When I first started visiting Central Europe about seven years ago, the response was dismal. The first meetup we held in Warsaw, for example, consisted of five dudes who thought I was selling Amway. Now, however, folks like Open Reaktor, Aula Polska, and Bitspiration are bringing together some of the coolest startups I’ve ever seen, and I’m pleased to introduce you to a pair of great companies. Two weeks ago we held another great startup event in Warsaw and the resulting pitch-off was pretty amazing.
Let’s talk about the winners. First there’s Allerad. Founded by Jakub Musiałek, this company aims to employ radiologists who then bid on X-Ray readings online and perform them faster and more efficiently than the current mash of services and service providers doctors currently use.
The runner-up is OLVTeam, a unique video-based learning platform for creatives. It’s not a new idea, but it’s well implemented and quite clever.
Other standouts include the code review system CodeBrag, sleep monitor IntelClinic, and some dude with two Rolexes. In short, it was a lot of fun and the scene is growing every year — a great sign in the middle of post-recession Europe.