Warsaw Equity Group is a self-described leading private investment company in the CEE. Warsaw Equity Group focuses on investing in innovative B2B solutions related to automation and efficiency improvement as well as sustainability.

Warsaw Equity Group

Warsaw Equity Group (WEG) is an independent Warsaw-based private equity firm focused on market investments between €4 to €15m, targeting companies offering innovative B2B solutions in the High-Tech/Industry 4.0 and ClimateTech space. With a >20-year track record of successfully empowering business ventures, we use our own capital, expertise and network to be a supportive partner to our portfolio companies and maximise growth.

Typically the companies we invest in will be located either in Poland or in the wider CEE region and offer innovative B2B solutions in areas such as: Big Data, IoT, Additive Manufacturing, Cybersecurity, Simulations, Robotics, AR/VR, Environmental Tech and ClimateTech.

The WEG team is passionate about investing and maximising the human capital and operational potential of our portfolio companies. Utilising a combination of our own significant investment, operational and strategic expertise and our network of contacts, we set up the right structure to support value creation activities and facilitate long-term profitable growth. As big believers in teamwork and collaboration we work proactively in partnership with managers to develop their skills and support their business development objectives.

Clearcode

🗣 NEW INVESTMENT ANNOUNCEMENT! 🚀 🚀 🚀 
 
Warsaw Equity Group expands its Climate Tech portfolio by investing in pioneering Estonian company UP Catalyst. 
 
Together with SmartCap, Estonia’s state fund, Warsaw Equity Group has invested EUR 2.36m in UP Catalyst. UP Catalyst is a pioneer in sustainable carbon material production directly from CO2 emissions. The funding will accelerate the construction of its first in kind production unit, positioning UP Catalyst as the largest provider of CO2-grown carbon materials globally. 
 
With this investment, the company is set to expedite the development of an industrial pilot reactor capable of processing 100 tons of CO2 annually, yielding 27 tons of advanced carbon materials. The technology built on molten salt electrolysis not only aims to achieve price parity with traditional carbon sources but also significantly reduces the carbon footprint associated with raw material production. The new plant will boast a production capacity ten times larger than the current setup. 
 
“Supporting UP Catalyst aligns perfectly with Warsaw Equity Group's mission to invest in ground-breaking technologies that combat climate change. Turning industrial CO2 emissions into critical carbon-based raw materials that we are severely lacking in Europe is a game changer. We have been continually impressed by the strength and expertise of UP Catalyst's team and look forward to this partnership”, stated Arvin Khanchandani, Investment Manager at Warsaw Equity Group. 
 
♻ CLIMATE TECH IN THE LIMELIGHT 💡 
 
This investment in UP Catalyst is a significant addition to Warsaw Equity Group's expanding Climate Tech portfolio, reinforcing our commitment to transformative technologies that address climate challenges. Moreover, it extends our geographic reach into the Baltics—a region we are excited to engage with more actively. We are particularly pleased with this opportunity, as it positions us to deploy further capital into tech-driven projects across the Baltics and throughout Central and Eastern Europe. 
 
"We are thrilled to embark on this partnership with Warsaw Equity Group, an investment company renowned for its keen eye for projects that offer significant technological advantages and the potential for rapid growth. This collaboration is also a testament to our work at UP Catalyst, affirming that we are on the right path to fostering long-term, impactful change by utilising CO2 emissions from hard-to-abate industries and providing a strong, sustainable contender to fossil fuel-based raw materials." said Gary Urb, PhD, CEO of UP Catalyst. 
 
⚡ We are excited at the prospect of working with Gary Urb and the whole UP Catalyst team and look forward to helping them bring their innovative technology to the next level. 

#investing #climatetech #cee #newinvestment

🤫 Shhhh...don't tell anyone, but in the coming weeks we will be sharing some 💥 big news 💥 

In the meantime....how much do you know about our investment strategy and how we subsequently work with portfolio companies? 

📈 We focus on companies that are at the growth stage of their journey
👾 Hardware or software that is tech enabled
💚 Forming a value-creation framework is one of the (many) areas we support in

In this film we share these and other key points, as well as our vision....to be the First Choice CEE Growth Investor.

#investing #growthinvestor #cee

https://lnkd.in/gaQEAiDw

We love seeing our portfolio companies involved in great initiatives, and it's all the more fantastic when those initiatives are being driven by wonderful Partners 🤝 

Contec S.A. is part of BNP Paribas Bank Polska's campaign on climate and sustainability - read more in the post and comment below!

#climatetech #wegcommunity #investing

Are you a 🐶 dog person or a 🐈 cat person?!

At WEG we have our fair share of both and one thing is certain - we are all animal lovers! So it was very fitting that our team took a time-out to give some love and take some dogs on walkies, from the Fundacja Azylu pod Psim Aniołem - a dog sanctuary just outside Warsaw.

The foundation does really amazing things:

🐕 They treat homeless, abandoned and injured cats and dogs and help them find new homes

📖 They collect and publish information on the treatment of homeless animals in Poland.

😻 They promote a transparent, charitable model of solving the problem of homeless animals, consistent with the European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals.

You can read more about the amazing work they do and find out how to show your support here: https://lnkd.in/dQdxspeT

#community #impact

Who’s up for some fire?!🔥 

Last week the WEG team cranked up the summer heat and took a (well earned) break from the computers, spread sheets and meetings. 

We spent the evening on the banks of the Vistual river, cooked sausages 🌭and marshmallows 🍡over a bonfire and enjoyed eachother’s company, as well as the lovely summer evening ambiance.

As you all know, community is one of WEG’s core pillars, and community begins at the core of the family 🤗 We can’t wait for our next community events with many WEG family and friends! 

#community #investing #makingbonds

🌪 "From the rocky road to the high speed highway - the Leadership journey from Serial Entrepreneurs" - this was the title of the panel we held at April's WEG Conference 2024. 

During the panel, three super inspiring entrepreneurs - Kamil Folkert, PhD (CEO at Occubee), Maciej Zawadzinski (Partner at Hard2beat) and Piotr Karwatka (Found at Catch the Tornado) - shared how they personally grew as leaders as their businesses grew - how they developed the necessary people skills and learnt to delegate, inspire and motivate their teams. Not without some pit falls along the way 😈 

📚 We welcome you to get a dose of their insights and lessons learned! Happy viewing!

#investing #leadership #wegcommunity

https://lnkd.in/dv4S4vHD

🤔 Especially in the last year, AI has become the hottest topic on everyone’s lips.

😮 However, often the concept of AI becomes a FOMO term, without real understanding of use cases. GenAI, which everyone associates with ChatGPT today, is not a silver bullet. Its popularity does not mean that it brings value to every business and every process. For example: Generative AI is not suitable for forecasting. It is Narrow AI - specialised, focused on specific tasks - that brings the greatest business benefits to retailers.

📈 Take a look at Occubee as a great example of a company that uses Narrow AI to optimise inventory forecasting and management for the retail industry.

“AI forecasting uses advanced algorithms that analyse historical data and take into account additional variables, e.g. sales seasonality, consumer trends, weather forecasts, holidays and special events. Machine learning models can process huge amounts of data and information about the entire product range, sometimes counting in thousands of SKUs, which is simply impossible for humans. Moreover, as the name suggests, they are capable of learning, thanks to which - constantly fed with new data - they can take into account new trends and generate results in the form of forecasts well suited to changing business conditions” stated Kamil Folkert, PhD, CEO at Occubee.

GenAI on the other hand (re)uses content already available on the web, and is not efficient at all in terms of making predictions about the future.

Kamil calls upon a great article by Garnter: https://lnkd.in/gZKz4BKk to explain the concept further.

To find out more about Occubee’s ground breaking solution for retail, take a look: www.occubee.com

#ai #narrowai #investing

....There's a Grand Prix weekend coming up 🏁 🏎 

For those lucky people who heard Al Peasland's keynote at this year's WEG Conference, we are sure F1 has taken on a new meaning! However Al's talk was about Building Effective Teams and there were some great take-aways, including:

🥇 However big or small any team member's task in the organisation is, each task and role is crucial in creating overall success - and each individual should be shown they are valued

🧟♂️ Never create a blame culture - this kills innovation

💪 If your organisation is not at the very top of the pack, focus on where you are strong to keep morale up, whilst of course working on weaknesses

The link to the recording of Al's keynote is below - enjoy! 

#investing #humancapital #leadership #wegcommunity

https://lnkd.in/gQKK3e-D

☀ As the slightly calmer summer months roll on, we are looking back at some of the highlights from WEG Community activities of the year so far!

One highlight for sure was Grant Gemmell's presentation at the WEG Conference 2024 on The Role of Personality in Entrepreneurial Success.

🧠 In today's rapidly evolving business landscape, understanding the nuances of personality has become crucial for entrepreneurial success. At the WEG Conference 2024 Grant delved into this topic, emphasising the importance of personality in leadership, team dynamics, and organisational growth.

👀 We encourage you to find out more and jump into the recording of the fantastic session!

#investing #growthequity #leadership #wegcommunity

https://lnkd.in/d-zTbTch

👓Today we held a WEG Masterclass on the topic of Creating a Clear Sales Message, led by the fantastic James Newell and hosted at the headquarters of BNP Paribas Bank Polska, for WEG portfolio and WEG friends.

The session included many, as James said, seemingly obvious insights - but which most companies - big or small - don’t adhere to. They become so engrossed in their offering that they tend to get lost in the perspective and understanding their (prospect) clients may have.

🍯Just a few golden nuggets from the session:

🛬 Sell the destination and not the journey

❌ Make sure your prospect clients know what the consequences will be if they don’t buy your service/product 

✂️ Don’t presume that your audience understands the abbreviations or jargon you use - what is obvious to you is not necessarily obvious to others

Massive thanks to James, to the fabulous Innovation crew at BNP, and as always to WEG Community ✨

#investing #community #sales

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