Techstars | All things startup in Warsaw №208

Editor’s Edge

After a short break, we’re back with headlines that slap harder than Warsaw wind in November.

The startup gods took mercy and dropped actual bangers while we were away. Let’s start with Microbite.xyz, which is giving AI teeth literally. The Heart’s latest spinout brings 4D diagnostics to your bite so your dentist doesn’t have to play Tetris with your jaw anymore.

Oria AI raised PLN 2M to tell you if your influencer campaign is working or if your kid’s favorite TikToker is secretly a liability. SalesPatriot is marching into defense tech with $5M and a badge from the Pentagon. And if you ever thought Shark Tank was too gentle, Krzysztof Stanowski wants founders to pitch live and wait for a mysterious red phone to ring. No pressure.

Meanwhile, Vinci just launched a €250M fund aimed at scaleups with serious tech muscle, and Poland now tops the CEE unicorn leaderboard at €58B in value. That’s right while everyone whines about “no VC left,” Poland’s pulling unicorns out of thin air.

This week, you’ve got a buffet of events:

Agile Warsaw kicks off the week with a talk titled “Eksperymentuj, nie wdrażaj”, which is either profound or a cry for help. DevOpsDays Warsaw goes full-stack beast mode across two days. Thursday Gathering rolls out the global carpet with VC speed dating and Pitch2Tokyo finals. And then there’s the 10th CASSINI Hackathon, where space geeks, game devs, and travel hackers will turn satellites into consumer apps. You know, casual.

Startup season is in full swing. Put on your founder hoodies and get moving.

And with that, let’s dive in.

Last Week's NEWS

💎 Microbite.xyz Brings 4D AI to Dentistry

Warsaw-based venture builder The Heart has spun off Microbite.xyz, a startup tackling bite misalignment through AI. Its 4D occlusal map transforms static dental scans into dynamic simulations, helping clinics reduce corrections and improve patient outcomes. Plug-and-play SaaS plus B2B tools make it scalable. Read more. [healthtech, AI]

💎 Oria AI Raises PLN 2M to Rethink MarTech

Formative has invested PLN 2M in Wrocław’s Oria AI, a platform using NLP, image recognition, and speech analysis to rate influencer impact. It serves both brands and parents, offering deep audience intelligence, risk alerts, and automated reports. Read more. [martech, investment]

💎 SalesPatriot Raises $5M to Modernize Defense Deals

SalesPatriot, co-founded by Polish engineer Maciej Szymczyk, raised $5M to bring AI-native tools to defense procurement. Now serving firms in Pentagon supply chains, the startup joins Poland’s growing list of YC-backed deeptech stars. Read more. [deeptech, defense]

💎 Kanal Zero’s “Red Phone” to Rethink Pitches

Polish media figure Krzysztof Stanowski proposes a pitch format where founders present live, awaiting a single red phone to ring if a powerful entrepreneur wants in, no panels, no votes. A bold twist on startup shows, or just a gimmick? Read more. [media, startups]

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💎 Vinci Launches €250M Fund for Growth-Stage Startups

Vinci, backed by BGK Group, will invest PLN 1.1B (~€250M) in up to 50 Polish scale-ups by 2030. It focuses on firms with strong engineering teams in Poland, aiming to crowd in billions in private co-investment across deeptech sectors. Read more. [investment, scaleups]

💎 Poland Tops CEE Unicorn List with €58B in Value

According to Vestbee, CEE now hosts 56 unicorns with €243B in value. Poland leads with €58B. While VC is scarce, capital efficiency is high. Emerging leaders include Kontakt.io and Cast.AI, while ElevenLabs and InPost show global strength. Read more. [startups, CEE]

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This week's events

📅 Mon, Nov 03 — #333 V. Shymanski: “Eksperymentuj, nie wdrażaj” [Best for Agile Practitioners & Product Teams] [FREE]