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Borys Musielak is a Managing Partner at SMOK Ventures, an early-stage venture capital fund focused on Central and Eastern Europe. He is also a seasoned entrepreneur and a prominent investor in the CEE tech ecosystem.
Borys Musielak primarily invests in pre-seed and seed stage technology startups within the Central and Eastern European region. His investment focus areas include SaaS, AI, gaming, developer tools, fintech, and other innovative tech solutions.
Borys Musielak works as a Managing Partner at SMOK Ventures, a venture capital firm dedicated to investing in and supporting early-stage technology companies across Central and Eastern Europe.
Borys Musielak is the Founding Partner at SMOK Ventures and Co-founder of the pre-seed accelerator ReaktorX, currently based in Warsaw, Poland. Prior to his venture capital career, he founded the personalization and analytics software startup Filmaster, which was acquired by Samba TV in 2015. Following the acquisition, he served as the Director of European Operations for Samba TV before transitioning into early-stage venture capital investing. Alongside co-founding partner Paul Bragiel, Musielak recently launched a $25 million second fund at SMOK Ventures to back early-stage software, artificial intelligence, and gaming startups. He holds a Master's degree in Computer Science from the Warsaw University of Technology, where he developed his technical foundation. His current professional focus centers on providing pre-seed and seed capital to emerging technology founders across the Central and Eastern European region and the broader Polish diaspora.
Borys Musielak stands as a pivotal figure in the Central and Eastern European (CEE) startup ecosystem, serving as a Managing Partner at SMOK Ventures. In this capacity, he plays a crucial role in identifying, nurturing, and scaling the next generation of technology companies emerging from the region. SMOK Ventures, under his leadership, focuses on pre-seed and seed stage investments, providing vital capital and strategic guidance to early-stage founders.
Musielak's investment focus is broad yet strategic, encompassing high-growth tech sectors that demonstrate significant potential. He actively seeks out startups innovating in areas such as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), Artificial Intelligence (AI), gaming, developer tools, fintech, and other deep tech solutions. His approach is deeply rooted in understanding the founder's vision and providing hands-on support to help them navigate the challenges of early-stage growth. He believes in the immense talent pool within CEE and is committed to helping these companies achieve global scale.
Before his impactful career in venture capital, Borys Musielak was a serial entrepreneur himself, giving him a unique perspective and empathy for the founders he now backs. His entrepreneurial journey includes co-founding Filmaster, a social TV platform that was later acquired by Samba TV. This firsthand experience of building, scaling, and exiting a company provides him with invaluable insights into the operational realities and strategic decisions faced by startups. This background makes him more than just an investor; he is a mentor and a trusted advisor who has walked in the founders' shoes.
As a Managing Partner at SMOK Ventures, Borys has been instrumental in building a robust portfolio of promising CEE startups. While specific investment decisions are a team effort, the fund's portfolio reflects his strategic vision and commitment to the region's innovation. Notable companies within the SMOK Ventures portfolio include rapidly growing entities like Ramp, SunRoof, Tidio, and Zowie, among others. These companies represent the diverse and dynamic landscape of CEE tech, and Borys Musielak's involvement helps to solidify SMOK Ventures' position as a leading early-stage investor in the region. His dedication continues to shape the future of technology and entrepreneurship across Central and Eastern Europe.
