Natalia Oliwia Kobza

Innovation Program Management | R&D Funding | Sovereign #Cloud & #Earth #Observation

Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland

About

I translate innovative business needs into dynamic startup solutions. With passion, I connect vision with execution, crafting strategies that drive growth and success for new ventures. I am an experienced manager focused on innovation process development and innovation management. Alumna of the Robert Bosch Stiftung. Natural born networker with international experience gained during four years of studying and working in five different countries. Passionate about empowerment either in business, politics or technology.

Experience

  • CloudFerro S.A. (1 yr 2 mos)
    • Director of R&D and Innovation Funding
      Feb 2026 - Present · 6 mos

      - R&D strategy and innovation funding pipeline, - Identifying and converting funding opportunities into commercial revenue streams - Consortium building, proposal development, budget structuring - Positioning CloudFerro as a preferred infrastructure partner within innovation ecosystems (startups, deep tech, research institutions), building long-term competitive advantage through strategic ecosystem presence - Translating funded projects into scalable sovereign cloud and EO product offerings

    • Senior Business Development Manager
      Jun 2025 - Jan 2026 · 8 mos

      • Developing strategic partnerships and business opportunities in sovereign cloud infrastructure and Earth Observation sectors • Driving market expansion across European markets with focus on AI-ready cloud solutions • Building relationships with public sector clients and research institutions (R&D proposals in Horizon funding)

  • Mentor at the EIC Women Leadership Program at European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA)
    Apr 2024 - Present · 2 yrs 4 mos

    Serving as a tech/ innovation mentor at the EIC WLP 5th cohort

  • Żabka Polska (Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland)
    • Innovation Program Manager
      Jun 2023 - Apr 2025 · 1 yr 11 mos

      • Initiating, conducting, and managing innovative pilot projects with startups across Żabka Business Units; supporting strategic initiatives in with innovative benchmarks and external solutions. • Building an innovation ecosystem at Żabka: coordinating the innovative development process across business units of the Żabka Group; formulating a diagnosis for the potential for innovation with challenges mapping and priorities analysis defined during internal workshops. • Working with startups and innovative projects: testing, budgeting, preparing business cases and new business development.

    • Acceleration Program Manager
      Jun 2022 - Jun 2023 · 1 yr 1 mo

      Managing commercial pilots with startups in Żabka as a part of Venture Studio. Structuring innovation processes in corporation. Mapping innovative needs and building priorities for startup scouting.

  • Market Research Analyst (contract) at NRW.Global Business Poland
    Apr 2019 - Dec 2023 · 4 yrs 9 mos

    Ad-hoc analysis of the Polish SME market

  • Innovation Project Manager at EXEQ
    Dec 2017 - May 2022 · 4 yrs 6 mos

    Supporting innovative ideas in process and project development. Working on project scoping, grant applications (H2020, SME Instrument, R&D Fast Track), as well as SME strategy consulting. Author of +15 winning European and Polish R&D proposals +50 mln PLN of grant value acquisition. Full client experience: from sales to project execution. Mentor at the Academicka Liga Startupów. Coordinator of the Export Influencer program, as well as city workshops as a part of the city accelerator program Warsaw Booster'21.