The 1st Munich Startup Festival in review

On the Backstage stage, Gabriele Böhmer, head of Munich Startup, greeted all guests with a radiant smile. “Until now, in our view, there was no meeting with a festival character where the entire Munich ecosystem comes together – and we wanted to change that.” It seems we hit a nerve: 1,700 sold tickets speak for themselves. (Photo: Lukas Lindner / Munich Startup)

Former professional footballer and entrepreneur Viktoria Schnaderbeck shared her (injury) story and what lessons she learned from the numerous setbacks in her career. She is certain: “It wasn’t my athletic successes that made me stronger, but my low points.” Her recipe for a successful comeback in all situations consists of three factors: 1. Define your goals and milestones.
2. Accept nothing but your very best. 3. Build your personal success team. (Photo: Aaron Karasek / Munich Startup)

The first panel of the day was dedicated to the topic “The next big thing: Munich’s path in the circular economy”. Katrin Habenschaden, second mayor of Munich, Matthias Ballweg, co-founder of Circular Republic, Karsten Peddinghaus, head of sustainability activities at BMW Group, Günes Seyfarth, founder of Community Kitchen, and Benjamin Erhart from UVC Partners discussed the status quo in circular economy and what role startups can play on the path forward. You can read a detailed summary of the panel here. (Photo: Lukas Lindner / Munich Startup)

What happens when the entrepreneurship centers of the four largest Munich universities meet on a panel? An exciting discussion about how to foster an entrepreneurial mindset among students and university staff, and what role entrepreneurship promotion plays for universities and society. “We are working to make Germany a leading nation that shapes transformation and doesn’t wait for it”, explained Prof. Dr. Helmut Schönenberger, CEO of UnternehmerTUM. (Pictured: Prof. Dr. Rafaela Kraus, Vice President for Entrepreneurship at Universität der Bundeswehr München, Prof. Dr. Klaus Sailer, Managing Director Strascheg Center for Entrepreneurship (SCE) at Hochschule München, and Prof. Dr. Jelena Spanjol, PhD, Head of Institute for Innovation Management, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München. Photo: Aaron Karasek / Munich Startup)

While the stage program was running at the Backstage, numerous startups and ecosystem partners had set up in the hall. Here, festival visitors learned more about the various offerings of the partners and networked with other founders. (Photo: Aaron Karasek / Munich Startup)

The billion-dollar valuation is probably a dream for many founders – but is unicorn status actually something to aspire to? Daniel Krauss, CIO and co-founder of Flix, Jonas Rieke, COO and co-founder of Personio, and Remy Lazarovici, managing director DACH of Celonis, agree: The unicorn title doesn’t change much. What’s much more important to them is enjoying their work. Listeners also learned what the three consider in their own investments and why good founders never stop reflecting on their own work. (Photo: Aaron Karasek / Munich Startup)

Under the title “Money Matters”, the discussion focused on retirement planning and financial security for female founders. Finance is still too often seen as a male domain, which often affects the financial security of women. Especially in the founding process, there are so many issues and to-dos that many female entrepreneurs no longer have their own retirement planning on their radar, confirmed Melly Schütze, founder and managing director of Nushu. However, according to financial expert and HerMoney founder Anne Connelly, the most serious mistake in long-term financial planning is simply doing nothing. Therefore, the unanimous advice from the panel participants, which included Connelly and Schütze as well as Katharina Jessel, board member of health and travel insurers in the Versicherungskammer group, was to address financial retirement security as early as possible, set up a corresponding savings plan, and start with small amounts. (Photo: Lukas Lindner / Munich Startup)

On the “Plug & Play” Pitching Club stage, startups from the hall presented their business ideas. Additionally, the semifinalists of the Munich Startups Awards competed for the favor of the audience and a spot in the finals. Voting took place via the festival app. (Photo: Aaron Karasek / Munich Startup)

For many visitors, a highlight: The visit of Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner. Together with Svenja Lassen and Hanno Renner, he discussed the question “Where must politics do more to support startups?”. You can read a detailed summary of the panel here. (Photo: Aaron Karasek / Munich Startup)

The official program concluded with the awarding of the Munich Startups Awards. In a final pitching round, four Munich startups that had already prevailed against around 70 competitors and in two semifinals competed against each other. The jury decided: The title “Best Munich Startup” goes this year to Deepdrive. The young company offers innovative powertrains for electric vehicles that allow a vehicle to travel 20 percent farther or require 20 percent smaller batteries for the same range. Gabriele Böhmer, head of Munich Startup, and Clemens Baumgärtner, Munich’s labor and economic affairs officer, presented the award, which is endowed with 5,000 euros. The audience award, given for the first time, and with it 1,000 euros, went to Vaeridion with its electric small aircraft. (Photo: Lukas Lindner / Munich Startup)

After a day full of presentations, discussions, and workshops, it’s time for networking – a drink or two made the hot weather more bearable for visitors to the Munich Startup Festival. (Photos: Lukas Lindner/Munich Startup)

The 1st Munich Startup Festival in review

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