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Mata will allocate one million PLN to support young startups
Mateusz Matczak, known as Mata, Warsaw Citizen of the Year 2019, winner of Fryderyk award in the Album of the Year – Hip-Hop category in 2022 and seven Popkiller awards, has published a statement on YouTube in which he not only announces his presidential campaign in 2040 (!), but also commits to donating one million złoty to young startups.
Mata will allocate one million PLN to support young startups
Although Michał Matczak is a recognized performer by the community and listeners, the news of his arrest by the police for carrying illegal substances caused a real stir in the national media. This is precisely the starting point of a five-minute video in which the rapper delivers something like a micro-expose. One of his assumptions, which he is already implementing, is to donate one million zlotys to young Polish startups – the condition is that the founders must be under 25 years old. In addition to this amount, nearly one million zlotys will also be donated to the activities of the 420 Foundation, which the rapper established for education on issues related to the legalization of marijuana, as well as to the MONAR foundation, which deals with addiction prevention and treatment (respectively after 420,000 PLN).
To receive support from Mata, a startup must have a founder under the age of 25.
The whole project is an unprecedented situation, as no Polish rapper (and not only) has publicly declared a specific amount to support the startup community. Across the ocean, hip-hop moguls are known for investing in clothing or alcohol brands, and they have also expressed support for new, innovative solutions. Giants such as Jay-Z, Nas, or Snoop Dogg have done it, and in Poland, rappers such as Sokół or Słoń were or are involved in various initiatives. As we hear in the statement, Mata will also support every selected startup as a business angel. “I’m allocating one million zlotys for a series of startups that anyone under 25 can apply for funding. I know it’s not a lot, but if you have any ideas for a joint business, go to zarabiajzmata.pl and write to me,” he says. The age requirement did not come out of nowhere, as Mata repeatedly emphasizes in his speech that the future belongs to the young.
At this point, it is not clear how the support for startups will be formally organized, as the website zarabiajzmata.pl only contains a simple form in which one must provide their email, describe their innovative idea, and indicate the funding amount
