There was plenty to do at Burda's second Startup Day'n'Nite: Startup giants were rubbing shoulders with each other, and ambitious young entrepreneurs answered questions from the jury. And, of course, the approximately 600 participants were also interested in networking.
It's 10 a.m. on a Saturday — and it's all about networking. After all, a good business network is important. But how much networking is right? And can an introverted coder become a "social butterfly"? Johann Romefort, Tech Evangelist at Stylight, talked about the beginning of his career and his transformation into a "butterfly" and networker in Silicon Valley. And in the subsequent panel talk "Connect or be Connected," Patri
cia Riekel, former editor-in-chief of Bunte and Steffi Czerny, founder of the digital conference DLD, on how to network successfully. The most important lesson from the panel: listen, attend events, prepare well—and ideally ask intelligent questions!
Startup meets investor – Like a first date
How do investors tick and what does a startup have to do to convince potential investors? Jennifer Lachman (Xing News), got to the bottom of this question in a panel and elicited Stefan Winners (Burda Digital Board Member), Christoph Braun (Acton Capital Partners) and Markus Englert (Texas Atlantic Capital) important tips that startups can use to score points during their pitch.
Everyone agreed on one thing: the most important thing is the founding team. Investors pay particular attention to this. After all, even the best idea can't thrive if the team behind it doesn't work. A startup pitch is like a first date: You should stay natural and not lose your sense of humor because of the excitement.
Investor legend Yossi Vardi then shared his experiences from the 86 investments he has made in his career. In a fireside chat, Florian Leibert, CEO of Mesosphere, and Burda's Digital Director Stefan Winners on the differences between the startup scene in Germany and Silicon Valley.
Typical pitfalls
The founder of the Cliqz-Browser Jean-Paul Schmetz spoke on the Startup Day'n'Nite stage about typical pitfalls that many startups repeatedly fall into. Many founders assume that their original plan will work. Instead of remaining flexible, they cling to their business idea and fail to adapt their company and employees to changing circumstances.
Let's get physical
This was also the topic of the next panel, in which three Munich startups reported on their journey. “Finally a product you can hold in your hand”, that's what an investor exclaimed in 2005 when he had the idea of Mymuesli between software startups at an event. 
In a panel with startups that also develop “products to touch”, the Mymuesli founder Max Wittrock and the founders Judith Gampe (Nova Products), Jenny Müller (The Fresh Manufactory) and Georgi Khubua (Solos Mirrors) about prototyping, expert advice and when to use their products.
Finally: Pitch Competition and Party
At the end of Startup Day'n'Night, ten startups pitched for the jury's favor. They selected the Stuttgart-based startup "The Female Company" as the winner of the traditional pitch competition. The pitch competition concluded the official part of the second Startup Day'n'Nite — the subsequent party once again provided a glimpse into the networking beginning of the conference.
Copyright photos: Fettich Film
