WaysConf

What WaysConf does

WaysConf is a privately-held conference organizer headquartered in Kraków, Poland, operating under the legal entity DesignWays Conf sp. z o.o. and founded in 2018. The company runs an annual two-day product and design conference at EXPO Kraków (with the 8th edition scheduled for September 16–17, 2026), reaching 1,500+ attendees from over 20 countries in its 2025 edition, of which 80% are senior, lead, or manager-level professionals. Its core product is a tiered ticketed event — Online Pass (remote), Conference Pass (in-person), and Networking Pass (premium in-person) — with add-on workshops, masterclasses, and roundtables, including a new separately-priced Workshop Day introduced for 2026.

The technology stack is modest: the WaysConf mobile app (iOS/Android) provides agenda, matchmaking, and networking tools; a 90-day VOD/online streaming layer extends content reach post-event; and ticketing/registration is outsourced to the Gridaly platform, with payments processed through Przelewy24, Tpay, PayPal, BLIK, and bank transfer. The conference is supported by an ecosystem of adjacent programs including WaysAwards (industry recognition), Startup Valley (startup exhibition), and structured networking formats such as Speed Dating and dedicated networking rooms with speakers and partners.

The business model is event-driven and ticket-anchored, with incremental revenue from sponsorship and partnerships (Vercel, Railsware, Atlassian, The Protocol, Sebastian Kulczyk's InCredibles). GTM is primarily self-serve via website and mobile app, supplemented by corporate group sales channels. The company operates with 1–10 employees, has no disclosed funding, and reports no audited revenue. Promoted knowledge signals include an 8.4/10 overall experience rating and 9.0/10 organisation rating from attendees.

Name

WaysConf

Legal name

DesignWays Conf sp. z o.o.

Website

https://waysconf.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

WaysConf is a Kraków-based conference organizer running Central Europe's flagship annual product and design event, selling tiered tickets to 1,500+ senior practitioners from 20+ countries and bundling workshops, awards, and structured networking.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Conferences

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAGAGAB

Professional & Association Conferences

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Live Entertainment & Events (Concerts, Theater, Festivals)/Conventions & Conferences (Business Events)

SECONDARYMPAGAGAJ

Training, Workshops & Certification Events

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Live Entertainment & Events (Concerts, Theater, Festivals)/Conventions & Conferences (Business Events)

SECONDARYMPAGAGAE

Technology & Developer Conferences

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Live Entertainment & Events (Concerts, Theater, Festivals)/Conventions & Conferences (Business Events)

Keywords

• Product design conference
• Industry networking events
• Professional workshops training
• Conference ticket sales
• Startup exhibition programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Kraków

HQ country

Poland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Conference Ticket Sales: Revenue generated from selling tickets to the WaysConf conference. Three ticket tiers are offered: Online Pass (remote participation), Conference Pass (in-person attendance), and Networking Pass (premium in-person with exclusive networking features). Prices are set in PLN and vary by ticket type and registration timing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

WaysConf organizes an annual product and design conference held at EXPO Kraków in Poland, featuring talks, workshops, masterclasses, roundtables, structured networking activities, and online streaming. The event is sold through tiered ticket packages (Online Pass for remote attendance, Conference Pass for in-person attendance, Networking Pass for premium in-person access), with supplementary paid offerings such as Workshop Day, plus related programs including the WaysAwards industry recognition program and Startup Valley for startup visibility.

Product overview

WaysConf is a conference platform offering a tiered ticketing model for its Product & Design Conference in Kraków. The core offering consists of three ticket tiers: Online Pass for remote access with streaming and 90-day VOD, Conference Pass for in-person attendance with networking events and gamification, and Networking Pass as a premium tier with priority registration and exclusive speaker networking rooms. Additional paid offerings include Workshop Day (full-day intensive workshops on September 15th) and Masterclasses. The platform also includes the WaysConf App for agenda, matchmaking, and voting, plus supporting programs like WaysAwards for industry recognition and Startup Valley for startup visibility.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• WaysConf Conference Annual two-day product and design conference held at EXPO Kraków bringing together 1,500+ professionals from 20+ countries for talks, workshops, masterclasses, roundtables, networking, and awards. Three ticket tiers (Online Pass, Conference Pass, Networking Pass) provide varying levels of remote vs. in-person access and networking privileges.
• Workshop Day Separate paid full-day intensive workshop program held on September 15th (the day before the main conference), offering up to 8 hours of hands-on workshops in small groups with marquee facilitators.
• WaysConf Mobile App Mobile application for iOS and Android providing conference agenda access, speaker information, voting, attendee matchmaking by interests and roles, and networking tools usable before, during, and after the event.
• VOD & Online Streaming Digital service providing remote live-streaming access to all conference stages during the event plus complete on-demand talk replays for 90 days after the conference concludes.
• WaysAwards Standalone industry awards program celebrating creativity, innovation, and excellence in the product and design space, with submissions, jury evaluation, and a ceremony held on the second day of the WaysConf conference.
• Startup Valley Startup exhibition area offering free booths for early-stage startups during the conference, combined with the Ways Startup Awards competition whose winners gain entry to Sebastian Kulczyk's InCredibles program.

Quantifiable outcome

• 8.4/10 overall experience rating from attendees
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability4 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• VercelminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTechnology company partner that has partnered with WaysConf to reach product and design professionals in the developer community.
• RailswareminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSoftware development studio partner that has collaborated with WaysConf to engage with the product and design community.
• AtlassianminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEnterprise software company partner that has partnered with WaysConf to connect with senior product and design leaders.
• The ProtocolminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner organization that has collaborated with WaysConf for product and design community engagement.
• GridalycoreTechnology or IntegrationRegistration platform provider handling ticket sales and attendee registration for WaysConf. Gridaly Spółka z ograniczoną odpowiedzialnością processes registrations based on WaysConf Terms of Service and Gridaly terms and conditions.
• Sebastian Kulczyk's InCrediblesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerInvestment program associated with Ways Startup Awards. Startups can win entry to Sebastian Kulczyk's InCredibles program through the Ways Startup Awards competition.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Config (Figma): Annual design conference run by Figma. Direct peer — both target product and design professionals with curated talks, workshops, and community networking.
• Mind the Product: Long-running product management conference series with multiple regional editions. Direct peer — same product-manager audience, similar talk-plus-workshop format, and competing for the same senior practitioner attendee.
• Smashing Conference: Smashing's series of design and front-end conferences across multiple cities. Direct peer — similar tiered ticketing, workshop-heavy format, and product/design/UX audience overlap.
• Leading Design: Annual design leadership conference. Direct peer — focuses on design leaders, runs talks and curated networking, and competes for the senior design audience WaysConf serves.
• UX London: Annual UX and design conference in London run by Clearleft. Direct peer — competing European design conference targeting senior practitioners with talks and workshops.
• Productized Conference: Annual product conference held in Lisbon. Direct peer — same product-management practitioner audience, similar talk-plus-workshop format; geographic neighbor competing for European senior PM attention.

Broad incumbents

• Adobe MAX: Adobe's flagship creativity and design conference. Broad incumbent — far larger budget and global audience, but overlaps in design professional attendees and serves as a benchmark for design-conference programming.
• Web Summit: One of the world's largest tech conferences held annually in Lisbon. Broad incumbent — far broader scope than WaysConf but competes for the same senior tech-product attendees and European sponsor budgets.
• Webflow Conf: Annual conference run by Webflow (which is also a WaysConf partner/speaker source). Broad incumbent — vendor-backed design conference with overlapping product and design audience but as part of a wider SaaS ecosystem play.

Regional players

• Frontend United: European community-driven conference for front-end and design-adjacent practitioners. Regional peer — smaller, community-run format with overlapping design and front-end audience but operating primarily in different European geographies.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/waysconf
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/designways-conf
• Instagraminstagram.com/waysconf

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about WaysConf