Startup Booster Poland – Smart UP
Up to PLN 400,000 per selected startup, covering up to 100% of eligible Individual Acceleration Plan costs with no required applicant contribution. The exact ceiling, milestones and package depend on the selected accelerator and development track. · Polish Agency for Enterprise Development (PARP)
Startup Booster Poland – Smart UP is a grant programme from Polish Agency for Enterprise Development (PARP) for Micro and small innovative companies registered in Poland and accepted by a participating accelerator Current lifecycle: closed. Real economics: Up to PLN 400,000 per selected startup, covering up to 100% of eligible Individual Acceleration Plan costs with no required applicant contribution. The exact ceiling, milestones and package depend on the selected accelerator and development track..
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Key facts
| Funder | Polish Agency for Enterprise Development (PARP) |
| Amount | Up to PLN 400,000 per selected startup, covering up to 100% of eligible Individual Acceleration Plan costs with no required applicant contribution. The exact ceiling, milestones and package depend on the selected accelerator and development track. |
| Decision time | PARP delegates startup selection and notification to 17 accelerator operators. The central offer publishes no uniform interview requirement or decision interval, so applicants must use the selected operator's regulations. |
| Eligibility | An innovative early-stage micro or small enterprise satisfying Article 22 startup-aid conditions, selected under an accelerator's published criteria and willing to execute an Individual Acceleration Plan and grant agreement. Poland Prize opened a soft-landing path for foreign startups establishing and developing activity in Poland; sector, maturity, partner and presence requirements varied by operator. |
| Restrictions | Recipients were bound to an operator grant agreement and Individual Acceleration Plan. Payment depended on eligible acceleration milestones and cost evidence, with operator monitoring and final settlement; exact cadence, retention and clawback terms were operator-specific. Eligible uses included startup employee and civil-contract compensation tied to the acceleration plan, specialist services needed for milestones, fixed assets, intangible assets, information and promotion, and concierge services under Poland Prize. Costs outside the approved plan, eligibility period or operator rules were excluded. |
| Status | closed |
Always confirm on the official page before applying — dates and terms change.
Application process
- Choose a participating accelerator and an open operator round matching the startup's sector and development path
- Submit the operator-specific application and declarations
- Pass operator eligibility, innovation, market, team and implementation review
- Complete any operator-specific interview, pitch, partner matching or due diligence
- If selected, negotiate and sign the accelerator grant agreement and Individual Acceleration Plan
- Run the milestone-based acceleration or post-acceleration programme with mentors, experts, corporate, public, VC or international partners
- Submit milestone evidence and eligible-cost claims for operator verification
- Complete final reporting, settlement and any post-acceleration obligations
Background
Polish Agency for Enterprise Development (PARP) operates Startup Booster Poland – Smart UP. This pass separates direct cash, repayable finance, credits, incentives and umbrella programs so later ranking does not compare unlike instruments. PARP selected 17 accelerator programmes to deliver the Smart UP founder offer The programme offered five distinct paths: corporate/public acceleration, VC acceleration, sector-agnostic acceleration, Go Global and Poland Prize The official central page lists all participating operator offers as closed and publishes no consolidated startup-award or follow-on-funding outcome
How the application really works
Choose a participating accelerator and an open operator round matching the startup's sector and development path → Submit the operator-specific application and declarations → Pass operator eligibility, innovation, market, team and implementation review → Complete any operator-specific interview, pitch, partner matching or due diligence → If selected, negotiate and sign the accelerator grant agreement and Individual Acceleration Plan → Run the milestone-based acceleration or post-acceleration programme with mentors, experts, corporate, public, VC or international partners → Submit milestone evidence and eligible-cost claims for operator verification → Complete final reporting, settlement and any post-acceleration obligations
Tips
- Show direct fit with cross-sector technology.
- Show direct fit with information and communication technology.
- Show direct fit with artificial intelligence.
- Show direct fit with automation and robotics.
- Show direct fit with cybersecurity.
- Show direct fit with industry 4.0.
- Show direct fit with energy and sustainability.
- Show direct fit with health and biotechnology.
- Show direct fit with food technology.
- Show direct fit with creative industries.
- Show direct fit with social and environmental impact.
Watch out for
- Current lifecycle is closed.
- Recipients were bound to an operator grant agreement and Individual Acceleration Plan. Payment depended on eligible acceleration milestones and cost evidence, with operator monitoring and final settlement; exact cadence, retention and clawback terms were operator-specific.
- Eligible uses included startup employee and civil-contract compensation tied to the acceleration plan, specialist services needed for milestones, fixed assets, intangible assets, information and promotion, and concierge services under Poland Prize. Costs outside the approved plan, eligibility period or operator rules were excluded.
Track record
- PARP selected 17 accelerator programmes to deliver the Smart UP founder offer
- The programme offered five distinct paths: corporate/public acceleration, VC acceleration, sector-agnostic acceleration, Go Global and Poland Prize
- The official central page lists all participating operator offers as closed and publishes no consolidated startup-award or follow-on-funding outcome
PARP published 17 funded accelerator programmes but no combined startup application denominator, award count or acceptance rate; operator cohorts are not comparable enough to infer a programme-wide rate.
Frequently asked questions
- Is this actionable now?
- closed. The central Startup Booster Poland – Smart UP founder offer opened 17 June 2024, ended 31 May 2026 and is explicitly marked closed. Its 17 operator programmes had separate windows, all shown closed on the controlling offer page; newer PARP accelerator products are separate calls and are not treated as a Smart UP reopening.
- What is the real economic value?
- Up to PLN 400,000 per selected startup, covering up to 100% of eligible Individual Acceleration Plan costs with no required applicant contribution. The exact ceiling, milestones and package depend on the selected accelerator and development track.
- Who is eligible?
- An innovative early-stage micro or small enterprise satisfying Article 22 startup-aid conditions, selected under an accelerator's published criteria and willing to execute an Individual Acceleration Plan and grant agreement. Poland Prize opened a soft-landing path for foreign startups establishing and developing activity in Poland; sector, maturity, partner and presence requirements varied by operator.
- How does selection work?
- Choose a participating accelerator and an open operator round matching the startup's sector and development path; Submit the operator-specific application and declarations; Pass operator eligibility, innovation, market, team and implementation review; Complete any operator-specific interview, pitch, partner matching or due diligence; If selected, negotiate and sign the accelerator grant agreement and Individual Acceleration Plan; Run the milestone-based acceleration or post-acceleration programme with mentors, experts, corporate, public, VC or international partners; Submit milestone evidence and eligible-cost claims for operator verification; Complete final reporting, settlement and any post-acceleration obligations. PARP delegates startup selection and notification to 17 accelerator operators. The central offer publishes no uniform interview requirement or decision interval, so applicants must use the selected operator's regulations.
- What burden and restrictions apply?
- Recipients were bound to an operator grant agreement and Individual Acceleration Plan. Payment depended on eligible acceleration milestones and cost evidence, with operator monitoring and final settlement; exact cadence, retention and clawback terms were operator-specific. Eligible uses included startup employee and civil-contract compensation tied to the acceleration plan, specialist services needed for milestones, fixed assets, intangible assets, information and promotion, and concierge services under Poland Prize. Costs outside the approved plan, eligibility period or operator rules were excluded.
- What evidence exists?
- PARP selected 17 accelerator programmes to deliver the Smart UP founder offer The programme offered five distinct paths: corporate/public acceleration, VC acceleration, sector-agnostic acceleration, Go Global and Poland Prize The official central page lists all participating operator offers as closed and publishes no consolidated startup-award or follow-on-funding outcome PARP published 17 funded accelerator programmes but no combined startup application denominator, award count or acceptance rate; operator cohorts are not comparable enough to infer a programme-wide rate.
Related grants
Sources
- www.parp.gov.pl/component/grants/grants/startup-booster-poland---oferta-dla-startupow — Official closed lifecycle, dates, PLN 400,000 ceiling, 100% intensity, applicant age and size, five tracks, eligible uses and operator list (checked 2026-08-10)
- www.parp.gov.pl/?id=86692&view=article — Official launch article confirming 17 selected accelerator programmes, operator-routed applications and non-cash support (checked 2026-08-10)
- www.parp.gov.pl/harmonogram-naborow?display=round&sort=end — Official PARP schedule used to distinguish later separate accelerator products from the closed Smart UP offer (checked 2026-08-10)