Startup Stage Synergy: How Do Business and Technology Partnerships Look?

What happens when business meets technology? It sounds like a serious experiment, but it took place during the last edition of Startup Stage Synergy. Besides the screening of the film “Startup Glitch,” there was a great pitching session. This time, it wasn’t just serial founders pitching, but teams made of one student from the “Index” association (University of Economics) and one from “Kernel” (AGH University of Science and Technology). These co-founding duos had only ten days to get to know each other and develop an idea. So, what was the outcome? Let’s find out!

The Common Pitfalls

As a young start-upper and a viewer of many performances (successful or not), I spotted some features that make a pitch either great or just average.

Who are you?

The first thing VCs and investors notice is information about the founders. This shouldn’t be a small footnote at the beginning or end. Founders should underline their experience. Dedicate a specific slide to it, describe your educational background and career history.

Work hard, play hard

It heard words like that: “No one told me about elegant clothes! How do I look?” During my first pitch, I had the same issue. Look at YC pitches. Do they look like they sell insurance? You are currently a co-founder who links working on challenging projects with networking, so you don’t need to look perfect. The clean shirt and chinos- trousers are enough. It is better to know more than look more than you know.

Customer development

The basis of every business is sales. Without sales, there is no business, making customers your most valuable asset. You should know everything about them, their habits, and their “wallet wealth.” Don’t just rely on existing research; conduct your own. The best form is, of course, face-to-face, where you can see real emotions. Gently ask if they would actually use your innovation. Once your research is ready, use the most interesting insights in your pitch to prove your startup is ready for today’s world.

Festina lente

A Latin is saying: “Festina lente,” which translates to “Hurry slowly.” This applies perfectly to pitches. Most hackathons and professional pitches for VCs have a limited time, usually 3 or 4 minutes plus Q&A. At Startup Stage Synergy, pitchers had about ten minutes, but one founder talked for even fifteen. A short pitch piques the interest of the audience and jury, keeping them focused. Plus, it shows respect for others waiting to present.

Business and Technology Synergy?

As an independent scout, I listened to each of the four teams carefully. Here are my conclusions:

Digital Body Twin

A project aimed at preventing excessive returns in e-commerce.

Solution: The app uses 2-3 photos or a short film to conduct a digital scan, allowing customers to “try on” clothes virtually. It combines Computer Vision, 3D, and AI.
Customer: Perfect for e-commerce stores struggling with returns, which can violate the financial discipline of emerging businesses.
Plan: They want to validate the product with low margins (~10-20%) and scale to 400k+ users with ~40% margins.
Observations: Like every ML project, they must train their model. What will be their data source? They currently rely on second-hand research rather than original, “hand-made” surveys. While they target B2C, they could pivot to B2B to test the product on a larger scale.

Proxyguard

A solution to ensure privacy when using external Large Language Models (LLMs).

Solution: A simple server plug-in that anonymizes crucial data before it reaches the LLM. For example, instead of Michał Kowal, it sends Michał [Surname]. They are aware of competitors like the American ProxyAI, but aim to be more diligent regarding European laws (AI Act, GDPR/RODO).
Customer: Companies that want to be perceived as AI Act and GDPR-friendly.
Plans: Aiming for 0,1% market share in year one and 1% in the next years. Raising funds for R&D and team expansion.
Observations: Most big companies already rely on safe solutions like Copilot or private RAG systems. How do you measure satisfaction here? It feels more like a legal enforcement tool. There was a lack of real validation, likely due to the difficulty of researching companies under NDAs.

Aegis

A project supporting senior care, fitting the trend of an aging society.

Solution: A three-layer system: kitchen & bathroom sensors, a simple health band (to measure pulse and blood pressure), and an AI assistant that analyses data and notifies guardians or emergency services via SMS or call.
Customer: A wide market given the demographic shift in Europe.
Plan: Testing the product with five families in the pilot phase.
Observations: They correctly identified that smartwatches are too complex and SOS bands are too simple for seniors. However, they need a founder with a medical background for credibility. They currently rely on specialized fitters for installation, why not look at the “IKEA model”? Make it easy for guardians to install using simple, visual instructions.

3LM

Focused on data privacy and preventing a decrease in LLM efficiency.

Solution: A complex local RAG system customized for specific companies using AI model quantization. Planned as a three-tier SaaS.
Customers: Micro and small enterprises using AI daily.
Observations: They are aware of competition like Google’s NotebookLM. They must focus on shorter, more concise pitching. They can’t explain every detail, and they need to sell the main idea.

Summary

This event was a good opportunity to network, watch an inspiring film about Polish entrepreneurship (Jarosław Królewski, Dr Irena Eris, Rafał Brzoska, and Stefan Batory), and listen to pitches. However, having participated in many hackathons, I consider this an average one. The only project with a real chance to grow (after a small pivot) is Aegis, because they offer something genuinely innovative for a massive problem. I hope they find a medical co-founder and keep going. Fingers crossed!