OREANDA-NEWS. After the success in Berlin, Deutsche Telekom is opening its hub:raum incubator in Krakow - technological and startup heart of Poland. The new innovation center will focus on supporting innovative businesses from southern and central Europe.

Poland is the second country in Europe through which Deutsche Telekom is expanding its idea of accessing external innovation and driving partnerships with startups. Just like hub:raum in Berlin, hub:raum now also located in Krakow will be offering startups from Poland and other south and central Europe with outstanding business ideas comprehensive package of seed-funding, co-working space, mentoring and access to Deutsche Telekom assets, such as customer base and technical service and infrastructure facilities.

"Krakow is one of the most important and most dynamically developing centers of innovation in Europe, which offers a number of initiatives supporting startups. We believe that its strong academic and startup community combined with domestic and international conferences on innovation and technology held in the city with a very high frequency. It creates a perfect ground for locating hub:raum," says Mark Klein, Senior Vice President Commercial Excellence Europe. "We believe that the new innovation hub will attract innovative startups from southern and central Europe giving them an opportunity to grow and succeed. Our goal for this year is to begin cooperation with about five enrolled interesting projects."

The new hub:raum office in Krakow belongs to T-Mobile Poland one of the largest mobile networks in Poland, and a part of Deutsche Telekom Group which provides a range of telecommunication services to individual and business customers in 14 European countries. Interested startups who are operating in the fields of telco-related topics like technologies, apps, services etc., digital media or internet can make their applications under https://www.hubraum.com/en/contact.

"We had no doubts that the premiere of our initiative should begin during the conferences which are significant for the Polish startup community. That is why we have chosen Mobile Mobile Conf and European Rails Conference Railsberry to present the aims of the hub. On top, we are also glad that Blinkist, the first hub:raum Berlin’s startup, will participate in the events. This is the best proof that we want to closely cooperate and share our knowledge in order to offer the best solutions for the Polish startups," says Milan Zika, CTIO T-Mobile Poland.
Telekom’s first incubator under the hub:raum brand has been operating in Berlin since the middle of 2012. In this first year with Blinkist, Stylemarks, Salonmeister and Reputami already four startups have joined the hub:raum incubator.