Anna Proch
Belief + Consistency = Reality
Building at the intersection of AI, XR, and deep tech — from Poland, for the world.
Competitive R&D funding secured
Startups guided to market
EIC Accelerator finalist
Ventures running simultaneously
Raised for startups we partnered with
Backing builders at the earliest stage.
I invest actively in early-stage companies — mostly AI, deep tech, and health tech. It started naturally through DP Vision, where we supported startups from their earliest days. Over time, some of those relationships turned into investments. A few led to strong exits and significant funding rounds.
What I look for
Founders who are relentlessly honest about their market. Teams that validate before they build. Problems that are real enough to survive the hype cycle. AI, deep tech, health tech, education — spaces where technology creates genuine, measurable impact.
What I bring
More than capital — strategy, product thinking, branding, and a network built over years in the trenches. I’m not a passive check. If I invest, I’m in — with hands, head, and connections.
What I believe.
Validation > Vision
Thirty startups taught me the same lesson. The best ideas die without evidence. Test before you build — always.
Human > Algorithm
Technology serves people. Five real conversations will uncover what fifty automated surveys never will.
Depth > Volume
Twenty-five founders at one table changes more than five hundred at a conference. I don’t need more rooms. I need the right rooms.
Execution > Narrative
Ship first. Reflect later. Investors don’t respond to storytelling — they respond to traction, proof, inevitability.
Culture > Brand
Your brand starts inside. When your own people don’t believe in what you stand for, no campaign will save you.
Not a straight line. Never was.
The pivot that started everything
I was on track to become a doctor. A year before my final exams, I got cold feet — physically, viscerally. I realized I couldn’t do it. Everything I’d planned collapsed.
Finding the intersection
Spatial planning at Adam Mickiewicz University gave me systems thinking and analytical rigor. But I started working during studies, testing myself, looking for what clicked. I found it at the intersection of engineering precision and human-centric design.
Forging a global lens
UX research across Poland, Scandinavia, and the Middle East. Tax system digitization in Saudi Arabia. Industrial IT at HKK Group. Every project taught me the same thing: the best technology is invisible.
The agency that wasn’t enough
Built a global strategic-creative agency. UK and US clients. 30+ startups guided. Amazon, Mercedes, Heetch. Business was running, processes were solid. And I was restless.
Falling in love with building
A project landed that changed everything. I went all-in, brought the team, took over the company when things got complicated — and found the co-founders I’ve worked with ever since. I’m wired for the messy, uncertain, early stage.
The global problem
A co-founder’s PhD research on bridge cracks became Skyinspection. Infrastructure is aging everywhere, inspection methods are outdated, and lives are at risk.
Backing builders
Through years of supporting startups at DP Vision, I started investing actively. AI, deep tech, health tech. Several strong exits and major funding rounds.
Building the infrastructure
Founded AI Breakfasts. Joined GRAI at the Ministry of Digital Affairs. Went all-in on ARAAI. Because individual ventures aren’t enough — the ecosystem itself needs building.
From Poland, for the world
CEO of EduTailor. Investor. Ministry AI advisor. Community builder. Four ventures, same core team since 2021, one philosophy: belief and consistency compound into reality.
AI Breakfasts
Founder & Organizer
Curated gatherings of founders, executives, and AI practitioners in one room. No panels, no keynotes — just real conversations about what works, what failed, and what it actually cost. Twenty-five seats, by invitation. The kind of morning that changes a roadmap. I organize the Poznan chapter.
GRAI — Ministry of Digital Affairs
Expert advisor to the Working Group on Artificial Intelligence. Contributing to national AI strategy, education policy, and medical data governance.
ARAAI
Business & startups track lead. Audit Committee member. Building an execution space for Polish AI startups — from community and knowledge to hands-on capital.
Selected keynotes
Mobile Trends Conference
Infoshare
DevFest GDG
NBX
Selected panels
Game Industry Conference
Invest Cuffs
Redefine Possible
Dni Przedsiebiorczosci
Moderation
Women in Tech Poznan
Poznanski Horyzont Danych
Mentoring
Startup mentor at events & accelerators
Google for Startups
Topics I speak about
Sport is the operating system.
Sport has been in my blood since childhood. Swimming first, then obstacle races that led me to Ninja Warrior Poland — twice. It’s the thing that built consistency in me. The discipline I bring to building companies was forged on courses, walls, and tracks — not in business books.
Currently I train calisthenics and tennis. I love climbing, though time is scarce. And I have a thing for motorsport — simulator training, loud engines, adrenaline. The kind that reminds you you’re alive.
Ninja Warrior
Two-time competitor on Ninja Warrior Poland. The course taught me the same thing startups did: you fall, you adjust, you try the next obstacle. Not a metaphor.
Calisthenics & Tennis
Current focus. Bodyweight strength and precision on the court — both reward consistency over talent.
Motorsport
Simulator training and a weakness for cars that sound like they mean it. Adrenaline is fuel.
Climbing
Less time for it now, but the wall doesn’t care about your schedule. Problem-solving in three dimensions.
Let’s talk.
I’m always open to conversations that have substance — partnerships, pilots, investment, or just a sharp question over coffee.
If you’re building something and need a perspective from someone who’s been in the trenches — reach out.