Munich Startup: Kira, what has your career path been like so far?
Kira Schilling, founder of My Event Pass: After my business administration degree, I started directly as a conference manager at “Bits & Pretzels” and immersed myself in the world of startups, event planning, as well as sales and marketing. This experience motivated me to become self-employed. I help companies, from large conferences to exclusive executive events, get everything up and running and establish events as a strong sales channel. Now I’m a co-founder at My Event Pass to make experiencing culture simpler and more accessible.
Munich Startup: What motivated you to found the company?
Kira Schilling: My passion for founding something of my own was awakened during my studies when I took the very first entrepreneurship course at the University of Bayreuth. This experience was not only incredibly exciting, but also the first conceptual step into the startup world. Our team won the course pitch and we were invited by a VC to Berlin. What I saw there in terms of companies, teams, and people really inspired me.
Kira Schilling wants to make cultural experiences easier
After graduation, I was drawn to Bits & Pretzels, an event for startups that was still quite small and only known locally at the time, which itself operated like a startup: full of vision, but without fixed processes or budget. This time gave me deep insight into the founder world and strengthened my desire to eventually found my own company. This wish became reality when I met my future co-founders Andreas and René. Both had already gained experience by founding a startup in the fitness sector that had implemented a subscription model similar to Urban Sports Club. I met Andreas through a mutual acquaintance, and it quickly became clear that we would work together extremely well. Our joint company My Event Pass, a cultural subscription for access to all cultural events in a city, launched in Munich at the end of last year and currently offers access to over 2,200 events at more than 440 cultural venues.
Munich Startup: What would you have liked to know before your first founding?
Kira Schilling: COVID hit the cultural industry hard, which is why we didn’t launch My Event Pass as planned. In a world where there were no more live events and organizers were only dealing with reversals, we had to pump the brakes. In retrospect, I would have wished for a bit more patience during this time. Nevertheless, we used the time to further develop our product and better understand our market. Since the end of last year we’ve been live and now we’re looking at the industry with much more confidence.
Seeking business angels with cultural interests
Munich Startup: How is your company financed so far?
Kira Schilling: We are currently completely self-financed and are looking for business angels who are interested in supporting us for the upcoming marketing campaign and expansion into other cities. We’d particularly welcome those with an interest in or connection to culture.
Munich Startup: When and where do you get your best ideas?
Kira Schilling: My best ideas come to me when I’m in motion. Whether it’s jogging somewhere in nature or taking a relaxed walk. Sometimes I also find inspiration in quiet moments, away from all digital distractions, with a cup of coffee on the couch.
Munich Startup: What are your three favorite work tools?
Kira Schilling: In my daily work, three tools are absolutely essential: 1. Google Docs and the entire Google ecosystem behind it: Since I work mostly remotely, the ability to share and edit documents in real time is crucial. 2. Video conferencing tools (Meet, Zoom, Teams): The ability to conduct efficient meetings without traveling is decisive for me. It not only saves time but also increases flexibility. 3. ChatGPT: For writing and content creation, ChatGPT is a big help. It assists me in creating everything from emails to social media posts, as well as structuring ideas. I also see great potential for using AI to offer My Event Pass customers better, personalized cultural event recommendations. We’ve already started a first project on this.
A pitch must always be targeted
Munich Startup: Your top tip on “pitching”?
Kira Schilling: What I keep observing with startup teams and now experiencing myself: A pitch must always be targeted. It’s essential to ask yourself who you’re standing in front of and how you can mutually benefit from each other. Authenticity and a clear understanding of what connects both sides are crucial. Ultimately, the right investor isn’t just a capital provider, but must also fit the team in terms of content and personally.
Munich Startup: Does it seem to you like a good time to found a company right now? Why?
Kira Schilling: I’m convinced that there’s always the right time to implement a good idea. You shouldn’t wait for the perfect opportunity, but rather take the initiative and get as far as possible with the resources at hand. Currently, I keep hearing that it’s a difficult time to get startup investments. We just started the funding phase for My Event Pass a few weeks ago, and I’m very confident about us and our business model right now.
Kira Schilling: There’s still plenty of room for innovation in the cultural industry
Munich Startup: What technology or industry would you focus on with your next founding?
Kira Schilling: For me, the cultural industry is exactly the right field. Currently, much of it is still analog or not really user-friendly. Many processes are complicated, and the market is dominated by big players like Eventim. This leaves little room for smaller platforms, tools, events, and artists to flourish. The Corona pandemic vividly showed us how important it is to get out and experience things with friends and family. Just sitting on the couch watching Netflix doesn’t make us happy either. This experience has shown that there’s still plenty of room for innovation and improvement in the cultural industry. I’m convinced that this sector will see a lot of change and I’m looking forward to being part of this development with My Event Pass.
Munich Startup: What do you think could be improved at Munich as a startup location?
Kira Schilling: A lot has happened in recent years, and Munich has already developed into a vibrant ecosystem for startups. When I started at Bits & Pretzels in 2015, it was just getting started. Now there’s a lot on offer, which I think is great! In my view, what could be improved is more intensive collaboration between the different players to maximize synergies and create an even stronger sense of community.
Curiosity, vision, and courage
Munich Startup: Which founder would you like to meet in person? And what would you ask them?
Kira Schilling: I’ve been fortunate to personally meet many inspiring founders, including the minds behind Airbnb, Zendesk, Adyen, and Prezi, as well as German-speaking personalities like the founders of Runtastic, Food Panda, or Trivago. Their drive, their openness, and curiosity impressed me. Despite their constant travel and high profile, they were remarkably down-to-earth and accessible. I found their curiosity and openness to new ideas and projects, even from smaller players in the startup world and from our team behind the conference, admirable.
I’ve also worked closely with experienced founders. Leading the way are the three Bits & Pretzels founders and experienced entrepreneurs Andreas Bruckschlögl, Felix Haas and Bernd Storm van’s Gravesande, who showed me what’s possible with curiosity, a big vision, and the courage to implement it.
Today I’d like to meet Trevor Noah, the entrepreneur and host of the podcast “Diary of a CEO”. I admire his ability to conduct deep and meaningful conversations, and I’d like to ask him his top tips for a good interview.
