Cleantech for CEE Joins Discussion on Financing Innovation at New Mobility Congress
Mirek Janik, Director of Cleantech for CEE, participated in a high-level panel discussion titled “Innovation First, Money as the Foundation. How to Finance R&D?” during the New Mobility Congress, held in Katowice from 23–25 September.
The session, joined by Piotr Arak (VeloBank), Monika Słomka (Ascend), Marcin Mańkowski (KPMG), and Tereza Čížková (Ministry of Transport of the Czech Republic), explored how young companies can secure funding to accelerate research and innovation.
Janik highlighted that the Polish market currently offers unprecedented access to capital—especially through mixed public–private mechanisms such as venture capital funds involving PFR Ventures—yet many early-stage projects still fail to attract investors. The challenge, he argued, lies less in funding availability and more in project maturity, market understanding, and team capability.