling Polish technological services and helping European companies establish a presence in North America. His deep understanding of both the American and British markets enables him to build meaningful partnerships and successfully navigate the complexities of international business.

Paul currently serves as Chief Business Development Officer for North America at Scalo, a leading software development company headquartered in Wrocław, Poland. In this role, he is responsible for driving growth across the U.S. market, developing strategic partnerships, and expanding Scalo’s footprint in the region.

Based in Frisco, Texas, Paul focuses on helping U.S. companies accelerate innovation through Scalo’s tailored software solutions — including custom software development, dedicated engineering teams, staff augmentation, and technology consulting.

Rafał Solski

CEO & Creative Producer, John Weston Group

Co-Founder & CEO of the John Weston Group, specializing in brand strategy, storytelling, and projects at the intersection of business, technology, and creativity.

He has collaborated with brands and organizations such as Pepsi, BBC, PwC, Crusoe, Lincoln, JLL, SKANSKA, Align Technology, Neuralink, and Volvo.

On a daily basis, he works with founders, CEOs, and leadership teams on brand positioning, communication strategy, and building cohesive narrative worlds around companies, products, and leaders.

He also joins select projects as a brand equity partner, supporting companies’ growth strategically and creatively. He learned about scalability in Silicon Valley. The world of luxury brands in Milan. Creative intensity in New York. Rhythm in Rio de Janeiro. Authenticity in Ecuador. Storytelling at the Łódź Film School. An open heart in his hometown of Wrocław.

He is the creator of The Black Horse Method—a proprietary strategic framework based on building so-called “brand worlds,” or cohesive narrative universes around brands, leaders, and ideas in the age of AI.

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