News
The Citi Handlowy Leopold Kronenberg Foundation
23rd June 2015
Savings are the key. Winner of Citi Microentrepreneurship Award 2015


Blix Power Poland, manufacturer of a power consumption reducer, wins Citi Microentrepreneurship Award 2015. The other companies awarded by the judging panel of the 9th edition of the competition are: Phenicoptere, which invented an innovative makeup removal solution; FlyTech Solutions, producer of drones; Zieta Prozessdesign, a furniture designer which applies the most innovative technologies; and Hasan, provider of cooling and illumination systems for manufacturing machinery.

Blix Power Poland, the winner of Citi Microentrepreneurship Award 2015, manufactures a power consumption reducer. This unique device offers savings between 10 and 40% as compared to initial power consumption parameters. Solutions provided by Blix Power Poland are used by companies and institutions in Poland, Russia, Kazakhstan, Egypt and Spain.

This year's 11th edition of the competition was a perfect demonstration of Polish microbusinesses' potential. Each of this year's prize-winners uses innovative technologies in its activities and often develops novel solutions. 'The selection of the winner is more and more difficult year to year, taking into account both the number of registered participants and their uniqueness,' says Krzysztof Kaczmar, President of the Management Board of The Citi Handlowy Leopold Kronenberg Foundation. And this year set a new record as it attracted over 500 microbusinesses from throughout Poland.

Category winners:

START - Phenicoptere sp. z o.o., producer of Glov - a glove that removes makeup only with water. This product is offered to consumers throughout the world as it is distributed via various channels, including an e-shop, online perfumeries (60 outlets globally) and Sephora and Marionnaud (France) beauty store chains. Glov has won widespread acclaim especially among French consumers - selling as many as 10 thousand sets in just 2 weeks from its launch in the French market.

YOUNG BUSINESS - FlyTech Solutions, which manufactures drones  upon individual orders. It sells its flying machines in Poland, Western Europe, the US and Canada. The skills and competences of the FlyTech Solutions team enable the company to offer a full range of services relating to unmanned aerial systems - from designing and manufacturing complete dedicated systems to training and services with the use of drones. The company also cooperates with Poland's Volunteer Mountain Rescue Service (GOPR) to improve mountain rescue techniques.

PROGRESS - Zieta Prozessdesign, a family business that designs and produces decor solutions, including furniture and decoration. These are manufactured using a technology called "thin metal sheet stabilization". It allows producing objects that are light and have interesting shapes, but are still highly durable. Products from Zieta Prozessdesign are valued throughout the world, both by interior designers and consumers.

SENIOR -  Zakład Handlowo-Usługowy "HASAN" Antoni Hasenbeck, a manufacturer of cooling and illumination systems for manufacturing machinery. The company has been active in Poland's market since 1995. In 2000 it launched a product it had designed itself - a cooling system for UCHR machine tools. Its motto reads: "Cooperation in harmony - reliability of service", which reflects the company's key competitive advantage - quality of offered solutions.

About the Competition
The Citi Microentrepreneurship Award competition is to award owners of companies which successfully run traditional or innovative business, deep-rooted in local communities. The competition was held under the honorable patronage of Mr. Janusz Piechociński, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy. In 2015 it was organized for the 11th time for companies having less than 10 employees and their annual turnover or balance sheet not exceeding EUR 2 million.

The patronage was offered by  Bronisław Komorowski, the President of the Republic of Poland,
and Janusz Piechociński, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy. The partners of the competition are Microfinance Centre and Microbusiness Coalition, which includes: Business Centre Club, Family Business Initiative, Polish Chamber of Commerce, Polish Agency for Enterprise Development, Polska Przedsiębiorcza, Polish Association of Private Employers Leviathan, Employers of the Republic of Poland and Polish Craft Association.