Munich Startup
Think global, network local: This was the Munich Startup Festival 2025

Think global, network local: This was the Munich Startup Festival 2025

Munich Startup Festival

Munich Startup Festival

Saskia Doll

Saskia Doll

Networking, keynotes & panels, startup pitches, and workshops – for the third time, the local startup scene gathered for the Munich Startup Festival on July 16, 2025 at Backstage in Munich. The goal: promoting a strong ecosystem that drives innovation and business equally.

July 17, 2025

3 min. read time

#Munich Startup Festival
1,500 founders, investors, companies, experts, and supporters from the Munich ecosystem met on July 16 for the Munich Startup Festival at Backstage in Munich. With four stages, workshops, panels, pitches, and a networking area, there was a full program throughout the day for startups, scaleups, investors, and the ecosystem. (Photo: Munich Startup)
“It’s wonderful to see so many participants doing exactly what we created this festival for: networking! The energy was palpable – the Munich startup ecosystem once again showed how strong it is and how well it works together. I’m curious to see what concrete successes will emerge from the Munich Startup Festival,” says Arno Eggers, head of Munich Startup. (Photo: Munich Startup)
On the Main Stage, a full program of keynotes and panel discussions thrilled visitors. In the political panel and the discussion about Munich as an innovation hub, Dr. Christian Scharpf, head of labor and economics at Landeshauptstadt München, and Dr. Fabian Mehring, State Minister for Digitalization, provided exciting insights. Scharpf emphasizes: “Munich is a European best practice where regional innovation power creates global impact.” Dr. Fabian Mehring understands the importance of supporting young entrepreneurs: “Founders must not be hampered by impractical overregulation – so that despite the complex requirements of the EU AI Act, they can bring innovation quickly, cost-effectively, and in compliance with regulations to market.” (Photo: Munich Startup)
In the pitch final of the Munich Startup Awards, UniteLabs proved itself live on stage and impressed the jury with its connectivity platform for biotech companies. It connects hardware and software systems in the laboratory across manufacturer boundaries and enables seamless, sustainable integration in just a few minutes. (Photo: Munich Startup)
Also well-attended: The pitching stage of Stadtsparkasse München. Outdoors, founders presented their business ideas. In the Impact Area, between talks on impact investing and pitches, there was also plenty of time for networking: In two speed networking sessions by The Matchmakers, the goal was to speak with as many people as possible within an hour – and then continue with the most promising conversations in a relaxed setting. (Photo: Munich Startup)
In parallel, startups and scaleups expanded their knowledge in workshops in the Club. Here there were practical insights on scaling, funding programs and financing, from protecting IP to learnings from partnerships between startups and corporates. (Photo: Munich Startup)
After the official program, there was still more room to network with cool drinks and pizza before heading to the festival’s afterparty. On stage, among others: Malik Harris, who stormed the top 10 of the German charts with his Eurovision Song Contest hit “Rockstars.” (Photo: Munich Startup)

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