In 2025, private equity and venture capital funds invested EUR 994 million in Polish companies, accounting for 39% of the total value of investments across Central and Eastern Europe, according to the latest 2025 Central & Eastern Europe Private Equity Statistics report prepared by Invest Europe.
Funding was provided to 100 Polish companies, compared with 83 a year earlier. This means that private equity and venture capital funds backed an average of two Polish businesses every week. The Polish Private Equity and Venture Capital Association stresses that the amount of private capital committed to the development of the Polish economy could be significantly higher.
Key figures
- Private equity and venture capital funds invested EUR 994 million in Polish companies in 2025. Poland accounted for 39% of the value of investments in Central and Eastern Europe.
- 100 Polish companies received PE and VC funding, compared with 83 a year earlier.
- Venture capital investment in Poland rose to EUR 310 million, more than tripling compared with 2024. This was a record result and represented 46% of total VC investment across Central and Eastern Europe.
- Venture capital financing reached 57 Polish companies, compared with 42 a year earlier.
- Growth capital financing in Poland nearly doubled, from around EUR 145 million to EUR 287 million.
- The value of exits in Poland, measured at initial investment cost, reached EUR 537 million. Poland recorded the highest number of such exits in the region, involving 20 companies.
- Across Central and Eastern Europe, the value of private equity and venture capital investments totalled EUR 2.57 billion, while 341 companies received financing.
- The value of exits across CEE increased by 26%, reaching EUR 1.71 billion, the highest level since 2020.
- Funds operating in the region raised EUR 1.87 billion in new capital, 21% above the average of the previous five years.
The total value of investments in Poland in 2025 was lower than in 2024, while the structure of the market changed significantly. The decline was primarily the result of fewer large buyout transactions. At the same time, financing reached a larger number of companies, while venture capital and growth capital — funding designed to support innovation, business scaling and rapid expansion — grew particularly strongly.
The lower overall investment value also reduced the sector’s share relative to Poland’s rapidly expanding GDP, from 0.14% to 0.11%.
“This shift means that economic growth is outpacing the development of the private capital market, rather than being increasingly stimulated by it. We believe that the scale of private capital committed to the development of companies could be significantly higher. Poland remains one of Europe’s fastest-growing economies, with entrepreneurs, ambition and a growing number of companies capable of expanding. Therefore, the private equity and venture capital market should play a stronger role in supporting the long-term development of businesses,” said Andrzej Bartos, President of the Polish Private Equity and Venture Capital Association.
Over the past decade, PE and VC funds have invested nearly EUR 10 billion in Polish companies. However, given the current size of the Polish economy, this capital could play an even greater role.
“We need greater mobilisation of private capital, including domestic savings and long-term investors, so that future GDP growth is more strongly supported by the expansion of Polish technology and industrial companies entering foreign markets,” Bartos added.
Venture capital becomes a major growth driver
The 2025 Central & Eastern Europe Private Equity Statistics report highlights that CEE countries operated in a challenging macroeconomic and geopolitical environment in 2025. Across the region, the value of large buyouts declined, while medium-sized transactions, venture capital and growth capital became significantly more important.
The value of VC investment in CEE nearly doubled to EUR 675 million, with Poland accounting for almost half of the total.
The Invest Europe report also points to the growing importance of exits as a measure of market maturity. Across the CEE region, exit value increased to EUR 1.71 billion, with sales to strategic investors accounting for 61% of total exit value.
The 2025 data confirm the activity of the Polish private equity and venture capital market in both new investments and exits from mature projects. The first months of 2026 suggest that this momentum has continued. Transactions already completed include MCI’s sale of IAI to Montagu, Innova Capital’s sale of its stake in OSHEE to MidEuropa, Value4Capital’s investment in Elocity, Enterprise Investors’ recently announced exit from Anwim, and Avallon’s investment in Inglot.
Diagnostyka as an example of private equity’s long-term impact
Diagnostyka is one example of how private equity can support the long-term development of Polish companies. With support from MidEuropa, the company built a nationwide network comprising more than 1,100 collection points, 156 laboratories and 19 diagnostic imaging facilities.
Diagnostyka completed 128 acquisition transactions, became one of the most recognisable brands in Poland’s healthcare sector, and its stock-market debut was among the largest public offerings on the Warsaw Stock Exchange in recent years.
The significance of private equity and venture capital extends beyond individual transactions. According to Invest Europe data, companies backed by PE and VC funds employed 122,600 people in Poland in 2024 across 420 businesses. Between 2023 and 2024, these companies created a net 9,100 jobs, an average of around 25 per day, while employment increased by 11.1%.
“Private equity and venture capital are not only about capital. They also bring experience in scaling businesses, professionalising management, supporting international expansion, consolidating industries and ensuring succession in family-owned companies. If we want Polish businesses to build the position of regional and European leaders more often, we need a strong private capital market,” said Andrzej Bartos.
Additional information
The 2025 Central & Eastern Europe Private Equity Statistics report was prepared by Invest Europe in cooperation with Gide Loyrette Nouel. It covers fundraising, investment and exit data for private equity and venture capital across Central and Eastern Europe in 2025.
The Polish Private Equity and Venture Capital Association brings together private equity and venture capital funds operating in Poland, as well as organisations supporting the development of the private capital market. Its aim is to develop Poland’s private equity and venture capital sector and support growth financing for Polish businesses. Over the past 10 years, PE and VC funds have invested nearly EUR 10 billion in Polish companies.
