Wrocław will become a European centre for startup education? It is very possible!

24.04.2024

The capital of Lower Silesia has a good chance of becoming the European headquarters of Draper University, which would train several hundred innovators from all over the world every year in the city. The university is renowned for training start-ups, providing them with an immersive learning experience to take them from idea to product with the help of top venture capitalists and experienced entrepreneurs.

Serious interest in Wrocław

On Wednesday, 27 March, representatives of Draper University visited Concordia Design in Wrocław to discuss the project of locating the university’s European headquarters in the capital of Lower Silesia. Its aim would be to educate the best start-ups and innovators from all over the world.

The Wrocław Agglomeration Development Agency and Startup Wroclaw started working on this project already in June last year. As a result, representatives of the university have already been able to familiarise themselves with Wrocław’s startup ecosystem and investor team, as well as the available infrastructure. This time, they had the chance to meet representatives of Wrocław’s entrepreneurs in person and present their opportunities.

According to Chris Joannou, a representative of Draper University, who is responsible for the Polish expansion plan, the capital of Lower Silesia is a unique city not only on the map of Poland, but also of Europe.

We are interested in Wrocław because it has a spectacular track record when it comes to start-up development. It is exceptionally supportive of innovation and high-tech development. We are very impressed by the companies emerging here, which have a great future, not least thanks to the support they receive here."
Chris Joannou, Draper University

Chance to bring in a lot of talent and develop local business

The programme that would start in Wrocław is Hero Training, a three-week pre-acceleration course to prepare start-ups to conquer the US market, following which they spend five weeks in the US and receive their first funding. Each training group consists of 20 startups, so several hundred innovators would be trained annually in Wrocław. According to the project, the technologies on which the participants will work are to be linked to the industries of the sponsors. So startups matching the paths in which local business, the city and the region specialise will take part.
According to Paulina Muszyńska, this will also enable the use of many modern solutions not only in Wrocław or in Lower Silesian companies, but also throughout Poland.

The presence of Draper University in Wroclaw is a huge opportunity primarily for our startups, but not only for them. The whole business, universities and the city will be involved. It gives us the opportunity to attract talent and foreign startups to our city."
Paulina Muszyńska, Head of Startup Wroclaw

Huge benefits for the city

According to Radosław Michalski, Director of the Department of City Promotion and Tourism at the Wrocław City Hall, locating the European headquarters in Wrocław is an opportunity to accelerate many projects that the city is creating together with the Wrocław Agglomeration Development Agency and entrepreneurs operating in the capital of Lower Silesia. The world-class Draper University programme would allow Wrocław companies to test and implement the ideas of the innovators being trained here, and give them the opportunity for many consultations with American experts. It would also be an opportunity for Wrocław start-ups to travel to the United States. The venture would also be an excellent promotion for the city internationally, both in terms of business and tourism.

We hope it will be a great vehicle for all those who come to us with an idea, implement it in Wrocław and thanks to that they will be able to develop faster and more fully. In this way they will become big businesses that will make Wrocław well known."
Radosław Michalski, UM Wrocław