The Startup Poland Foundation is starting 2026 with a clear return to its roots. Anna Mazurek, previously Head of Community, has been appointed CEO. Four new members representing the forefront of the Polish innovation ecosystem are joining the Foundation’s Board: Aleksandra Pędraszewska, Paulina Muszyńska, Andrzej Targosz, and Zbigniew Woźnowski.
The new team has announced that it will intensify its efforts to bring about legislative changes that will effectively unlock capital for Polish startups. Two projects are priorities: PL-SAFE, a Polish standard for investment agreements, and PL-SEIS, a tax relief system for business angels. The foundation also emphasizes that it remains independent of Big Tech funding and focuses on cooperation with Polish founders, investors, and scale-ups.
New CEO: Anna Mazurek
At the beginning of 2026, Anna Mazurek, who has been associated with the Foundation for many years as Head of Community, took over as CEO. Her experience is based on direct work with the startup community – thousands of conversations with founders, hundreds of events, and in-depth knowledge of the real barriers to the development of technology companies in Poland.
Mazurek announces that her term will focus on “legislative specificity” and translating market needs into ready-made solutions for public administration.
Strengthened Foundation Council
The co-founders of Startup Poland, Borys Musielak and Paweł Harajda, are joined by four new members, creating a broad set of competencies key to the development of the ecosystem:
Aleksandra Pędraszewska
Entrepreneur and investor, co-founder of VividQ and former leader of the security team at ElevenLabs. She currently runs the vastpoint fund. She brings experience in scaling deep tech and knowledge of foreign financing mechanisms.
Paulina Muszyńska
Head of Startup Wrocław, responsible for the development of one of the most active startup centers in Poland. She specializes in a cooperation model combining business, science, and administration.
Andrzej Targosz
Serial entrepreneur and investor (Bitspiration VC) who has gone the full route from founder to successful exit. On the Board, he is responsible for the investor perspective and building synergies between startups, VCs, and administration.
Zbigniew Woźnowski
CEO of Reality Games, an expert in IP monetization and scaling B2C products in global markets. On the Council, he represents the voice of practitioners and companies operating in a data-driven model.
Strategy: One Voice for Polish Innovators
Startup Poland is returning to its original role – an organization that:
- integrates the startup community,
- collects and organizes market feedback,
- translates the needs of entrepreneurs into specific legislative proposals,
- operates based on proven international standards,
- builds broad coalitions of support for systemic change.
The foundation announces close cooperation with Polish technology companies, VC funds, and European initiatives such as EU Inc. and ScaleUP Europe.
Key projects for 2026
PL‑SEIS – tax relief for business angels
The aim of the “Invest with Your Taxes” project is to mobilize massive private capital at the seed and pre-seed stages. The proposed solutions include:
- a 30-50% deduction of the investment value from PIT or CIT,
- exemption from capital gains tax after a minimum of 3 years,
- safety mechanisms, including clawback and amount limits.
PL-SAFE – Polish standard for investment agreements
The project addresses the problem of long and costly transactions at an early stage. It assumes:
- the introduction of a simple pre-equity instrument compatible with PSA and sp. z o.o.,
- shortening the time to close seed rounds from 8-12 weeks to 2-4 weeks,
- a significant reduction in legal costs.
Support for foreign expansion
The foundation will seek simplified rules for allocating grants for participation in trade fairs and consistent activities promoting Poland as an R&D hub. Startup Poland is also actively involved in the work on implementing the EU Inc. project in the Polish legal system.
Since 2015, Startup Poland has served as the central point of contact for Polish technology entrepreneurs. The foundation has co-created key systemic solutions, including the Simple Joint Stock Company, conducted extensive educational and integration activities, prepares annual reports on Polish startups, provides reliable analyses and market standards, and consistently represents the interests of founders in dialogue with public administration.
The new stage of activity is intended to strengthen the Foundation’s influence on shaping the conditions for the development of innovation in Poland.