News & Podcast

Vera Meinert traded her secure job for her own startup. On Pitch & People, she talks about loneliness, responsibility, and her journey with Diafania.

Clero aims to bring Munich locals together for shared hobbies. On Pitch & People, founder Tjard Püschel talks about his idea and a setback before launch.

Seven startups, up to 90 seconds, and one task: explain their business model as precisely as possible. For a special edition of our videocast Pitch & People at Bits & Pretzels 2026, we brought founders from AI, defense tech, compliance, recovery, and rescue tech in front of the camera.

Florian Küster knows the cost of founding: failed projects, broken friendships, and total exhaustion. On Pitch & People, he talks about his novel “Isar Valley”.

At 29, David Cañadas Link learned that an incurable eye disease was progressively impairing his vision. His search for everyday support eventually gave rise to Coby: an AI plush toy designed to accompany children through big emotions and recurring routines. On Pitch & People, the Munich founder discusses his journey, a crucial pivot, and the limits of artificial closeness.

A major retail company offers access to numerous stores – and Epique turns it down. In Pitch & People, Martin Luible explains why growth can also become dangerous and how the former Vapiano manager and his wife took over a patisserie without any manufacturing experience, aiming to develop it into an international lifestyle brand.

Working 60, 70, or even 80 hours a week is quickly associated with special dedication and success in the startup world – for HR expert Ilya Ballier, this very equation is problematic. In the Pitch & People videocast, she talks about why permanent stress is not a sustainable growth model, which warning signs founders should take seriously, and why startups need clear HR structures early on.

Summertime is vacation time. And so our Pitch & People videocast is also taking a summer break until early September. To make sure you don’t get bored waiting for the next episode, we’ve put together the five best pitches from a year of Pitch & People for you. Enjoy watching and have a great vacation!

Trees can’t say when they’re thirsty. The Munich startup Treesense wants to change that. With sensors directly inside the tree, the team makes water stress measurable – helping cities water their trees more purposefully. This saves water, working hours and, in the best case, thousands of trees. Semir Babajic, co-founder of Treesense, in conversation on Pitch & People.

What began as a side project between two agency managers developed into one of Germany’s best-known supplement brands within a few years. In the Pitch & People live talk at the Kinoliebe Festival, Marlena Hien explains why Bears with Benefits was never reliant on investor funding, why profitability was underestimated for a long time – and why the exit was still the right step in the end.

Declining reach, shrinking advertising revenues, and AI fundamentally changing internet search. Many publishers are under pressure. Munich-based startup Articly wants to address this precisely: using AI, the team transforms articles into audio briefings and podcasts within minutes. In the videocast Pitch & People, co-founder Lukas Paetzmann explains why audio could be a major opportunity for journalism.

Declining reach, shrinking advertising revenues, and AI fundamentally changing internet search. Many publishers are under pressure. Munich startup Articly wants to tackle this precisely: Using AI, the team transforms articles into audio briefings and podcasts within minutes. In the videocast Pitch & People, co-founder Lukas Paetzmann explains why audio could be a major opportunity for journalism.