On the first day of their trip to Poland, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited the Warsaw startup incubator The Heart to celebrate business opportunities between UK and Poland. The event was held by the British Embassy in Poland and hosted by Azimo co-founder Marta Krupińska and The Heart founder Tomasz Rudolf. Showcasing a selection of Polish startups and highlighting the UK’s Polish diaspora, the event exemplified the international collaboration, linking Polish startups with the UK market, helping them to grow and deepening the relationship between the two countries.
“During a time when the Brexit result threatens to create more borders, this is an important event to showcase not only to international businesses working across borders but also the level of skills and talent in Poland,” stated Krupińska. “I was thrilled to have the opportunity to show the Royal Couple around and I came away with an overriding sense of pride in Polish-UK relations and the unbelievable level of skill this new generation of Polish tech entrepreneurs have.”
Azimo, a fast-growing fintech startup, was selected from thousands of businesses to showcase Poland’s top entrepreneurial talent to the UK royal family. Founded by two Poles and two Brits, with investors including Warsaw-based MCI Capital, Azimo was represented by Krupińska, who was formerly recognised by Forbes as one of 30 Under 30 in Finance in 2016, and by Puls Biznesu as one of 10 most important Polish businesswomen in 2015. Azimo claims to have the largest digital network in the world, enabling customers to send money to over 190 countries from any internet-connected device.
The relationship between Poland and the UK has grown significantly over the past few years with more than 22,000 Polish companies set up in the UK and a trading relationship worth over £15 billion* (2015), representing a thriving cross-border alliance.