TEAM
PARTNERS
BARTŁOMIEJ GOLA
GENERAL PARTNER
Bartek is a general partner of SpeedUp Group. He's involved in early-stage project implementation in the areas associated with martech, marketplace, IoT and hardware. He has a wealth of experience in the marketing & advertising industry – he went through all the career positions all the way up to managing partner of the BLT Group (co-founder and shareholder) and TEQUILA\ Poland. He's been in the startup sector for over 8 years; starting as an investor in several initiatives implemented by other business partners, he's a co-creator of about a dozen technology startups. His knowledge and experience help support portfolio companies in business model development and testing, managing and creating business strategies as well as negotiations. He preps them for acquiring consecutive rounds of funding and supports them in the sale of shares, and cooperation with big business partners. For the last couple of years, Bartek has been intensively supporting the development of the Polish startup community.
TOMASZ CZAPLIŃSKI
MANAGING PARTNER
Tomek joined SpeedUp Group in 2011 as a manager of one of the funds in the group. Currently he is one of the managing partners and is responsible for investment related activities within SpeedUp BRIdge Alfa. He conducts investment processes in companies from the area of R&D and fintech as well as investor relations and corporate vc. He supports portfolio companies with his expertise in financial management, business modeling and negotiations. He built his experience working for many years at various levels in companies operating in the field of strategic consulting. He specializes in due diligence and company valuation. He is a PhD student at the Faculty of Management at the Poznań University of Economics. In his free time he learns to fly planes.
KUBA DUDEK
MANAGING PARTNER
Kuba is Managing Partner at SpeedUp Group. He joined SpeedUp Group in 2012, initially handling matters of project preliminary verification. He's currently responsible for business analysis of selected projects and manages investment processes. Particularly project evaluation, budget development and creating business models. Kuba also supports the fund's portfolio companies in building their value. He mostly works with enterprises from the information management sector, gaming and medicine. Prior to joining SpeedUp Group, Kuba had worked, among others, for Fortis Lease and BNP Paribas.
MARCIN FEJFER
MANAGING PARTNER
Marcin handles SpeedUp Group investments in ventures in the areas of martech, marketplace, finch, medtech, saas and gaming. His responsibilities include: conducting investment processes, building value of portfolio companies and relations with foreign investors. Prior to joining SpeedUp Group, he had worked for tech companies in Poland, Portugal, Denmark and India. His knowledge and experience in negotiating, building and testing business models support portfolio companies. He also assists them in preparations for consecutive investment rounds. He's a graduate of Global Innovation Management and holds a double diploma from the University of Strathclyde and Aalborg University. He's one of the creators of Hive61 and a co-organizer of Startup Weekend Poznan.
MONIKA SYNORADZKA
MANAGING PARTNER, CEO HUGE THING
Monika is a CEO of Huge Thing and together with Huge Thing’s team she is responsible for the company's development in the area of acceleration of startups and activities aimed at supporting companies and the government in cooperation with startups. Moreover, Monika is the person who manages the overall communication of the SpeedUp Group. She is responsible for relations with the media and cooperation with strategic companies, institutions and organizations from the market of new technologies. She has several years of experience working communication, organization of events and cooperations between startups and companies. Thanks to her knowledge and experience, she helps companies from the portfolio plan communication, establish relations with the media and business partners. Over the years, she has been supporting the development of the startup environment in Poland. She is one of the organizers of meetup.vc.
MICHAŁ LEHMANN
MANAGING PARTNER
Michał is a managing partner and co-founder of SpeedUp Venture Capital Group. He supports portfolio companies in developing business strategies and issues concerning sales processes. He mostly cooperates with companies operating within the fields of cleantech and medtech. Michał is also responsible for leading the processes of selling companies, dealing with investors and the buyers. He has vast experience in marketing, especially in the area of product rollout within new markets. In the years between 2006-2008, he held the position of vice-president at TEQUILA\CEE (within TEQUILA Worldwide headquartered in New York) – a global holding company consisting of 44 companies present in 34 markets worldwide. Prize-winner of several dozen direct marketing and advertisement contests such as: Boomerang, Golden Arrow, Kreatura, Effie or Złote Orły.
INVESTMENT TEAM
ROBERT GRYGOROWICZ
Investment Manager
Robert serves as the Investment Manager. He joined the company at the beginning of 2018. He is responsible for analyzing investment projects, controlling, and also overseeing some of the portfolio companies. Additionally, he acts as a backup photographer, ensuring that every important moment is captured for posterity.
JAN FOLLENDORF
Investment Analyst
Janek serves as an investment analyst. He joined SpeedUp Group at the end of 2021. He is responsible for seeking out new projects, analyzing them, and also supporting investment processes. Janek is also studying at the University of Economics in Poznań, majoring in Finance, Audit, and Investments.
OPERATIONS
DAMIAN WIELECHOWSKI
Head of Communication & Partnerships
Damian manages the external and internal communications of SpeedUp Group, including Huge Thing. He joined the team in 2017 and since then has been working with business representatives, business environment institutions, public administration, media and the academic community. In addition to activities related to Speedup Group, Damian supports the fund's portfolio companies in the area of marketing and PR. He has served on the jury of many competitions, including ImpactCEE, and acted as a mentor at startup events such as hackathons and Startup Weekend. Damian is also the author of the Poznan Startup Guide and co-author of the Krakow Startup Guide, as well as organizer of many events dedicated to startups and investors.
MAJA MARCYNIAK
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
Maja joined the SpeedUp Group team in 2019 and she is responsible for ensuring office efficiency, proper document circulation and supporting the work of the board. Over the years, she had worked in various positions related to administration.
HUGE THING
MONIKA SYNORADZKA
MANAGING PARTNER, CEO HUGE THING
Monika is a CEO of Huge Thing and together with Huge Thing’s team she is responsible for the company's development in the area of acceleration of startups and activities aimed at supporting companies and the government in cooperation with startups. Moreover, Monika is the person who manages the overall communication of the SpeedUp Group. She is responsible for relations with the media and cooperation with strategic companies, institutions and organizations from the market of new technologies. She has several years of experience working communication, organization of events and cooperations between startups and companies. Thanks to her knowledge and experience, she helps companies from the portfolio plan communication, establish relations with the media and business partners. Over the years, she has been supporting the development of the startup environment in Poland. She is one of the organizers of meetup.vc.
NATALIA SADOWNIK
Project Coordinator
Natalia joined Huge Thing in 2019. Currently, she is a second degree student of the Warsaw School of Economics in the field of Data Analysis. As part of the Huge Thing team, Natalia is responsible for operational activities related to the organization of events, preparation of workshops and implementation of programs for startups and corporate partners.
Maryla Wojcieszek
INNOVATION SHAPER
As Innovation Shaper at Huge Thing, Maryla supports large organizations in processes related to innovation. That includes, among others: ‘as is’ diagnosis, analysis and (re-)design of processes, innovation framework design, structuring the work of innovation teams and facilitating cooperation with startups. As the Interim Head of Knowledge, Maryla is responsible for materialization and transfer of knowledge as well as talent management within the Huge Thing team. She designs and creates new products / services based on the internal knowledge resources as well as new models of its delivery and dissemination. She’s also a workshop designer and facilitator. Experienced designer of (public) programs supporting the startup ecosystem in Poland. In her professional experience, as an Expert in the Startup Development Department at PARP, Maryla co-created, among others, Scale UP program - the first public acceleration program connecting startups and corporations. A gardener and a LEGO fan.
Mateusz Szymański
Innovation Manager
W Huge Thing pracuje od czerwca 2022 roku. Entuzjasta technologii i innowacji, szczególnie tych o pozytywnym wpływie społecznym, rozwiązań greentech i healthtech. Wcześniej pracował w działach sprzedaży i produktu, gdzie odpowiadał za działania outreachowe i komunikację produktową. Mateusz jest współtwórcą kampanii społecznej "Paragrafy bez gaf", której misją było edukowanie licealistów w zakresie ich praw. W wolnym czasie lubi czytać różne książki lub artykuły o polityce międzynarodowej i gospodarce, starając się zrozumieć te zagadnienia z różnych perspektyw.
WANT TO JOIN OUR TEAM?
Interested in new technologies and fascinated with startups. Convinced that you must like your job to make the most of it. He or she should loves challenges and changes, appreciates to have a free hand in action but does not forget about responsibilities. And the most important - likes to learn and is a true team player. Sounds familiar?
SENT US YOUR CV TO JOBS@SPEEDUPGROUP.COM
