Eleven, one of Europe’s leading venture capital funds, has announced that Lech Kaniuk is joining the firm as a Venture Partner in Poland. The move underscores Eleven’s strong commitment to a market that has become one of Europe’s most dynamic startup ecosystems.
The numbers speak for themselves. Poland currently leads Central and Eastern Europe with 60 scaleups—more than any other country in the region. The total value of Poland’s startup ecosystem stands at €58 billion, ranking it fourth in the region by number of unicorns, behind only Estonia, Croatia, and Ukraine.
Lech Kaniuk brings more than 20 years of experience in building and scaling technology companies across Poland and Europe. He founded PizzaPortal.pl, which became Poland’s leading online food-ordering platform within a year and was later acquired by Delivery Hero for PLN 120 million. He is currently associated with SunRoof Technology, one of Europe’s leading solar roof providers.
Over the course of his career, Kaniuk has raised more than €150 million in funding. He is also an active business angel and the author of several bestselling books on entrepreneurship, sales, and go-to-market strategy.
“I believe Eleven represents the gold standard of how VC funds should support founders,” says Kaniuk. “After more than 20 years of building and scaling companies, I know that capital is only one part of the equation. It’s the quality of the partnership that determines whether a startup grows or gets stuck. My goal is to support Eleven’s growth in Poland by bringing hands-on operational experience into one of Europe’s most promising startup ecosystems.”
Poland’s Growing Startup Maturity
Poland’s strengths rest on solid fundamentals: a strong technological talent base at competitive costs, a large domestic market that enables validation and growth, and a rapidly expanding pool of experienced operators. Increasing ecosystem maturity is now a decisive factor—seasoned founders are becoming business angels and mentors, while engineers from global tech companies such as Google, Meta, and Amazon are increasingly choosing to launch their own ventures.
“Poland will be one of the key growth engines of the European economy in the coming decades—and we are consistently investing in this direction,” says Daniel Tomov, founding partner at Eleven. “Lech shares our DNA. He has repeatedly been on the founder’s side and understands what it means to raise capital, pivot a business, scale operations, and execute exits. He is not joining to advise from a distance, but to work side by side with founders.”
Hands-On Support for Founders
In his new role, Kaniuk will support Eleven’s activities in Poland by combining investment sourcing with direct, hands-on collaboration with portfolio companies.
“I’m excited to support entrepreneurs from our region,” Kaniuk adds. “I want to help local founders secure their first VC funding round and support regional companies in their international expansion.”
Source: CEO.com.pl
