A look back at the EUDIS Business Accelerator bootcamp #5 in Krakow
The fifth bootcamp of the EUDIS Business Accelerator brought the first cohort to Krakow for an intensive deep dive into one of Europe’s most dynamic defence innovation ecosystems. Over two days, the 20 startups and scale-ups met with military leaders, industry champions, and practitioners shaping the future of operational capabilities in Poland and across Europe.
The bootcamp was implemented by FORT Kraków and AGH University of Krakow, whose leadership opened the event by highlighting Poland’s growing role in reinforcing Europe’s strategic depth. AGH Vice-Rector Prof. Krzysztof Mendrok emphasized the university’s mission in supporting critical national capabilities, while Izabela Albrycht underlined the potential for Poland to become a leading European dual-use deep-tech hub.
Startups then engaged with a remarkable group of high-ranking military officers and experts:
Keynotes
- Gen. Marcin Górka, Director of the MoD Innovation Department, outlined strategic priorities, including East Shield and pathways for startup engagement.
- Gen. Krzysztof Król, Assistant to the Chief of the General Staff for Transformation, presented the Armed Forces’ modernization and capability development roadmap.
- Gen. Mariusz Chmielewski, Deputy Commander of Cyber Defense Forces, offered a pragmatic overview of cyber needs, interoperability and IT procurement realities.
- Fayçal Hafied delivered a practical guide to navigating the Polish defence market and its institutional landscape.
- WB GROUP co-founder Adam Bartosiewicz shared lessons from building one of Europe’s most successful defence primes.
Lessons from Ukraine
A dedicated session featuring IRON Cluster, Darkstar, and Col. (Ret.) Pieter Soldaat (ex-Head of Lessons Learnt from Ukraine, Netherlands Army) explored evolving tactics, the explosive growth of unmanned systems, and how wartime procurement models reshape the innovation ecosystem.
Workshops and Pitching
Participants rotated through four workshops led by industry and military practitioners on:
- Doctrine, Modernization & Operational Mindset – Col. (Ret.) Marcin Szymański
- Collaboration Models & Acquisition Pathways – Jacek Marcin Raubo
- Selling to the Polish Armed Forces – Grzegorz Przeradzki & Artur Soszyński
- Building a Scalable European Defence Company – Wojciech Drewczyński (Balnord)
A dedicated pitching session enabled startups to present solutions directly in their capability areas and receive feedback from experts and end-users.
The day concluded with an inspiring keynote from Col. (Ret.) Michał Pycio (ex-GROM, advisor to the MoD), who drew on operational experience from Afghanistan and Iraq to reflect on human-centric innovation and equipment modernization.
Building a strong Polish–European defence innovation bridge
This bootcamp was also a milestone for AGH University of Krakow and FORT Kraków, marking their first year as full partners of the EUDIS Business Accelerator. The Krakow edition showcased Poland’s fast-growing potential in defence innovation, empowered by strong academia–industry–military collaboration.
A warm thank you to all speakers, mentors, and companies who contributed to discussions, interviews, and hands-on sessions.
The next cohort is on its way for 2026. Stay tuned!
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The EUDIS Business Accelerator, part of the European Defence Innovation Scheme (EUDIS), supports 20 European start-ups and scale-ups through an 8-month programme to strengthen their position in the European defence ecosystem. Through tailored coaching, on-site bootcamps across the EU, access to testing facilities, and a seed financing voucher, participants gain direct exposure to key defence stakeholders and investors.
The first cohort runs from June 2025 to February 2026, focusing on four future defence capabilities:
– Collaborative Combat & Autonomous Operations
– Combat Medicine & Battlefield Health Resilience
– Cyber Warfare & Information Superiority
– Disruptive Technologies for Defence Superiority
