The Heart, Poland’s largest venture builder specialising in the co-creation and commercialisation of technology companies, has launched Defence Production Hub, a company building a network of verified manufacturers from Poland and the CEE region for the global defence sector.
The new entity identifies proven foreign technologies, backed by documented deployments, that are not yet available in Poland or the wider CEE region. The project was developed for more than a year in an incubation model and is now entering full operational activity as an independent company.
Defence Production Hub addresses a structural gap in European defence supply chains: rapidly growing defence spending is not being evenly absorbed by industrial production capacity. The company aims to bridge this demand with the existing but underused industrial base of the region.
The company is led by Dr Marek Tomczuk, an economist and manager with 26 years of experience in the banking and defence sectors, former vice-president of Bank Pekao SA and former member of the management board of BGK. The second co-founder is Dominik Wieliński.
The Heart has announced the creation of Defence Production Hub as an independent company. The project is another example of The Heart’s incubation model, in which the venture builder co-creates technology companies with founders from the idea stage through to market entry — this time in response to a structural need in the defence sector.
Defence Production Hub connects foreign defence technology suppliers with Polish and Central European industrial partners and institutional capital, enabling proven defence and dual-use innovations to be effectively implemented on NATO’s eastern flank. The structural gap between rising defence demand and limited production capacity in Western Europe, including the efficient and rapid implementation of innovative technologies, is becoming one of NATO’s key industrial security challenges. Upcoming financing instruments, including the SAFE programme and the ReArm Europe initiative, will strengthen demand but will not solve the supply-side problem. Defence Production Hub responds to this asymmetry by integrating the proven industrial potential of Poland and the CEE region into global defence supply chains.
“The defence sector is facing the greatest challenges we have had to confront: rapidly growing demand, insufficient production lines, underdeveloped scaling capabilities, supply chains that are far too distant from the front, financial barriers for private investors and complex regulatory frameworks. Drones, satellite systems and AI are becoming the standard, not a niche. The mission of Defence Production Hub is to respond to these challenges by connecting the potential of Polish companies, especially SMEs, with global demand and new technologies in a systemic and scalable way,” said Dr Marek Tomczuk, CEO of Defence Production Hub.
Behind Defence Production Hub is a team combining sector expertise with venture-building experience. The company is led by Dr Marek Tomczuk, CEO and co-founder, an economist and manager with 26 years of experience in banking and defence. He is a former vice-president of Bank Pekao SA, former member of the management board of BGK, and former managing director at Raiffeisen Bank Polska, Santander Bank and Kredyt Bank. He has also served on supervisory boards including the Credit Information Bureau, Raiffeisen TFI and Pekao Bank Hipoteczny, and has a proven track record in building and negotiating complex financing structures for some of Europe’s largest defence contracts.
The second co-founder is Dominik Wieliński. On The Heart’s side, the project was developed by the venture-building team under the Incubate model, which involves co-creating a company with founders from identifying market needs, through validation, business model development and partner acquisition, to independence.
Four segments, one ecosystem
DPH’s operating model is based on serving four interconnected groups of market participants. International defence and dual-use companies, facing growing order volumes and limited in-house production capacity, gain access to a network of verified manufacturers from Poland and CEE, enabling flexible outsourcing from component production to after-sales support.
Defence-tech startups and scale-ups receive support in overcoming two key entry barriers: access to certified manufacturing partners and complex compliance requirements, reducing the time needed to commercialise their technologies.
Manufacturers from the CEE region that have production capabilities but no experience in the defence sector undergo a comprehensive adaptation process — from certification, including ISO 9001:2015 and AQAP 2110, to inclusion in international order pipelines — opening access to the global defence market.
Foreign technology companies with modern solutions and documented deployments, interested in entering Poland and the CEE region, receive support in building local business partnerships and product distribution.
“Defence Production Hub is a project that has shown from the very beginning how The Heart operates: we identify a real, unmet market need and build an ecosystem around it — with the right people, operating model and partner network. Over a year of incubation, we managed to reach key stakeholders in the sector, verify the business assumptions and build solid foundations for commercial activity, including signing the first international partnerships. Today, the company is ready to operate independently and scale its offer in international markets,” said Jędrzej Iwaszkiewicz, COO and co-founder of The Heart.
A growing network of industrial partners from Poland and CEE
During the incubation phase, Defence Production Hub established relationships with more than 60 companies from Poland and Turkey, representing a broad range of industrial capabilities. These include production and assembly of unmanned systems, aviation and land equipment, steel structures, heat treatment, hydraulic systems, advanced coatings and composite products. A significant number of these companies already hold ISO 9001:2015, TÜV and AQAP 2110 certifications.
The network is to be gradually expanded to include more companies from the CEE region and Scandinavia. This fits into the broader context of industrial policy at the EU and NATO level: the SAFE programme and ReArm Europe initiative are expected to channel hundreds of billions of euros into expanding defence capabilities. Poland, which is allocating around 5% of GDP to defence in 2025, the highest level among NATO member states, is a natural focal point for these investments.
The establishment of Defence Production Hub as an independent company confirms the effectiveness of The Heart’s Incubate model, under which the venture builder co-creates companies with founders from the idea stage, guiding them through market validation and business model development until they are ready to operate independently. The project was developed for more than a year within The Heart’s structures and, after completing the full incubation phase, is now entering the market as an independent entity.
