- Our offer
-
Acceleration programs
-
- Our story
- Team & People
- Knowledge
- Contact
Explore the Huge Thing Knowledge Bank and Take Your Innovation to the Next Level!
In the Knowledge section, you will find a big library of our expertise – reports, articles and podcasts about the fast-growing startup ecosystem, corporate-startup relationship and corporate view on innovation.
Unlock insider insights and gain valuable advice from the leading experts, to help you achieve success. Check this out!
Thursday means...🥁🥁🥁...the next episode of our podcast 🎧 created in conjunction with MamStartup and with the support of Google for Startups 💪 Zuzanna and Maryla had the pleasure of hosting and talking with another great guests ⤵️ 🎙️Paulina Skrzypinska, BNP Paribas Bank Polska 🎙️Dominika Goleniowska-Milinković, Tauron Polska Energia S.A. 📌 How they work with startups? 📌 How can cooperation with innovations be improved? 📌 What affects the speed of working with innovations? Grab your headphones 🎧 and check it out! 💙
Jazz and innovation 👉 at first glance completely different things 👀 but nevertheless something unites them... what it is exactly? 🤔 You'll find out more about this unique connection as well as the ways to test innovations in organizations in the next episode of our podcast created in cooperation with MamStartup and with the support of Google for Startups.
How to find out what kind of innovations an organization may need? 📌 How does PZU define the areas where it looks for innovation? 📌 What do sweets, innovation and the organization's needs have in common? It is what Zuzanna and Maryla discuss with 🎙️ Marcin Kurczab, director of innovation at PZU, in the latest episode of our podcast created in cooperation with MamStartup and with the support of Google for Startups
Cheers from the Google for Startups studio with Zuzanna, Maryla and our next guest Daniel Maksym at the microphone! 🎙️ The third episode of our podcast created in cooperation with MamStartup is on air! 😍 📌 Who should be responsible for working with innovation in large organizations? 📌 What competencies and skills are necessary to work effectively with startups? 📌 How much time do you need to give to an innovation team to prove the business value innovation brings to the organization?
How to Building Efficient Pathways to Keep the Innovation Process Moving? Check one of our Case Studies, when The Huge Thing team has worked with businesses facing such challenges to map current innovation pathways and create a modification that would speed things up.
This time Zuzanna and Maryla invited ⤵️ 🎙️Michalina Łagunionok from Zduńska Wola City Hall and Konrad Ozdowy from PKO Bank Polski. They provided answers to the following questions: What barriers can be encountered when working with innovations? 📌 How do organizations acquire innovations? 📌 What can you gain from working with startups? These are just some of the topics they discussed! Grab your headphones and enjoy it!
Based on our research conducted among large organizations and corporations and our team’s experience, we have defined 7 key factors that influence successful work with innovations. They can occur jointly or individually, they can differ in the intensity of impact, but one thing is certain - they affect the value that innovations may bring to the company. Which ones apply to your organization?
Innovation, technology, development opportunity – many times have we all heard those catchy terms being used; Let us define properly what they really mean and what opportunities they give us! Together with MamStartup and with the support of Google for Startups, we have created a podcast in which we will bring you closer to the topic of innovation in organizations. The content is based on the hands-on experiences of companies and individuals who have successfully developed their definitions and approaches to innovation making it an integral part of their daily work 🚀. Let's check out the first episode!
How to create an Innovation Strategy? Check out how the Huge Thing team works with the Major Retail Brand team to create and implement an Innovation Strategy Framework.
Based on our research conducted among large organizations and corporations, and our team’s experience, we have defined 7 key factors that define success in working with innovations. These factors can occur jointly or individually, they can differ in the intensity of impact, but one thing is certain - they affect the value that innovations may bring to the company. Which ones apply to your organization?
The Huge Thing team designed and conducted workshops on innovation needs mapping based on a combination of our methodology with best market practices. Check out how we worked with Global Pharma.
What are the biggest corporate challenges in working with innovations? Why do companies want to cooperate with startups? What forms of cooperation are possible and who is responsible for this cooperation? The answers to these and other questions can be found in the report we have prepared together with PFR Ventures.
Cooperation between startups and corporations is a complex process. Using our experience and qualitative research conducted among startups and corporations, we have developed the following stages of verification of solutions by corporations, testing, and implementation.
Huge Thing 2022 © All Rights Reserved
Maryla Wojcieszek
Interim Head of Knowledge, 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 the materialization and transfer of knowledge as well as talent management within the Huge Thing team. She designs and creates new products/services based on internal knowledge resources as well as new models of 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, the Scale UP program – the first public acceleration program connecting startups and corporations.
A gardener and a LEGO fan.
Mateusz Szymański
Junior Program Manager
Tech and innovation enthusiasts, especially those with positive social impact, Greentech, and health tech solutions. In Huge Thing, Mateusz is responsible for co-running acceleration programs. In 2022 he was co-running the 12th edition of the Google for Startups pre-acceleration program.
Previously he worked in the sales and product departments, where he was responsible for outreach activities and product communication. He’s also gained experience in project coordination and internal communication, working as a Spokesperson for Poznań’s department of NGO organization The Polish Forum of Young Diplomats. He was a co-creator of the social campaign “Paragraphs without blunder” which mission was to educate high school students about their rights.
During his spare time, he likes to read about international politics and the economy. Strategic games enjoyer. He’ll surely like to play chess with you.
Kaja Kulas
Program Manager
Kaja joined the Huge Thing team in May 2022. For several years she’s been connected with the startup ecosystem. She helps international startups in growing their businesses in Poland and across Europe.
In Huge Thing, Kaja is responsible for project management which include running educational programs for startups in their development and acceleration phase. She organizes events, workshops and trainings for the program participants. She monitors their growth and connects with partners and technology recipes. Also, Kaja takes care of relations, community building, recruitments and explorations of startups’ needs to bring them the best value of our programmes.
Before Huge Thing, she gained her experience in Poznan Science and Technology Park developing international projects funded by the European Commission. Kaja was a part of the PSTP Capital Fund and Regional Contact Point for Research Programmes of the European Union. She is passionate about travels, sports, music and dogs. Kaja is a happy “dog mom” of our team member – Nala whom you can pet while visiting us. :)
Zuza Kowala
Innovation Manager, Program Manager
Zuza joined Huge Thing in 2021. She is responsible for acceleration programs like GovTech Inno_Lab and Żabka Future Lab.
Also as Maryla, Zuza supports large organizations in processes related to innovation. That includes, among others: design of processes, innovation framework design, structuring the work of innovation teams and facilitating cooperation with startups.
Before joining Innovation Monsters, Zuza led projects at Żabka Polska, earlier connected with automotive at Volkswagen Group Polska. In Żabka, she was responsible for project management, coordinating the teamwork according to the best practice – she was looking for the best way to keep the process alive.
Zuza is also a sportaholic, innovation seeker, and book lover.
Magda Stachowiak
Project Manager
Magda joined Huge Thing in 2021. Responsible for our Gov Tech inno_Lab acceleration programs and cooperation with the public administration. She runs projects for smart city. She is also responsible for building bridges between innovators – corporations, startups and the administration.
Previously, since 2015, she cooperated on our projects for Gov Tech and corporations. Connected with the Poznań Startup Community. Experience in organizing events for the MedTech community. She worked in advertising and interactive agencies, creating brand campaigns and loyalty programs. She helped implement technologies into the organization.
Passionate about personal development, psychobiology, and supporting women in creating businesses. The creator of the projects Kobiecy Poznań Przebudzenie and Joy of Life.
Damian Wielechowski
Senior Marketing and Communication Manager
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.
Agnieszka Cichocka
Head of Acceleration
Agnieszka joined Huge Thing in 2021. She is responsible for our acceleration programs. She is passionate about art, technology, and gendered innovations. Previously, Director of District Hall Warsaw and Startup Development Department Manager at Incubator Starter.
Co-creator of Techseed.me technological acceleration program and the first coliving space in Poland for digital nomads.
Natalia Sadownik
Delivery Lead, Senior Program Manager
Natalia joined Huge Thing in 2019. As a Senior Program Manager, she implements acceleration and educational programs (Poland Prize, PlusJeden do Rozwoju) in line with Huge Thing’s standards.
As a Delivery Lead, she focuses on the operation of Huge Thing as an organization, financial issues, team planning, and quality of activities carried out by the company. Natalia loves to sail around Masuria and Croatia, and on gray days eats sushi and watches tennis.
Monika Synoradzka
CEO of Huge Thing and managing partner at Speedup group
Monika together with the HT team is responsible for the company’s development in startup acceleration and activities aimed at supporting organizations from the private and public sectors in their work with innovations.
She specializes in implementing innovations in organizations and building a culture of innovation in companies from various sectors. For years, she has supported the development of Poland’s startup environment.
Monika is also a Managing Partner at SpeedUp Venture Capital Group. Thanks to her knowledge and experience, she helps portfolio companies to understand the operation of large organizations and corporations and prepare to work with them. She also supports them in building business relationships.
