Field Notes: Krakow, Poland

Why Poland, and not some remote, beachside hotel for a summer retreat? While we love a good beach, we were more interested in an immersive experience in an economy poised to become Europe’s new center of gravity.

We designed the week to put the group in different settings, with different kinds of interesting locals, and to pair that with private time together to share our thoughts and reactions and make sense of what we were learning. That pairing, the excursions and meetings on one side and the unhurried debriefs on the other, was the goal (and ultimately, the magic).

Zinar Castle, the Wieliczka Salt Mine, the market stalls in the Old Town, and the Jagiellonian University (the oldest in all of Poland) were all part of our boots-on-the-ground experience.

We could have chosen a hotel in the Old Town, near the heart of the action. We could have been within walking distance of the University, the coffee shops, the market stalls, and some of the best dining in the city…

We opted instead for a venue that let us look out over the countryside: rolling hills, sweeping clouds giving way to intense thunderstorms, the winding Vistula river. All very “Game of Thrones,” and ultimately one of those ideal settings for sitting near a fire (it was surprisingly chilly for June) on the terrace, with good company and intellectual conversation.

We spent time with a diverse blend of local business owners, community-builders, educators, and people focused on Poland’s place in the international community. Every one of our gracious hosts gave us their own perspective on what life and business are really like in Poland today, and clued us in on what the future might hold.

• The Wieliczka Salt Mine: ok, fine, not a person… but! It was our first official stop in Krakow, and descending 135 meters into more than 700 years of history felt almost like meeting something alive, a crucial piece of Polish history and legacy.

• Ania Lewosz, a native Pole who has spent years living and working both inside and outside Poland, she has built her career helping students, investors, and businesses put down roots there. That dual perspective is rare and genuinely useful, and we were lucky to have her with us all week, helping us read and understand what we were seeing on the ground.

• Prof. Jarosław Górniak, Vice-Rector for International Cooperation, received us at the Jagiellonian and walked us through the university’s history in the rooms where it happened, from its founding in 1364 to a student named Copernicus registering for classes. A reminder of how deep Poland’s intellectual roots run.

• Prof. Piotr Kłodkowski, former Polish Ambassador to India and a professor of comparative studies of civilizations at the Jagiellonian, hosted us in the Old Town and arranged our warm welcome at the university.

• Paul Kulon, CEO, and Karolina Paluch, VP of Marketing, at OMGKRK joined us for dinner the first night, a great way to kick off the week. OMGKRK is the organization behind Krakow’s startup community, and over dinner they laid out what’s actually being built here: the software houses turning into product companies, the founders choosing to stay and scale rather than leave, and the capital starting to pay attention.

• Dominika Walec, Plenipotentiary of the Mayor of Krakow for Business Cooperation and a former CEO of OMGKRK, gave us a candid read from inside city government on where Krakow is positioning itself.

On terraces overlooking the river, fireside as a storm rolled through, at a candlelit roundtable over a classic Polish meal, in a noisy Thai restaurant, and late at night over nightcaps, our conversations spanned almost every angle imaginable as we debriefed and dissected our days in Krakow, including…

• What Poland feels like from the inside: the culture, the talent, and the texture beneath the headlines.

• The geopolitical layer: NATO, Ukraine, the EU, and Poland’s position between East and West.

• The real economy: energy, batteries, agriculture (and more)

• The money and the macro: the Three Seas corridor, capital migrating out of the regulatory stasis of the EU core, and what an investor should keep an eye on.

• Founders and startup culture: the scene, the opportunities, and the case for the city.

As usual, some of our best conversations happened in the unplanned moments, like Saturday, when the plan was to visit Ojców Park but another storm intervened. Instead, we stayed indoors in the Fireplace Room (complete with a round table and, yes, an actual fireplace) and ordered pizza.

In-person conversations are always different, especially after spending quality time together in a beautiful place, learning together. We’re excited to share a few of those conversations with you - captured on site at the beautiful Zinar Castle.

Insights subscribers have access to the full catalog of long-format conversations filmed on site at Collective member events.

Icebreaker Question | What three bands best represent your teenage years?

🎧 Playlist made from everyone’s answers

The places we loved...

• Zinar Castle: home base, deep in the Wolski Forest.

• Wierzynek: the royal restaurant on the Main Market Square, serving since the 14th century.

• Dobra Paczkarnia: pączki in the Old Town, right next door to Wierzynek.

• Molam: the Thai spot Paul told us we had to try (he was right).

• The Wieliczka Salt Mine: very Lord of the Rings, a must if you visit Krakow

Our last major gathering of the year is the Annual Member Event at Sea Island, Georgia, September 28 to October 1. This is our flagship experience, the one you don’t want to miss if you’ve been thinking about experiencing a Collective event for yourself. Get all the details in the post linked below.

Events

The Annual Member Event, Sea Island, September 28 - October 1, 2026

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Jul 3

The past year made one thing clear: you can get a machine to summarize the book, draft the memo, or spin up a passable report at the click of a button. But what you can’t outsource is the conversation that makes you rethink something; the unexpected comment over coffee that reframes your thinking; the person across the table who’s already lived through …