8 min read
09 November 2025
When Agnieszka Maciejowska moved to Warsaw from her hometown of Lublin in 2006, she wasn’t planning to build startups let alone to exit two. But after leaving her corporate career during the 2008 financial crisis, she launched what became one of Poland’s earliest event-tech platforms, often dubbed the local version of Eventbrite. Ten years later, she had scaled, exited and started again.
Plan Be Eco, her second venture, was born out of urgency. While on holiday in 2019, during the driest season Poland had seen in years, she felt an unshakable need to act on the climate crisis. With a decade of tech experience and a long-standing role in Poland’s startup ecosystem, she joined purpose with pragmatism and started Plan Be Eco, helping companies meet environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals by offering tools to measure and report sustainability with precision. For Agnieszka, it’s proof that impact and profitability don’t have to be at odds.
What did you learn from your first experience as a founder?
There were so many things. For starters, I thought I needed a perfect product before launching. I spent time making every button beautiful and every line of code perfect, like poetry. But I forgot about customers. I didn’t understand the concept of MVP back then. I learned the hard way that you need to talk to people first. Build for them, not for yourself.
What advice would you give to founders launching their second venture?
Don’t assume that just because you’ve done it before, it will be easy. Every business is different. What worked once might not work again. Stay humble, stay curious, and remember that you’re not starting from scratch – this time, you’re starting from experience.
What’s been the most surprising part of building a climatetech company?
Honestly, how many companies still don’t know where to start. They want to do the right thing, but ESG can feel overwhelming. That’s why we’ve focused so much on clarity and user experience – giving companies confidence to take the first step and keep going.
Has your approach to leadership changed over time?
Definitely. Early on, I wanted to control everything. Now I know it’s about building trust and giving people space to grow. My job is to guide, not micromanage. And I’ve learned that culture is built in the small things: in how we talk, how we listen, how we handle mistakes.
“When I started in 2009, we didn’t even know what a startup was. We had no access to mentors or playbooks. We were just figuring it out as we went.”
You mentioned being one of the few women in Poland’s early startup scene. What was that like?
When I started in 2009, there were maybe five or six female founders in the entire country. We didn’t have role models. We had to figure everything out ourselves, often through mistakes. But I’m proud to have helped shape the ecosystem, especially for women. I’ve mentored, judged competitions like Chivas Venture, and worked with accelerators to support women, LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs, people over 50 and those with disabilities. Diversity builds stronger ecosystems; it’s both a social issue and a business one.
You’re also a mother. How has that shaped your entrepreneurial journey?
It’s the hardest and most powerful experience of my life. My daughter was born two months early. I couldn’t see or touch her for the first two weeks. She fought for her life, and I fought for mine in those weeks. After something like that, nothing in business feels scary anymore. Of course, being a mom and a founder is a constant balancing act. But motherhood has made me more efficient, more focused and more resilient.
What keeps you balanced outside of work?
I read, run, and spend time with my daughter and my friends. I love Warsaw for its parks and green spaces. I tried yoga, but I’m too energetic. I need to sweat to move. Sports help me keep my mental balance. So do podcasts – both political and humorous – and audiobooks, which I listen to constantly.
Why did you choose to build your business in Warsaw?
Warsaw has everything. It’s the capital, so you’re close to investors, partners, talent and events. But it also has a strong sense of community, especially among those of us who moved here without family. Your friends become your family. And as a bonus, the vegan food scene is amazing!
“I’m the first entrepreneur in my family. My parents were employees their whole lives. When I told my mother I wanted to start a business, she thought I’d gone mad.”