Fewer celebrities, more content: Day 1 of Bits & Pretzels 2024

Tradition and modernity have always met at Bits & Pretzels, and nothing illustrates this more clearly than the numerous traditional Bavarian costumes on display at the startup festival. And by now, the welcome by moderator Florian Akinbiyi is equally traditional, this year supported by Lara Sofie Bothur. And the t-shirt cannon has become indispensable. But already after the opening remarks by economic state secretary Tobias Ulrich Gotthard, the event departed from its usual course. While in previous years visitors could look forward to prominent guests like Oliver Kahn or Arnold Schwarzenegger who opened Bits & Pretzels with a bang, things went differently this year. In fact, the event, which is also known for bringing celebrities like Michelle and Barack Obama to Munich, has completely abandoned non-industry names from the speaker list this year. (Image: Munich Startup)

Instead, the Bits founders Bernd Storm, Andreas Bruckschlögl, and Felix Haas took time at the start of their event to speak about this year’s Bits & Pretzels motto: “Kickstart Europe”. Their goal for the next three days, the three explained, is not only to showcase how great the European startup ecosystem already is, but also to unlock further potential and send “a wave of energy through Europe”. To illustrate this, they invited representatives from Estonia, France, and Bulgaria to the stage—not just three of the twelve country partners this year. Afterwards, three startups also got the opportunity to pitch their ideas to conference visitors: Kiud from Estonia, Evrotrust from Bulgaria, and Faircado from Berlin. The founders also announced further changes to the Bits concept: Two additional events will take place on the second conference day to attract more guests to the Munich fair. The Investor Summit will bring together around 1,500 investors, and the CXO Summit will bring around 300 corporate companies and mid-market enterprises to Bits & Pretzels—more than ever before. And the audience is larger than ever: After the targeted 5,000 tickets sold out seven weeks before the event, the organizers quickly decided to increase the limit to 7,500 participants—from a total of 70 countries, as the organizers emphasize. (Image: Munich Startup)

As in the previous year, the startup expo is again split across both conference days in 2024, meaning Sunday and Monday feature different startups. In total, over 200 startups get the opportunity to have their own booth. Many of the exhibiting startups also participate in the Bits pitch competition. There were also changes here this year: Under the title “European Pitch Contest”, startups from over 30 European countries compete for the trophy. However, the competition format itself remains the same: During the two fair days, startups compete against each other in theme-specific semifinals. The winners then pitch on the evening of the second Bits day on the main stage in front of a large audience. (Image: Munich Startup)

Of course, you’ll also find Munich Startup in the exhibition: At our lounge, we welcome you together with Munich Business, the economic development agency of the City of Munich. Various experts from the startup ecosystem will give you insights and tips and are ready to answer your questions. In addition, on the second day of the fair, you can expect talks on topics such as startup financing, impact startups and social entrepreneurship, as well as startup support and funding. And we also have a raffle for you: Spin our lucky wheel and win ice cream from the crazy ice cream maker or even a beer voucher for the Schottenhamel. The lounge is located on the first two days of the fair in the startup area of the exhibition, Hall B0. (Image: Munich Startup)

Of course, the makers of Bits & Pretzels have not thrown all traditions overboard: The traditional wheat beer carousel rotates as it does every year in its traditional location. Around it, the ecosystems have gathered: from Munich, Germany, and numerous European countries. (Image: Munich Startup).

In addition to the main stage, Bits & Pretzels has, as expected, several side stages this year as well, where visitors can learn about various topics. On the so-called “Money Pit Stage”, for example, everything revolves around proven financing and financial strategies. Industry experts share innovative financing strategies and provide insights into current economic trends. And successful scaleups tell their success stories and answer the question of all those who want to replicate them. Like Aron Gelbard from Bloom & Wild (pictured). In his talk, he explained how the British floristry startup not only successfully expanded its product portfolio—in addition to flowers, it now delivers various gift items—but also conquered further markets through organic growth and acquisitions, including Germany and France. (Image: Munich Startup)

The big players of the future can naturally be found at every corner of Bits & Pretzels—but they concentrate their expertise on the “Soonicorn & Zebras Stage”. The stage shines a spotlight on the most important trend topics, including deeptech, greentech, and of course AI. The artificial intelligence panel exemplifies how the discussions are structured: Moderated by an industry expert (here on the left in the picture Frizzi Engler-Hamm, CEO of Munich Innovation Ecosystem), founders speak on equal footing. In this case, (from left) Isabel Poppek, CEO and founder of Alpas, Khaleeq Aziz, founder & CEO of Genaios, and Max Fischer, founder & CEO of Deltia.ai, discussed whether it’s still possible to develop AI competitively in the EU. The three painted a mixed picture: While regulations on one hand mean a lot of additional effort that slows down development, on the other hand they can also have advantages. After all, US customers also appreciate European data protection. However, one major stumbling block remains: When it comes to financing, the EU cannot compete with the US. (Image: Munich Startup)