• Carpathian Startup Fest 2025 takes place May 21–22nd at Zen.com Expo in Jasionka near Rzeszów, Poland
• The Fest’s Pitching competition offers a total of PLN 150K in prizes across three tracks plus fast track to InCredibles
• Workshops and Business Dating are available for registered attendees, and top speakers from Poland’s startup scene will share insights on innovation, funding, and growth

This May 21–22nd, the Zen.com Expo in Jasionka near Rzeszów, Poland, will host the 2025 edition of Carpathian Startup Fest, organized by the Rzeszów Regional Development Agency. This premier event brings together startups and investors from across Poland and beyond. At its core is a pitching competition offering PLN 150K / EUR ~35K in cash prizes.

Attendees will also hear from leading voices in the Polish startup/VC ecosystem. Carpathian Startup Fest is the region’s hub for those seeking funding, building businesses, boosting brand visibility, and connecting with fellow innovators. Whether you’re a founder, investor, or tech enthusiast, the Fest has inspiration, opportunity, and valuable networking to offer—all in one dynamic location.

As of April 25th, registered attendees are welcome to sign up for expert-led workshops, 20 to choose from. What’s more: starting May 7th, you can book 15-minute ‘business dates’ with other participants via the Gridaly app—Carpathian Startup Fest’s tech partner—as part of the Business Dating program. Don’t miss these exclusive networking and learning opportunities!

The Startup Competition

A major highlight of the Carpathian Startup Fest is its exciting pitching competition, offering total cash prizes of PLN 150K / EUR ~35K across multiple tracks. This year’s categories include:

• Puls Up by Puls Biznesu with a top prize of PLN 50K / EUR ~11.5K
• the Idea Challenge awarding up to PLN 12K / EUR ~2.8K
• the Open Mic Pitch by Pitch Me Baby offering up to PLN 5K / EUR ~1.1K to the winners

Beyond the prizes, winners also gain a chance to join the 9th edition of Sebastian Kulczyk’s InCredibles—a renowned mentoring program for young entrepreneurs and yet another unique opportunity to showcase your startup, gain funding, and access invaluable expert guidance.

Speakers

This year, the following esteemed speakers will take the stage at the Carpathian Startup Fest to share their insights and experience:

• Lech Kaniuk, Founder of Lech Kaniuk Holding, Ambassador #CSF25
• Paulina Brym-Ciuba, CEO at Startup Hub Poland
• Małgorzata Chynowska-Zdunek, Sales Development Director at TÜV NORD Polska
• Kuba Dobroszek, Managing Editor at My Company Polska
• Diana Koziarska, Partner at SMOK Ventures
• Adrian Migoń, Chairman at Fundacja Inkubator Technologiczny
• Michał Misztal, CEO at Startup Academy
• Maciej Madziński, MBA IT Programme Director and Lecturer at Kozminski University
• Kuba Nagórski, President at Silesian Startup Foundation
• Kacper Raciborski, CEO at Fundacja Innovations Hub
• Michał Ratajczak, Co-Founder and CEO at Gridaly
• Michał Rokosz, Partner at Inovo VC
• Wiktor Schmidt, Executive Chairman at Netguru
• Tomasz Snażyk, CEO at Startup Poland
• Eugeniusz Twaróg, Deputy Editor-in-Chief at Puls Biznesu
• Maria Tyka-Majewska, Acceleration Lead at Huge Thing
• Fryderyk Wiatrowski, Co-Founder at Zeta Labs
• and more. Check out the full list here.

In a Nutshell

• Where: Zen.com Expo, Jasionka near Rzeszów, Poland
• When: May 21-22nd, 2025
• Price: PLN 199-1049 / EUR 46-245, tickets here (use promo code CSF25PARTNER for 17% off)
• More information on the official website
• Contacts for various additional inquiries here