Startups – Remedy or Damage to the Economy? Analysis of Startups in Poland

Startups are usually placed reductively in the sector of digital economy, often specialize in information processing and related technologies that comprise their key business model (digital native). Startup as a concept is usually equated with a new business venture, for example in the IT sector. According to one of the report, Poland has about 3 thousand startups. However, the number of initiatives, accelerators, incubators and all kinds of support for startup development is increasing. The government, business, private investors are putting a lot of effort to create ‘Polish Silicon Valley’.

The goal of the proposed work is to understand the operations of startups in the conditions of Poland’s capitalist. The Poland’s capitalism is extraordinary approach to economy, where parallel experience post-socialist transformations are confrontated with phenomena late capitalism and post-Fordist societies. The key question is: startups could be remedy or damage to the economy in Polish conditions of capitalism.

The author is also attempt to understand attitudes of Polish startup entrepreneurs in relation to the responsibility of their businesses, as well as to know about the potential of such enterprises to solve social problems and to participate in creating a social and economic value. The proposed study needs to build the defining framework and analyse the startup community in Poland. It is expected to provide answers to the following questions: What are the conditions for the growth of startups? What kinds of barriers to growth are faced by startups? This objective will be based on specific objectives related to such aspects as: analysis of socio-economic determinants of startups in Poland (identifying favorable factors and barriers) and defining the mentality of startups, ie attempting to construct a startup entrepreneurial portrait.

The empirical part of the presentation will comprise the following: qualitative study delivery (IDIs), analysis of case studies.