Why US Scaleups Choose Poland for Staff Augmentation

US scaleups are increasingly turning to Poland for expanding their engineering teams, and it's easy to see why.

Poland offers a powerful combination of a thriving tech ecosystem, strategic time zone advantage, and a deep, scalable talent pool. Companies like Rippling, Google, Snowflake, and Intel are already capitalizing on these strengths by investing heavily in the country.

Here’s a detailed look at why Poland is becoming a top choice for staff augmentation.

Poland’s Growing Tech Ecosystem

Poland's tech ecosystem has seen remarkable growth over the past decade. The country is now home to over 500 R&D centers, making it a magnet for global tech giants.

In 2010, Poland had only a handful of R&D centers, with companies like Samsung, Symantec, and Roche leading the way.

Fast forward to today, and Poland has attracted investments from major international players, including Google, Amazon, Intel, and Microsoft, who have established significant R&D operations across the country.

For example, Rippling, a fast-growing HR and IT management platform, recently opened a development center in Warsaw, its second outside the United States.

Rippling plans to grow this team from one engineer to 10 in the near term and eventually to 100.

This move highlights the depth of Poland’s engineering talent, which also attracted Google’s investment of nearly PLN 2.7 billion in Warsaw. This expansion created 2,500 new IT jobs, reinforcing Warsaw’s position as a critical European tech hub.

Similarly, Snowflake’s acquisitions in Poland have boosted its engineering workforce to over 300, underscoring Poland’s strategic importance for global tech companies.

Time Zone Advantage

Poland’s CET/CEST time zone provides a significant advantage for US companies. The overlap with US working hours allows for continuous development cycles. This time zone synergy reduces delays and accelerates project timelines, enabling faster iterations and more dynamic collaboration.

A prime example of leveraging the time zone advantage is the partnership between 10Clouds and Rippling. Team augmentation across continents can seem daunting due to the apparent challenges of distance and time zone differences. Yet, in a span of just a few months, we demonstrated that these obstacles could be transformed into advantages.

Our strategic partnership underscored the potential of global team augmentation, delivering tailor-made solutions that propelled Rippling's technological capabilities forward without the need for expanding their in-house team.

The strategic use of the time zone difference between Poland and San Francisco enabled a round-the-clock workflow, significantly boosting productivity and fostering efficient collaboration.

Our team in Poland worked throughout their day, diligently tackling tasks and sending questions and approval requests by the end of their workday. As the San Francisco Rippling team began their day, they promptly addressed these issues and sent replies. This seamless exchange ensured that the 10Clouds team could start their next day with all the necessary information, facilitating immediate feedback and continuous iterations.

This example highlights how the time zone synergy between Poland and the US can be effectively utilized to enhance productivity and ensure seamless collaboration across continents.

This round-the-clock productivity is a key reason why companies like Rippling, Google, and Snowflake are choosing Poland as a strategic location for their development teams.

Scalability

Scalability is essential for growing companies, and Poland offers a large, skilled, and diverse talent pool.

The country has more than 403,000 developers, the highest number in Central and Eastern Europe, followed by Romania with 139,000. This talent density allows companies to scale quickly and efficiently.

Rippling’s plan to expand its Warsaw office into a full-fledged R&D center reflects the ease with which companies can grow their operations in Poland.

This scalability extends beyond Rippling. Snowflake’s rapid expansion in Poland, supported by strategic acquisitions of local tech firms, demonstrates the country’s ability to support large engineering teams.

Google and Intel are also scaling up their operations, contributing to the growing pool of tech professionals in the country.

Poland’s Leadership in AI

Poland has established itself as a leader in artificial intelligence within Central and Eastern Europe, ranking 1st among CEE countries and 7th in the entire European Union in the number of AI experts. The country is home to over 200 companies focused on AI, supported by a strong academic foundation and a highly skilled workforce.

Polish AI experts possess a wide range of programming skills, often with backgrounds in languages beyond Python and R, indicating their versatility. Common AI libraries and frameworks used include TensorFlow, OpenCV, Scikit-learn, and Keras, with Python being the dominant language.

A notable example of Poland’s AI expertise is Amazon’s Alexa, which relies on speech synthesis technology originally developed by the Polish company Ivona Software. Amazon’s R&D center in Gdańsk, one of three technology development centers the company operates in Poland, employs nearly 900 IT engineers focused on advancing Alexa’s capabilities.

Moreover, Poland’s AI workforce is highly educated, with over 50% holding degrees in fields such as Computer Science, Mathematics, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, and Information Technology. The retention rate of AI talent in Poland is also high, with more than 67% of AI professionals working and studying locally. This contrasts with the broader European trend where nearly half of AI experts studied abroad.

However, Poland attracts fewer AI professionals from within the EU, with only about 10.2% of the AI workforce coming from other EU countries, compared to the European average of nearly 22%.

The Digital Poland Foundation’s "State of Polish AI 2021" report highlights that Poland has a significant number of professionals working in AI development and implementation, solidifying its position as a key player in the European AI landscape.

Poland’s AI sector continues to grow, attracting investments from global giants like Google, NVIDIA, and IBM, all of whom have established AI centers in the country.

10Clouds is at the forefront of leveraging Poland’s AI leadership to deliver cutting-edge solutions. With a team of highly skilled AI experts, 10Clouds has been instrumental in driving innovation and providing scalable AI solutions for various industries.

Our expertise spans across machine learning, natural language processing, and computer vision, ensuring that our clients receive the most advanced and effective AI-driven services.

Our achievements in AI:

• 10Clouds has demonstrated proficiency in using and training (fine-tuning) OpenAI models, including GPT-4 and GPT-3.5. This involves not only leveraging these advanced models but also customizing them to fit specific client needs.
• AIConsole is an open-source tool developed by 10Clouds that allows users to create their own personal AI assistants. It supports multi-agent systems and can execute tasks by generating and running code on the fly.
• 10Clouds offers a white-label AI platform that can be customized for various business needs, providing advanced AI-driven functionalities under the client's brand.
• 10Clouds creates custom GPT solutions for clients, tailored to their specific business requirements. These solutions include data cleaning, prompt creation, and seamless integration with existing systems.
• We’ve successfully integrated and re-trained open source models, showcasing their capability to adapt and enhance existing technologies for improved performance.
• 10Clouds focuses exclusively on generative AI, which includes generating text, code, and other media. This specialization has positioned us as a leader in creating dynamic and contextually relevant AI solutions.
• We employ advanced chained techniques in prompt engineering to optimize the performance of AI models. This skill is crucial for maximizing the efficiency and effectiveness of generative AI applications.
• 10Clouds has developed AI-driven solutions tailored to various industries such as HR, Health (MedTech/Wellbeing), Fintech, and Gaming. These solutions include chatbots, automated content generation, and custom news generation, which enhance user engagement and operational efficiency.
• We’ve engaged in significant collaborations and consulting projects aimed at developing AI strategies and implementing AI solutions for large organizations. This includes business consulting and technical proposal development, emphasizing their comprehensive approach to AI application.

Our collaboration with global tech giants and startups alike underscores our commitment to excellence and our ability to scale rapidly to meet the demands of our clients. By partnering with 10Clouds, US scaleups can tap into Poland’s rich talent pool and benefit from our deep expertise in AI, ensuring seamless integration and accelerated growth.

Conclusion

Poland’s expanding tech ecosystem, strategic time zone advantage, scalability, and leadership in AI make it an ideal location for US scaleups looking to grow their teams. Companies like Rippling, Google, Snowflake, and Intel are already leveraging these strengths to drive their global expansion.

For US scaleups, partnering with a Polish firm like 10Clouds offers access to top-tier talent, seamless collaboration, and the ability to scale efficiently in a dynamic global market.

With a rapidly growing tech infrastructure, a large and skilled talent pool, and a leadership position in AI, Poland stands out as a strategic destination for any US company looking to augment its engineering capabilities and accelerate growth.

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