Bits & Pretzels 2025 runs from September 29 to October 1. You’ll meet 7,500 participants – including 1,500 investors. Set clear goals for yourself, such as contacts, knowledge, or deals. And whether you’re interested in founding, running a startup, or investing – for everyone in Munich who wants to expand their network, Bits & Pretzels 2025 is one of the most important events, and the Munich Startup Lounge at Bits is a good first point of contact.
Making use of the Munich Startup Lounge
You’ll find us with the Munich Startup Lounge in Hall B0 (turn right into the hall immediately at the entrance). Together with munich business, the economic development agency of Landeshauptstadt München, we provide an overview: What does Munich have to offer startups? Who do you talk to if you’re new to the Munich ecosystem? The economic development agency explains founding formalities, funding offers and financing assistance, the Munich location including real estate offerings and startup centers, as well as social and impact startups.
You’ll find most of the relevant Munich ecosystem players on Tuesday, September 30, at 11 a.m. directly in the Munich Startup Lounge. That’s when our “Meet the Ecosystem” takes place. From accelerators and founder programs like UnternehmerTUM Xpreneurs, TUM Venture Labs and UVC Partner to startup centers like WERK1, Gate, MTZ and other supporters like Medialab Bayern, Baystartup, Start2Group, Gründerland Bayern, Invest in Bavaria, Bayern Innovativ and Munich Innovation Ecosystem. They all support startups.
Our editorial team also brings the new video podcast format Pitch & People: At Bits we’re offering a one-hour special edition. If you’re a Munich startup and want more visibility, come to us in the lounge on Monday, September 29, at 10 a.m. – first come, first served.
How-to: Plan Bits & Pretzels 2025 smartly
Create your roadmap before the doors open. Use the agenda and the app to set personal appointments and fix meeting points. Day 1 is Monday, no longer Sunday as in previous years, and takes place like Day 2 at the ICM, Day 3 at the Festhalle Schottenhamel at Oktoberfest.
Tip: Side events often provide the best conversations. Most side events are open, but some are by invitation only. Many also take place outside the fair. This means that for many side events you don’t even need an official Bits ticket to attend, but you’ll need to plan more time to get there.
For those who prefer to be spontaneous, the matchmaking area at the fair offers great insights, speed dating, and helpful contacts. And liquid networking at Oktoberfest offers open tables with industry and topic focuses alongside popular table captains. By the way: Networking is interrupted once so you can switch tables. In the meantime, it’s worth looking at the chapel balconies. That’s where we award the Munich Startup Special Prize, endowed with 5,000 euros, to the best Munich startup at Bits!
Recommendations by role: Panels & side events worth your time
Are you interested in founding?
If you haven’t founded yet, learn in formats like masterclasses. Speed dating is also worthwhile, for example to meet potential co-founders, the startup exhibition and the many pitch contests. Here you see ideas presented by founders, can compare, learn how to prepare for pitches, and make contacts.
Side events that fit well:
- The Founders Run on September 28, 2025. The meeting point is at the Isar, where (future) founders run together on a 10K circuit with networking and short pitch stops before an evening beer. Perfect as a relaxed introduction to the fair.
- The afterparty at Werksviertel on September 29 is also a good way to get into conversation without complications.
Have you already founded a startup?
If you’ve already founded a startup, the panel on the Inspiration Stage on September 29 at 10:50 a.m. might be exactly your topic: “United in Innovation: A Real European Market for Start- and Scaleups? A Franco-Bavarian Initiative for a Stronger European Startup Ecosystem”. Leading figures from politics and the startup scene discuss the internationalization of startups in Europe.
Side events that will take you further:
- Thematic ecosystem events like “Connecting Industries – For a Resilient Europe” bring you close to politics, industry, and scaling topics. Likewise Founder’s Fuel-up 2025, organized by the Startup Association, which is ideal for B2B startups that are already further along. Impact After Hours, on the other hand, is aimed at impact founders (all mentioned: access by registration).
Are you an investor?
The Investor Summit bundles the topics for you – efficient dealflow scouting, international speakers, and discussions on valuation, regulatory, and expansion topics. To discover new startups, keeping an open ear and eye on the app is equally important.
