Korean startups looking to enter the European markets can check out the opportunity available with the ORLEN Skylight accelerator. It is an acceleration program for young technological companies worldwide supported by PKN ORLEN, Central and Eastern Europe’s biggest company and global oil industry corporation from Poland.
ORLEN Skylight accelerator, established in July 2021, invites young inventors and entrepreneurs who have ready-made products and services that could potentially support a wide range of PKN ORLEN business lines, including the area of petrochemical production, renewable and gas energy, internal processes, logistics, customer service or the development of new services.
ORLEN Skylight Accelerator offers pilot implementations to young companies and commercial cooperation to the authors of the best technological solutions. The estimated budget of the programme to finance pilot implementations in the first round of recruitment to the accelerator will be at least 750,000 USD. In total, about 15 implementations are planned until May 2023.
PKN ORLEN keen to get Korean startups onboard
“This acceleration programme is a direct business and technology bridge that will connect PKN ORLEN, as a big corporation, with the startup environment all over the world. This is very crucial for us because commercialization and scaling of businesses through the joint exchange of knowledge and adjustment of technologies to the requirements and real operating conditions of big corporations provides the best results,” says Łukasz Kopeć, Head of the Innovation and Acceleration Department at PKN ORLEN.
“Today, Central Europe and Poland as the CE’s leading economy are becoming an attractive destination for South Korean startups that are eyeing overseas expansion, given the regions vast population and diverse markets offering rich opportunities for potential investors. We strongly encourage Korean startup founders that technology fits our fields of tech interest to apply to ORLEN Skylight accelerator and start commercial cooperation with PKN ORLEN – the biggest company in Central and Eastern Europe,” says Tomasz Kowalczyk from the Rebels Valley boutique, which supports PKN ORLEN in the implementation of the project.
“The qualification to participate in the acceleration programme, implemented under the wings of the biggest enterprise in Central and Eastern Europe, is also a milestone in the development of any startup thinking about expansion or entering the European market. The possibility of establishing the first cooperation through a commercial pre-order is undoubtedly a new quality among acceleration programmes in the CEE region. We believe that we will attract the attention of many innovators. It shows that, indeed, PKN ORLEN treats startups as potential business partners,” adds Tomasz Kowalczyk.
Entrepreneurs eligible to take part in the programme will have access both to the R+D and operational infrastructure of the ORLEN Group, as well as direct access to specialists and experts of the Concern.
“Acceleration as part of ORLEN Skylight is also an opportunity to receive remuneration for the implementation of pilots and to take advantage by the startup of a simplified and fast path to establish business cooperation with PKN ORLEN,” adds Marcin Drygas, Manager of the ORLEN Skylight Accelerator from the Innovation and Acceleration Department at PKN ORLEN.
What can a startup founder expect when entering the ORLEN Skylight acceleration program?
- Get a chance to test their solution in the real field environment working with the worldwide recognized brand.
- Use a fast track to test solution on PKN ORLEN’s infrastructure through pilot implementation.
- Get funds for startup business growth and scale-up business.
- Gain early direct feedback from potential customers and partners, thereby getting crucial insights to refine solutions to meet the changing needs of future clients.
- Get unlimited access to industry experts, mentors, and business angels with the first-hand experience.
- Have a possibility to establish commercial cooperation with PKN ORLEN within the post-acceleration period.
- Cooperate with PKN ORLEN experts responsible for the implementation of the most important business processes.
Over the next 10 years, PKN ORLEN will spend as much as USD 750 million on innovation and research and development activities, mainly related to expanding its technological base and using the potential of Polish and foreign research units. A part of these outlays planned for Polish and foreign startups with a ready-made product or service.
The acquisition of the first round of the programme ends on August 16, 2021. Applications for participation in the programme should be submitted using the online form available at: https://innowacje.orlen.pl/EN/Akcelerator/default.aspx. The second one starts on September 6.
Leading company in Europe
PKN ORLEN is a leading player in the fuels and energy markets and the largest company in Central and Eastern Europe, listed in prestigious global rankings such as Fortune Global 500, Platts TOP250 and Thompson Reuters TOP100. The ORLEN Group operates in 6 home markets – Poland, the Czech Republic, Germany, Lithuania, Slovakia and Canada.
The Group owns a state-of-the-art integrated infrastructure capable of processing more than 35 million tonnes of various crude oil types per annum, marketing its products through the CEE region’s largest network of over 2,800 modern service stations. PKN ORLEN’s offering includes over 50 top-quality petrochemical and refining products sold in more than 90 countries around the world on six continents. PKN ORLEN is also an important player on the Polish power market, ranking as the largest industrial electricity producer with a capacity of 1.9 GWe. In the area of mining, the Concern has its own oil and gas resources base (2P), which at the end of 2018 amounted to over 211 million boe.
For the last few years, ORLEN has been recognized as the most valuable brand in Poland, valued at PLN 4.7 billion, PKN ORLEN is also the only company in the region that has been awarded the prestigious title of The Most Ethical Company for the eighth time in a row by the American Ethisphere Institute.
