As the business world adjusts to the fits and starts of the new world of tariffs, we are ever-optimistic that the whiplash will subside in the near future so we can get back to planning and forecasting. It is extremely difficult to gauge the business climate in late 2025 and 2026 until we limit the volatility of the markets.
From a business standpoint, the U.S. market is still the place for any business in the world wanting to ply their wares. As I stated last month, it’s a tough time to do business in the European Union, but let’s face it: It’s becoming tough to do biz here! Still, the U.S. market remains the holy grail for business growth. Many economists and business leaders still agree that the U.S. market will remain the best growth market for most products and services for many years to come.
While in Europe in March and April, we vetted and selected the candidates for the NCBR-NAP (Nevada Accelerator Program) coming to Nevada for the third year in a row, and fifth year overall. They applied from all over Poland to be a part of the intensive online workshop series in February and March. Following the live pitch in April in Warsaw, the top 10 companies will come to Nevada June 2-8 for a trade mission to expand, hiring Nevadans for high-paying jobs and creating the new, diverse economy Nevada needs to offset economic downturns.
These companies represent diverse enterprises, from corporate-risk mitigation to a snake-bite antidote to new hope for tracheotomy patients. They were chosen from 30 applicants from all over Poland. Some are pre-revenue, while others are already earning millions. The common theme is that they all want to be successful in the most lucrative market in the world—and they want to do it from Nevada, not California or Texas. We have all of the best attributes for growing a business, with few detriments like corporate taxes, personal taxes or inventory taxes.
The companies will be with us in Las Vegas on June 4-5, and then in Reno June 6-8. We end their trade mission in the San Francisco Bay Area June 9-10 to show just how hard and expensive it is to do business there.
Here, in alphabetical order, are the 10 companies coming to Nevada to find partners, distributors, customers and investors.
Discover AI Technologies: An advanced battery-management system that enables precise monitoring and prediction of battery parameters for safety and security.
EcoBean: Innovative products such as coffee oil, antioxidants, protein additives and lignin, produced thanks to a patented technology for processing coffee grounds, which reduces industrial waste.
EasyOZE: A B2B sales platform for renewable-energy installers incorporating GPS, rooftop square footage, building needs and onsite proposal generation for homeowners and building managers.
Owl Sentry: A professional pest-monitoring system that saves time and money by alerting the pest company that the trap has a pest, and maintains trap monitoring.
Pikralida: Research of and development on innovative medical products based on the use of an active inhibitor of enzymes from the metalloproteinase group, to be used mainly against poisonous snake bites. One pill can neutralize snake venom in pets and people.
SP Tech: A railway tech company that manages scheduling, logistics, operations and efficiencies in railway operations. SP Tech is a major vendor in Europe and looking to expand into the U.S., as our railways are in need of updated tech.
TrashStock: A planned internet platform supporting the construction of a circular economy by creating a network of connections between all market participants, enabling management of the flow of secondary raw materials and waste in the economy, and tracking products’ lifecycles.
Ulan Software: A micro-app-builder for the hotel, resort, casino and entertainment sectors helping to maximize their operations, including real-time room availability, etc.
Uhuru Bionics: Technologically advanced solutions for people with atypical speech, including VoxFlow, a real-time voice amplification and conversion system, designed for users with neurological, oncological or age-related communication difficulties. This device allows the user’s voice to be transformed, making it more intelligible and natural.
Vercly: A third-party risk management app, background checks, vendor risk, ongoing monitoring of suppliers and automatization of all automatable manual solutions for stakeholder risk management.
These quality companies want to incorporate in Nevada, and hire Nevadans into good jobs and ground-floor opportunities, adding to the diversification of our economy and providing our students and alumni with high-level opportunities—to help our economy mitigate the next economic crisis.
I am always amazed by the tech and the founders coming from our European companies. They are innovative, hungry, focused and tenacious. My team and I are honored to be bringing them to the U.S. in conjunction with our partners at NCBR (The National Centre for Research and Development), with 40 different companies hosted and 120 mentored since 2022. NCBR structured this program after then-Gov. Brian Sandoval opened the door with Polish President Andrzej Duda in a historic set of trade missions beginning in 2017. I was honored to be a part of the second edition. After that, I led five University of Nevada startups to Poland for a trade mission.
We have had many trade missions with Poland since then, with many tech companies visiting, and some opening offices and relocating to Nevada, including a med-tech company I mentored back in 2019 that is now headquartered in Southern Nevada.
Do you have any idea who the largest employer is in eastern White Pine County? It’s KGHM, a Polish mining company that owns the Robinson Mine and employs more than 600 workers.
Nevada has a long and formidable relationship with the government and people of Poland, and I am proud to continue carrying the flag that began with a governor who wanted to put Nevada on the world stage. That legacy continues today, and will continue for many years to come. It’s very cool.
If you’re interested in meeting the companies on June 6, drop me an email at mwestfield@unr.edu.