European Start-up Days is an event that combines new ideas with funds needed for their implementation. The conference, organised for […]
European Start-up Days is an event that combines new ideas with funds needed for their implementation. The conference, organised for another year in a row, as part of the European Economic Congress, is also a knowledge exchange platform for people who have been successful in business to share their experiences. One of the keynote speakers at the event was Krzysztof Domarecki, who founded and was instrumental to the success of Selena, a global producer and distributor of construction chemicals.
After 25 years, Selena is among the three largest producers of polyurethane foam in the world, with Tytanas one of its top and most recognisable brands. The company’s manufacturing plants are located in Poland, Brazil, Korea, China, Romania, Turkey, Spain and Italy. The Group sells its products in more than 70 countries across the world.
„Do you know the seven conditions which, if satisfied, might bring your start-up to a capitalisation in the order of PLN 1 billion?” – asks Krzysztof Domarecki, who is engaged very strongly in broadly understood support for the start-up community, in which he sees a major potential. He participates in Venture Capital investments, offering financial assistance to already existing innovative firms. As a „Business Angel” he shares his experiences and invests capital into newly established projects. He is also very active in various initiatives where the world of science links up with the world of business, in congresses, lectures and university debates.
On 11 May, speaking from the scene of the Spodek arena in Katowice, he gave a lecture titled „How to grow a start-up, in Polish conditions, from nothing to PLN 1 billion. Entrepreneur’s comments. In his speech he outlined the key success factors for companies, drawing from his personal experience of investments and development of innovations at Selena and at start-ups. He also referred to his observations regarding development of modern technologies in Poland, Europe, United States and China.
European Start-up Days is a two-day event that accompanies the European Economic Congress, which is designed to help establish a dialogue between persons with new, ground-breaking business ideas and investors. In this way, young entrepreneurs are able to bring their projects and products to the attention of a wider audience and raise capital for growing their business. The conference is also an excellent opportunity to share knowledge about the latest trends or fund-raising methods. Furthermore, during the European Start-up Days CEOs, market experts or persons who have been successful in business give inspirational lectures, speaking about their experiences. This year, the European Start-up Days conference was visited by 2,500 persons and had more than 40 speakers – representatives of top companies, media, government bodies and others.
The European Economic Congress has been a regular feature in Katowice’s event calendar since 2009 – in this year’s 9th edition Krzysztof Domarecki also participated in the debate „Economic diplomacy – a new opening?”. The congress is one of the key business events in Central Europe. Its participants deal with a number of issues connected with economy in its broad sense. Discussions are focused on external factors that stimulate business, and roadblocks that business needs to deal with. New lines of development and new technologies are presented that have the potential to spark revolutionary changes. The European Economic Congress has been growing with each edition. This year it included 132 sessions, 700 speakers and 9,000 participants, including 660 media representatives.
As part of the congress, Selena received the award of a „Promoter of Polish Economy”. The award, conferred for the first time in history – as an idea of the „Teraz Polska” (Now Poland) Foundation, is designed to promote the companies whose achievements successfully build the awareness of the „Poland” brand, both at home and abroad. „Founded 25 years ago in Poland, today Selena operates on four continents and is an example of how a domestic firm can be turned into a resounding international success. The unique position that Selena Group has gained automatically makes the company an ambassador for Poland in more than 70 countries world-wide – in any place where our technologically advanced products are available. The title of „Promoter of Polish Economy” is something that we are particularly proud of and evidence that we are effective at delivering our mission to promote Poland beyond its borders „– Krzysztof Domarecki said.
