PFR School of Pioneers
Program duration:
September 2019For whom:
individualsFinancing amount:
covering the cost of programOwn contribution:
yesWhat should you know?
- PFR School of Pioneers is an international educational program dedicated to future tech entrepreneurs and visionaries
- Three weeks of intensive workshops and a week-long training abroad
- Participants qualified for the program are required to pay an administration fee of PLN 500
- Organiser: PFR, Strategic Partner: Allegro.pl
What should you know?

Challenge-based education
The most effective way to acquire new skills is to find solutions for specific problems. You will be challenged by the content partners of the program and as a result you increase your competences.

Peer-to-peer mentoring
PFR School of Pioneers is based on teamwork and mutual improvement among the participants. Thanks to the collective assessment of the work and the exchange of constructive comments, we are building a culture of high social capital.

Personal growth plan
Everyone has their own individual measure of progress. Applying to the program, you will prepare a plan that will help us understand your path of personal development and the needs arising from it.

Guidance by doers
All workshops will be conducted by experienced professionals well-recognized on the market. We focus on the industry knowledge of companies that create the most innovative solutions.

International training
The program includes weekly training prepared by experts from the Berlin startup ecosystem. Select the industry path in which you want to train: IoT and innovative devices, digital platforms and artificial intelligence or intelligent city and cleantech.

Pioneers’ Club
Pitching in front of investors at the final gala is not the end of the program. Alumni will join Pioneers’ Club, which will integrate and maintain a network of new contacts with technological change leaders.
What will you gain?
PFR School of Pioneers is an international educational program dedicated to future tech entrepreneurs and visionaries. Thanks to a 3-week workshop conducted in cooperation with partners in Warsaw and a week-long training abroad, you will boost your competences with:
- key business skills;
- tech know-how;
- innovative mindset;
- international collaboration and networking.
The workshops will be held in Warsaw and are prepared by content partners of the program – large technological companies, successful startups and experts in innovative sectors. They are based on a model of activities, inspired by the modern educational methods.
Practical workshops will allow you to develop skills in the following areas:
- business development;
- sales and marketing;
- team building;
- tech trends of tomorrow;
- challenges in selected sectors;
- digital tools for business;
- critical thinking and problem solving
- and personal development.
Directly after the workshops you will participate in the training which takes place at the campus of the University of Cambridge in Great Britain. The Cambridge Enterprise team (company of University of Cambridge founded to commercialize research and create innovative products) will provide you with the knowledge about British innovation ecosystem and support your efforts to create a unique project.
The intense program is fully conducted in September this year and will lead you from inspiration to team work on your own project and finally pitching to investors during the final gala. The Program Council is responsible for the quality of the program. The council includes outstanding experts from various areas related to innovation and technology entrepreneurship.
PFR School of Pioneers is conducted thanks to the cooperation of PFR with the Strategic Partner – Allegro.pl and the Main Partner – TDJ. The University of Cambridge Enterprise is the International Partner while PFR Foundation is the Social Partner.
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What are the requirements?
We are looking for people aged 20-35 who are working on their development path and have ideas for their own business. If you are fascinated by new technologies, you are improving your technical skills and want to develop – this program is for you. The main requirement is full involvement during the project in September as the workshops will be conducted from the morning hours to the afternoon on working days.
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What are the stages?
In order to apply for the program, you only need to complete the electronic application form. Click the "Apply" button available on the panel on the right and take the first step to qualify for PFR School of Pioneers.
The application form consists of:
- a personal questionnaire;
- CV;
- a personal growth plan.
Your application will be evaluated, and the result will be sent electronically to the e-mail address provided in the form. If you qualify for the second stage, you will be invited to an evaluation group meeting - Assessment Center, which will be held on 6 July this year. in Warsaw. During the meeting, each applicant will perform individual and group tasks as well as fill out surveys, on the basis of which the Commission will evaluate, among others, soft competences of the participant, the ability to teamwork and the potential for development as a technology entrepreneur.
Remember that even if you do not successfully qualify for the program, participation in this meeting will allow you to better diagnose your skills and areas of individual development.
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What's next?
After qualifying for the final group of 50 participants of PFR School of Pioneers, you will receive a declaration of participation to sign. It obliges you to actively participate in all workshops throughout the duration of the initiative.
While preparing for the program, remember to pay an administration fee of PLN 500. The scholarship covers all costs of foreign training and food during workshops. The organizers are not responsible for accommodation during the workshops taking place in Warsaw.
PFR School of Pioneers will be inaugurated on 2 September this year. After the official inauguration, the first classes begin. The training in Berlin is planned for 23-27 September and it is the last element of the program before the final gala. The closing event of the program – during which the results of the participants' work will be presented – will take place at the end of the calendar year.
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Program council

Eliza Kruczkowska
Chief Innovation Officer, PFR
Eliza Kruczkowska is the Chief Innovation Officer in Innovation Development Department at Polish Development Fund. She is in charge of coordinating the government's start-up support program – Start In Poland. She gained her professional experience in the IT sector – Huawei or in non-governmental organizations – the ePaństwo Foundation. She has 8 years of experience in broadly understood public relations. In 2015-2016 she was the CEO of Startup Poland Foundation, whose goal is the creation of better conditions for the development of technology entrepreneurs.
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Aleksandra Przegalińska
Researcher at MIT/Akademia Leona Koźmińskiego
She has a Ph.D. in the field of the philosophy of artificial intelligence at the Department of Philosophy of Culture at the Institute of Philosophy of the University of Warsaw, currently she is an assistant professor at the Center for Research on Organizations and Workplaces at Leon Kozminski Academy. She currently conducts research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston. The graduate of The New School for Social Research in New York, where she participated in research on identity in virtual reality, with particular emphasis on Second Life. She is interested in the development of new technologies, especially green and sustainable technology, humanoid artificial intelligence, social robots and wearable technologies.
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Damian Zapłata
CCO and Member of Management Board of Allegro.pl
He is at Allegro from October 2017. Previously he was the CEO of First Data Polska, a leader in the field of payment technologies and business solutions. Previously, he was the managing director at Loyalty Partner Polska (American Express Inc company). He was responsible i.a. for the development of the PAYBACK loyalty program. In 2008-2010 he was a Partner at McKinsey & Company, where he specialized in the financial services market, private equity companies, the FMCG industry and retail trade. He is a graduate from the Europa Universitaet Viadrina in Germany. He also completed MBA studies at INSEAD in France and Singapore.
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Olaf Żylicz
Professor SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities
Business psychologist, trainer, coach. He conducts research, i.a. leadership, ethics in business, manager education, or the effectiveness of training and coaching. He graduated from psychology at the Academy of Catholic Theology (now UKSW) and doctoral studies at the Catholic University of Lublin. He obtained his habilitation at the SWPS University in Warsaw. He also studied at the Technische Hochschule in Darmstadt (Germany) and at the IESE Business School in Barcelona (Spain). Accredited trainer, mentor and examiner of Noble Manhattan Coaching at all NMC courses. In 2010-2013, he was the vice-chairman of the Polish Foundation for Management Research. In 2012-17 he was the first deputy director for academic affairs and then director of the Business School at Politechnika Warszawska. He lectured at Central European University (Budapest), International Institute of Business (Kyiv), University of Connecticut (Storrs) and Goa Institute of Management (Goa).
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Natalia Hatalska
CEO infuture hatalska foresight institute
Trend analyst, author of the blog hatalska.com and the best-selling book "Particles of attraction. How to build custom advertising campaigns." In 2016, she set up an institute for future research – infuture hatalska foresight institute, which deals with the most important trends and indicates their consequences for the economy, market categories or specific brands. She is the originator of many award-winning campaigns based on non-standard advertising campaigns, as well as a juror in KTR, Media Trendy, YC Eurobest, and Blog of the Year competitions. Hatalska is also a member of the Brand Council in the Superbrands competition and a member of the Creative Communication Cluster and Think Tank Expert Council. She runs a blog http://hatalska.com, considered as one of the most influential blogs in Poland.
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Filip Granek
CEO XTPL
For nearly 10 years he was working in the most prestigious international research institutions and Hi-Tech companies, including Fraunhofer ISE (Germany), ECN (Netherlands), ANU (Australia), Kingstone Semiconductor Company Ltd. (China). He directed research work in close cooperation with the largest photovoltaic industry representatives from Europe, Asia and the USA. Granek is also the winner of many awards and distinctions, including Scholarship of Burgen (Akademia Europea), scholarship of the Foundation for Polish Science, member of the prestigious Young Academy of Europe, scholarship of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education for outstanding young scientists, DAAD scholarship, prestigious research grant LEADER financed by the National Center for Research and Development, awarded in ranking of outstanding innovators of the new Europe "New Europe 100 Challengers". Author of 70 scientific publications and 30 international patent applications and patents.
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Grzegorz Garczyński
Head of Performance Marketing Booksy
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Rafał Agnieszczak
Rafał Agnieszczak Przedsiębiorca internetowy
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Associated case studies
Projekty uczestników programu ze wsparciem z ekosystemu innowacji:
Skuteczny model edukacji biznesowej wypracowany przez 2 edycje przekuwa się w rozpoznawalne na rynku i komercjalizowane projekty biznesowe:
Reactivepad to internetowy edytor tekstowy, który pozwala umieszczać obliczenia bezpośrednio w tekście
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Hilo Solutions zapewnia firmom posiadającym zapasowe źródła zasilania dostęp do rynku DSR oraz obniżyć koszty utrzymania tych źródeł. |
Jutro Medical tworzy przychodnię podstawowej opieki zdrowotnej, ale z wykorzystaniem najnowszych technologii |
Vividq oferuje pierwszą na świecie kompletną platformę zasilającą pełny holograficzny wyświetlacz 3D |
Propergate to system zaprojektowany, aby sprostać wyzwaniu koordynatorów logistyki na budowach. |
Trainers.org to marketplace pomagający wybrać trenerów do przeprowadzenia szkoleń i warsztatów z wybranych dziedzin |
Smartpen Thinkz to inteligentny długopis, który rozpoznaje pisany ręcznie tekst i dostarcza podpowiedzi dla uczniów, w celu lepszej nauki i zrozumienia rozwiązywanych zadań
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LizardFS to pozwala użytkownikowi na konsolidację pamięci masowej z dysków wielu serwerów w pojedynczą przestrzeń |
Unicorn VR World to tworzy nowy rodzaj terapii dla dzieci z spektrum autyzmu z wykorzystaniem VR
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Pora na pola to internetowy targ naturalnego jedzenia z dostawą do domu. |
Esportfield oferuje rozwiązanie wspierające e-sportowców w rozwoju i polepszaniu swoich wyników |
Magnetiqa stworzyła Grainer - narzędzie do elektrostymulacji nasion i roślin we wczesnym etapie kiełkowania pomagając skrócić czas wegetacji, a także pomagać ograniczyć zużycie wody. |
Goldies to marka społeczna tworząca wysokiej jakości akcesoria modowe, wykonane na zamówienie technikami rzemieślniczymi przez Seniorki |
Important documents
Regulations of PFR School of Pioneers (PL)The application process has ended
Aby aplikować do programu, zaloguj się do konta użytkownika portalu startup.pfr.pl
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