Center of Excellence in Krakow: Creating Jobs and Investment in Poland

Today we are officially announcing the first Center of Excellence for Uber in Central Europe that will be set up in Krakow, Poland. The center will create 140 jobs in the city by the end of 2017.

We will invest 9 mln EUR in Poland as we aim to make Kraków a big part of our growing network of community support hubs worldwide. Uber’s first investment in Poland was supported by the U.S. Department of Commerce, the U.S. Embassy and the American Chamber of Commerce. The Polish Agency of Foreign Investment provided consultations and guidance throughout the process.

Uber, the company behind the app, which helps people get a safe, affordable and convenient ride at the tap of a button, is already advertising for first positions in the CoE on the website www.uberkrakow.com. Uber has agreed on a long-term lease on a site on Browar Lubicz, in the heart of Kraków.

The Center of Excellence is the first for Uber in the region and only the second in Europe (after Limerick in Ireland). It will become a multi-lingual major hub for Uber, providing service excellence for our community of riders and partner-drivers in the region of EMEA.

Uber has already invested in Poland, providing thousands of Poles in the country’s five biggest cities with the opportunity to generate extra income to increase their and their family’s standard of living. Research by Uber shows that 93% of our partner-drivers would recommend becoming an Uber partner-driver to others. What they value the most is the flexibility that the platform offers – they can drive when they want and how often they want, which helps them build their lifestyle around the service.

Jambu Palaniappan, General Manager, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa says:

“There are lots of skilled and talented people in Poland so it was an easy decision to open our new Center of Excellence in Kraków. Poland is known for welcoming innovative technology businesses and it is an important strategic market for Uber. We’re pleased we’re able to invest in the cities in which we operate so we can offer new economic opportunities to many more people”.

Kenneth Duckworth, Commercial Officer, U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Embassy Warsaw says:

“Today, Uber joins the U.S. companies that for more than 25 years have been helping Poland to build the most dynamic economy in Europe. American companies were pioneers in Polish investment and still represent the strongest international investors in Poland today. Over the past 25 years, American companies have invested over $30 billion in Poland, and created over 200,000 jobs. As a technology company, I am hoping that Uber is bringing some of its technical know-how to Poland that will help Poland to develop innovative contributors to its economy”.

Dorota Dabrowski, Managing Director, American Chamber of Commerce in Poland says:

“A decision to open Uber’s Center of Excellence in Kraków confirms that Poland is an attractive market for investments in European and global dimension. For years we have been observing a significant level of re-investment of the American companies in Poland, which in turn influenced Polish economy development”.

Sławomir Majman, President of the Board, of Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency (PAIiIZ)

“Innovative companies enter Poland more increasingly and quickly realise that they have made the right choice. Policy of open doors from ambitious investments, consistently provided for years, is one of the magnets attracting them to the country”.