A "Soft Landing" for foreign companies in Poland

The program created by PAIH, CIC, Venture Cafe Warsaw and EY is aimed at, among others, to Belarusian startups that would like to develop their business in Poland, gain knowledge in the field of migration and tax law, and establish and strengthen their relations with the Polish business community. The offer for Belarusian companies is free of charge. Those interested should apply to the program before the end of December this year, using the form available on the website: SoftLanding.

By inaugurating the support program for Belarusian entrepreneurs "Poland. A Business Harbor", we clearly emphasized the importance of close cooperation between Polish and Belarusian companies and specialists from the IT sector. We hope that the "Soft Landing" program offered within it, will be positively received by Belarusian entrepreneurs, who choose Poland as a country where they intend to start their business - emphasizes Tomasz Salomon from the Department of Trade and International Cooperation at the Ministry of Development, Labor and Technology.

Four steps to success

Part one of the program, the so-called "Prelanding package" gives support in registering a business and learning about basic legal and organizational issues. The package includes interactive materials, free guides, and the possibility of participating in webinars. The part two is called "New Entity". It includes professional assistance in completing the registration of a company. The third step to success is "The First 30 Days". At this stage, the organizers provide the participants with a program of workshops and group consultations with experts, who will share their knowledge on how to set up a company or operate on the Polish market.

- The first 30 days of the company's operation may decide on the success or failure of expansion to a new country. That is why we want to provide companies with everything they will need for a very fast development path in a new market. The "Soft Landing" program is a proposal for startups interested in starting a business in Poland - emphasizes Ewa Geresz, Director of the Innovation Visitors Bureau at Venture Cafe Warsaw.

The program will offer five companies, selected through a competition process, with access to individual sessions with experts and access to co-working space in the center of Warsaw. The competition criterion is, the biggest positive so-called social or environmental impact of the company.

- Companies that join the "Soft Landing" program will receive support from us, among other things, in the process of joining the innovation ecosystem in Poland and establishing valuable contacts with key people, organizations and institutions. CIC Warsaw space is designed to enhance creativity and create an effective work environment - explains Izabela Górska, co-founder of CIC Poland, Sales Lead at CIC Warsaw.

The fourth part of the project, "Scaling-up", is additional support for entrepreneurs who want to develop their business on new global markets.

"Poland. A Business Harbor" - help for enterprising Belarusians from the ICT sector

The Polish government has been supporting Belarusians in the development of their companies in Poland since September, by implementing the "Poland. A Business Harbor" project. The coordinators are the Ministry of Development, Labor and Technology and the Polish Investment and Trade Agency, in cooperation with GovTech Polska, in the Prime Minister’s Chancellery, the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development (PARP) and Startup Hub Poland.

Interest in the "Poland. A Business Harbor" program is still very high. During the three months of its operation, PAIH received over 1,200 e-mail notifications and nearly 1,000 telephone calls from interested parties. Currently, our Investment Centre is supporting 40 Belarusian projects. The vast majority, more than 30, involve IT companies, and in two cases they are gaming projects - says Katarzyna Jedlińska, PAIH’s press spokesman.

As part of the "Poland. A Business Harbor", Belarusians can learn how to quickly and efficiently start operating in Poland, get support in relocating employees and their families, but also receive legal and visa assistance in the "business concierge" formula. Individuals and companies from Belarus can count on help in their contact with local government authorities and/ or Special Economic Zones, which actively participated in the preparation of the offer, by creating temporary office space and residential possibilities. One of the elements of the package is support in the form of connecting entrepreneurs with investors and grants for R&D activity. Individuals with engineering degrees or experience in the IT industry may, in turn, benefit from a simplified visa procedure. In addition, several dozen technology companies, from all over Poland have prepared special job offers for the new arrivals.

About Polish Investment and Trade Agency

The Polish Investment and Trade Agency (PAIH) is an advisory institution included in the Polish Development Fund Group (PFR). This is the first point of contact for exporters and investors. It operates both in Poland and through Foreign Trade Offices (ZBH) around the world. It strengthens the recognition of Polish brands on international markets, promotes native products and services as well as technological solutions made in Poland. The agency helps entrepreneurs to choose the their optimal expansion path abroad. It also supports the inflow of foreign direct investment to Poland and the implementation of Polish investment at home.