After months of rumours, Google has finally chosen Head of its Warsaw Campus.
Rafał Plutecki, Managing Partner and Investment Director at InnoFund, has joined Google as Head of the new Campus Warsaw, located in Centrum Praskie Koneser.
The future project of Centrum Praskie Koneser will give even a better atmosphere to Campus Warsaw (picture above).
The tech giant is almost ready to open the doors of Campus Warsaw, construction of which is to be finished by the end of 2015. At the moment, Google team is preparing for the launch: they are designing the space, planning innovative programs, and hiring a strong local team. The new facility will serve as a centre for startups and support young, innovative enterprises operating in the Polish IT industry. Only London and Tel Aviv can boast similar projects.
Rafal fits perfectly in the startup spirit. Having worked in nearly every capacity of the entrepreneur’s journey, he knows all aspects of the startup ecosystem intimately. He was the successful founder and CEO of Internet Technologies, a Polish ISP acquired by GTS in 2000, served as the Managing Partner of Innofund, an early-stage and seed venture fund, and has been an active angel investor. “I’m passionate about growing businesses and working with entrepreneurs, teams and connecting people,” Rafał Plutecki says about himself.
Below, you can find a short interview with Rafał and learn a bit more about him and get his perspective on the startup ecosystem.
Where did you grow up?
I was born in a port-city of Szczecin and grew up in Warsaw. My father travelled around the world on commercial ships before I was born, and I think I liked his stories so much, that later decided to study and live in Germany, France, and the United States.
How did you get involved in the startup community in Poland?
I was studying at the University of Delaware in 1993 when I got my first dial-up email account from America Online. I was fascinated by the unlimited possibilities the Internet could offer and decided instantly that would be my future. Upon returning to Poland I founded Internet Technologies, one of the first Internet Service Providers, and successfully sold the company to GTS (now a part of T-Mobile). Since then I have evolved to be a mentor, angel investor, and manager for several startups. I am looking forward to continue to give back to the community that supported me.
What do you think makes the Polish startup community unique?
Poland has a great mix of talent, aspirations, and funding. We have always enjoyed a high level of engineering education and our programmers frequently win coding competitions. There are a growing number of startups that successfully operate internationally like Livechat, Brainly, Estimote, and City Interactive- we want to create a community that builds more of these great companies at Campus.
What can the local community expect from your first month at Campus?
We have tons of things in store for the community. We’ll be bringing some of the best programs from across our global network like our Campus for Moms program, Campus Exchange, Industry Connect, Mentoring, as well as innovative events and opportunities to help founders build strong international businesses. I’m excited to hear from the community how Campus can serve them.
What do you do when you’re not working?
I enjoy biking, kayaking, climbing, culinary trips, and traveling, especially in Africa and Asia.
Emilia is an experienced editor, gifted wordsmith, a professional translator, but first of all, an avid reader.
