The National Centre for Research and Development

NCBR-NAP acceleration activity is meant to enable the start of a long-term cooperation between companies and institutions from Poland and the State of Nevada in various areas of innovation, such as medicine, education and innovative agriculture. This is to contribute to the commercialisation of technological solutions on offer and to support cooperative forms of R&D activity. Polish companies participating in this year's edition offer products and services related to innovative solutions, including caviar of the future, orchestration platform for edge resources and IoT applications, AI-based analyses for the hotel industry, emotion detection, biotechnology solutions for the space industry or automated production of nanostructured optical fibres, generative AI in the gaming industry, cyber intrusion detection system in industrial networks , as well as a quiz platform, where players can compete with each other and win real cash and material prizes, using their knowledge and skills.

Worth the wait

After the Demo Day with pitches and presentations of 20 companies which were subsequently assessed by experts from Poland and Nevada, the top 10 was selected in February. In May the group has travelled to Nevada and California to fulfil its American dream.

It was well worth waiting those two months to be able to meet with you in Nevada. Your innovative ideas and solutions have great potential for development also in America. I listened to your pitches during Demo Day in Warsaw with admiration. Now it is time to introduce yourselves to Nevada and Bay Area mentors and investors in person, and on their turf. I hope that thanks to NCBR-NAP and the support of mentors, you will decide for expansion of your companies to the US market. I keep my fingers crossed for your success, Agnieszka Ratajczak, Director of NCBR Department of International Cooperation, rallied the troops in Vegas.

Well-prepared participants

NCBR’s American partners from Nevada, including Granite Landings and the Nevada Governor's Office of Economic Development (GOED), are responsible for the preparation of the program
and the acceleration process itself.

The 2024 edition of NCBR-NAP acceleration activity has introduced 10 exceptional Polish companies to the US Market through various government, academic, and commercial connections. This activity highlights strong cooperation between Poland and the US at all levels. Easing the entry of foreign companies into the United States leans into the strong American ethic of strength through the richness of diversity, benefitting the US economy by introducing additional motivated and dynamic entrepreneurs while simultaneously strengthening the Polish startup foreign expansion ecosystem. The United States’ economic growth continues to be unmatched over the long term, and the meteoric growth of the Polish economy illustrates that this continues to be an ideal economic development match, enthused Alex Wolfe, entrepreneur, mentor, and Founding Member of Granite Landings.

Dr. Paweł Pietrasieński, Professor at Warsaw School of Economics, Rector's Plenipotentiary for cooperation with Nevada, was also one of the main brains behind the process.

NCBR-Nevada Acceleration Program is the first nationwide acceleration activity implemented on the basis of the Memorandum of Cooperation between Poland and Nevada, addressed to companies from across Poland. I am impressed by this year’s participants. Already in February during the Demo Day, the pitches and presentations of the vast majority of companies demonstrated strongly innovative ideas for business and highly substantive preparation. A couple of months have passed and I can see that the companies have not been idle. The presentations are even better and the awareness of the goals to be achieved in Nevada - even greater. Entrepreneurs actively participate in meetings, deliver convincing pitches and ask us concrete questions. My colleagues from Nevada are very positively surprised. What is more, B2B and B2G meetings arranged on-site by Granite Landings may be the beginning of business operations in Nevada for at least several companies. I would also like to wholeheartedly congratulate NCBR on several years of efforts in preparing and conducting this activity, which was recognised by the Lieutenant-Governor of the State of Nevada, and the Mayor and City Council of Las Vegas, praised Dr. Pietrasieński.

Intense acceleration

American partners have prepared a very intensive acceleration program. Every day was almost filled with various meetings from 9 to 5. Due to the differences in the way business is conducted in southern and northern Nevada, the entire group spent several days in both Las Vegas and Reno. In Las Vegas, the companies visited the Black Fire Innovation Center, where they gave presentations during the first edition of the Las Vegas Global Acceleration Forum. The companies also met there, among others, with the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance, StartupNV and Startup Vegas, as well as with Polish entrepreneurs who are successful in Nevada. An interesting interlude was the speech of John Petkus, Honorary Consul of the Republic of Poland in Nevada, who spoke in an extremely interesting way about the history of Poles and the beginnings of their business activities in this state. In Reno, companies met, among others with representatives of GOED, Business Assembly – Platinum Group, Nevada Industry Excellence, the InNevation Center at the University of Reno and the Ozmen Center for Entrepreneurship. The highlight of that leg was a lecture delivered by Mark Stiving, one of the best American pricing experts.

An important part of the agenda was Las Vegas Global Acceleration Forum as well as meetings held at the Blackfire Innovation Center. NCBR-NAP participants could learn about the local ecosystem of supporting innovation and benefits from developing companies in the south of Nevada. They also found out about the growing importance of the entertainment, sports, and tourism sectors for the global economy. But perhaps even more importantly, they listened to first-hand experiences of Polish and Easter European entrepreneurs and lawyers who actively and successfully operate in Las Vegas. It was a tangible proof of not only the Polish can-do attitude and entrepreneurial spirit, but also a confirmation of how effective can the Nevada-run acceleration be. One of the Polish entrepreneurs, Dr. Rafał H. Kartaszyński, decided to continue his career in Nevada as a result of the regional acceleration program NLAB, which had been carried out together with GOED by the Lubelskie Voivodeship, emphasised Cezary Błaszczyk, Deputy Director of the Department of International Cooperation at NCBR.

The group subsequently moved to California, where in San Francisco, which is about 4 hours' drive from Reno, and in Silicon Valley, they learned about the differences between the Californian
and the Nevada innovation ecosystem and the opportunities offered by a state that, on its own, is one of the world's largest economies. This was most lucidly explained at the meeting with US Market Access Center, as well as during the visits to Google Campus and SRI International.

The participants of the cohort themselves did not conceal their satisfaction. Thanks to participating in the NCBR Nevada Acceleration Program we gained the opportunity to look at our idea from a completely new perspective. Mentors provided invaluable support, helping us develop an action plan that will not only work in the United States but also provide valuable insights for global success. Collaborating with other participants allowed us to share experiences and support each other, thus building relationships that have the potential to result in future joint ventures and projects, summed up Miłosz Szmajda of SEAFOO PSA.

Grzegorz Meller of UX Mining Sp. z o.o. echoed his views. NCBR-NAP acceleration activity provided us with our first contacts and networking opportunities in Nevada and California. Thanks to this, we started providing research and UI/UX design services in the United States. On the other hand, the knowledge gained during the workshops provided us with insight into local markets. I am convinced that it will have a real impact on our company's development strategy.

The culmination of the trip to Nevada and California was the awarding of NCBR with certificates of recognition for a significant contribution to the development of innovative economic relations between Poland and Nevada. They were awarded by the Lieutenant Governor of the State of Nevada and the Mayor and City Council of Las Vegas, and their ceremonial presentation to Director Agnieszka Ratajczak took place during the Las Vegas Global Acceleration Forum, in the presence of representatives of local senators and congressmen and after the live performances of Polish and US national anthems. Such a successful result of several years of NCBR activities for bringing together the innovation ecosystems of Poland and Nevada bodes very well for further, successful cooperation in this area.

More about NCBR-NAP acceleration activity can be found here.

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The pilot edition of the NCBR-NAP was launched in 2020. The aim of the activity is to connect the innovative ecosystems of Poland and the State of Nevada through the acceleration of young technology companies registered in Poland on the American market, selected in a competitive procedure, using the experience of mentors from the State of Nevada and related institutions.
Two more editions were held in 2023-24, and recruitment for the next one is planned for Q4 2024.