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During the PE Insights Poland-CE conference, experts and market leaders analysed the future of our innovation ecosystem. During the debate on the findings of the Digital Champions CEE report, speakers highlighted a major structural shift: the market’s transition from traditional digital services towards deep tech, artificial intelligence and space technologies. Participants also addressed the key challenge of capital outflow and discussed how to effectively finance the growth of the fastest-growing companies, so that Central and Eastern Europe can nurture its own global players rather than merely serving as a research and development base for Western markets.
On Friday, 22 May 2026, a panel discussion was held at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Warsaw as part of the PE Insights Poland-CE conference. The discussion was moderated by Piotr Mieczkowski, Managing Director of the Digital Poland Foundation, who began the meeting by presenting the main findings from the latest Digital Champions CEE report to the audience, before inviting the experts to join the debate.
Wojciech Świercz, a partner at Arthur D. Little, highlighted a marked shift in the market structure across our region. He emphasised that Central and Eastern Europe is moving away from the dominance of traditional e-commerce and SaaS solutions, shifting its focus towards artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, space technologies and deep tech. The expert considered whether this shift signifies the development in CEE of technologies of strategic importance for the whole of Europe, or whether our region continues to serve primarily as a talent pool for the West and the United States.
Jarosław Dąbrowski, a member of the management board of Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego, addressed the issue of brain drain. The report clearly shows that nearly half of the value created by regional companies flowed out of CEE, mainly to the US and the UK. This phenomenon stems directly from a lack of sufficient growth capital at the Series B and C funding stages. To counteract this trend, the BGK representative outlined initiatives such as Innovate Poland and Future Tech Poland to the audience, which aim to build local capital capable of financing the development of the fastest-growing companies and, ultimately, retaining them in the country.
Paweł Górnicki, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at Creotech Instruments, outlined the prospects for the rapidly growing deep tech and space tech sectors. He outlined the greatest challenges involved in building a global Polish company in such an extremely capital-intensive industry as space technology. The panellists engaged in a lively discussion on whether Europe is finally beginning to recognise the necessity of investing in independent infrastructure and space in the context of building its own security and technological sovereignty.
The panel concluded with a presentation by Marek Kośnik, who serves as co-CEO at Base.com and lisek.app. The expert focused on the practical perspective of an entrepreneur and the challenges involved in scaling a technology business from Central and Eastern Europe to global markets. He addressed the dilemma faced by many founders who wonder whether sustained, dynamic growth can be maintained without relocating the business from Poland. As an excellent case study of a company aiming to conquer global markets, he discussed the background and strategy behind the rebranding of Baselinker to Base. To conclude, the panellists pondered whether the CEE region truly aspires to nurture global champions, or whether the market is still dominated by a mindset focused on relatively quick investment exits.
The publication of this 5th edition of the ranking would not have been possible without the commitment of our reliable partners and team of experts. A huge thank you to our strategic partners: Arthur D. Little and Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego. We would also like to thank Baker McKenzie Polska, MCI Capital and PFR Ventures for another successful partnership this year. Without you, this report would not have been possible!
The event was followed by an evening closed-door meeting for representatives of funds, LPs, GPs, champions and the wider ecosystem. The event took place at the Rooftop Bar at the Crown Plaza in Warsaw.
The conference was a great success, attracting over 500 GPs and LPs, 60 speakers and more than 700 attendees.