The Capital Hub of the European Ecosystem.
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Europe’s most unique
Founders Conference
DAY 1 + 2
Conference
Two days filled with relationship building, discussions and a highly curated speaker line-up, providing you with insights for winning.
DAY 3
Oktoberfest
Doing business at the Munich Oktoberfest sounds crazy? It is – but the most unique networking experience you’ll ever make!
Crack the toughest market in years
Fundraising is slowing, LP expectations are rising, the VC model is changing. We unpack what is really happening and how you should respond.
1,700+ GPs
The top-decile of venture investors unites to find access to the next unicorn.
300+ LPs
The highest number of attending LPs of any European startup conference.
YOU
right where deals are won, funds are raised, and great stories are written.
WHERE THE RIGHT PEOPLE KEEP SHOWING UP YEAR OVER YEAR
In a market defined by limited time and rising expectations, this is the one date unicorn founders, top-decile GPs, and tier-1 LPs consistently prioritize. The one place where access, insights, and dealflow converge.
3,000+
Founders
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1,700+
Investors
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300+
INSTITUTIONAL LPs
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Maximize your impact
Investor Lounge
The dedicated base camp for high-value investor networking. Connect with fellow VCs, Angels, CVCs, PEs, and LPs in a distraction-free environment. With an additional investor-only matchmaking concierge, stop leaving connections to chance. The matchmaking desk is available directly in the camp to actively support your networking goals and facilitate the right introductions.
Investor Stage
Private markets are going through a major transformation. We unpack what is really changing and how you should respond. Insights, trends, and strategies, all distilled into a condensed two-day program. On stage, we address:
Winning the Hardest Fundraising Market in 15 Years: How are GPs adjusting to longer cycles, tighter LP scrutiny, and shifting allocation strategies?
Reinventing the Investment Firm: How are AI and new operating models changing sourcing, decision-making, and portfolio management?
The Deep Tech Renaissance: Where is real alpha emerging, and what does it take to invest in science-driven companies?
LP Roundtables
Closed-door, 45-minute discussion sessions hosted by 1-2 leading LPs. Limited to a maximum of 15 participants and held under Chatham House Rules, this format allows for genuine, off-the-record exchange.
Investor Reception
Connect with fellow VCs, Angels, LPs, and key stakeholders in a curated, intimate setting designed to foster deep, high-trust relationships right before the KickOff of the main conference.
LP/GP Breakfast
A small-group, highly curated gathering that provides an intimate setting for LPs and GPs to connect in the early hours of the second conference day.
LP x Emerging Manager Matchmaking
A highly curated format that sets up structured 1:1 or small-group meetings between 20-30 institutional LPs and emerging VC managers who are actively fundraising. Stay tuned for the registration to open soon!
Data-Driven Matchmaking Engine
Pre-event matching between LPs and GPs based on precise criteria like strategy, fund size, and allocation interests to ensure highly relevant 1:1 meetings before you even arrive.
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Startup Exhibition
The physical hub for dealflow, featuring over 250 rotating exhibition spots for pre-vetted startups and scaleups (Pre-Seed to Series A), making it highly efficient for sourcing and identifying new leads.
Golden Pretzel Award
A highly curated format where 20 elite Business Angels act as scouts and present the single best startup from their portfolio, guaranteeing extremely high-quality signal for investors in the audience.
Pitch Corner
Located right in the center of the startup exhibition, this fast-paced open-mic stage features 90-second pitches without slides, allowing investors to quickly scout a high volume of early-stage founders and hear live feedback from ecosystem experts.
Matchmaking Area
Data-Driven Matchmaking Engine: Pre-event matching between LPs and GPs based on precise criteria like strategy, fund size, and allocation interests to ensure highly relevant 1:1 meetings before you even arrive.
Matchmaking Team & Area: A central hub staffed by a team of over 70 trained matchmakers whose sole purpose is to actively guide attendees and facilitate targeted, relevant introductions.
First Investment Speeddating: A highly structured matchmaking format designed for maximum efficiency. For example, investors introduce themselves in 30 seconds, and startups then queue up for 1-3 minute targeted pitches.
First Investment Speeddating
A highly structured matchmaking format designed for maximum efficiency. Investors introduce themselves in 30 seconds, and startups then queue up for 1-3 minute targeted pitches.
Side Events
Independent gatherings hosted by partners and external players, including private dinners and invite-only receptions. While they expand networking opportunities, they act as direct substitutes to official formats like the Speaker Dinner or Afterparty. Highly attractive to top-tier attendees, they can create a “brain drain” by drawing participants away from the core evening program.
Preliminary Investor
Agenda 2026
10:05 - 10:35
- How do you differentiate in a crowded VC market?
- What actually wins access, terms, and allocation?
- The strategy behind founder-preferred venture brands
10:35 - 10:45
- Where does data-driven VC create real edge?
- The current data-driven VC landscape
10:55 - 11:25
- The real use cases of AI in VC firms: deal sourcing, automations, decision quality
- What do the technologically most advanced VC's use AI for?
- AI in daily VC work: Have VC's increased their productivity?
11:25 - 12:10
- Can a univied european capital market unlock global competitiveness?
- IPOs, M&A, and the liquidity gap
- What investors need to know before the IPO window reopen
12:10 - 12:20
- What does the Scaleup Europe Fund change about growth funding in Europe?
- The ambition behind the Scaleup Europe Fund
12:20 - 12:55
- How can Europe become a global growth powerhouse?
- What we all need to do to make Europe successfull
- What will the next generation of growth funds look like in Europe?
14:45 - 15:30
- What does real VC value-add look like?
- From hiring and GTM to strategic leverage
- How to choose your right investor
15:45 - 16:20
- Six years of conviction, trust, and friction
- Case study of a relationship from $2.7M seed to $30M Series B
- Inside Raycast’s founder-investor journey
10:05 - 10:35
- When should you take the big round and when should you skip it?
- A lecture about speed and dilution
- Is there still enough dry powder for a "normal" seed round?
10:35 - 11:15
- What is the current view on the AI market from someone who invested early in Anthropic?
- What should be on your radar about BioTech / TechBio and Novel Compute?
- How do you invest to tackle the next Energy Crisis?
11:15 - 12:00
- Defense enters the venture mainstream. Is it a bubble?
- Will defense tech become venture capital’s next core category?
- Do dual-use, lethal autonomy, and ethical boundaries still scare off investors?
13:15 - 13:50
- Is 10 year VC fund too short for deep tech?
- Should there be an entire new fund category for deep-tech ventures?
13:50 - 14:00
- How do LPs distribute their capital in 2026?
- Geo, Stage, Data, Cycles, and ESG shaping commitments
14:00 - 14:35
- Does European venture really outperform US venture?
- Geography, valuation, DPI, and fund-return potential
- Two geographies, two GPs, two allocators. Oposing views only. Who is right?
14:35 - 15:05
- When do secondaries create value and when not?
- Deep-dive: Pricing, discounts, duration, and adverse selection
15:05 - 15:50
- Who is the return king? Private equity or venture capital?
- Which model builds more lasting economic power?
- Returns, impact, and non-financial value
THAT'S WHAT
INVESTORS SAY
“Scaleups across Europe are gaining momentum, with founders looking for the right partners to realise global ambitions. Now more than ever, growth investing is key. To keep Europe competitive, we need a powerhouse ecosystem where European innovation can truly scale. Bits & Pretzels plays a key role infostering exchange and connecting key players.”
“AI is no longer just a tool; it’s the foundation of the next industrial revolution. As I’ve said before - let’s be AI Makers, not Takers.
We need to build companies that are leading this transformation, not just riding the wave, but shaping it and redefining entire industries.”
“As LPs, venture capital for us is about more than providing funding. It’s about backing the leaders who will shape the future. We seek those rare partnerships where vision aligns with discipline, and ambition meets execution. Events like Bits & Pretzels are where those partnerships begin.”
“European tech markets are at an all-time high thanks to the success of tech entrepreneurs and private investors over the past decade. However, the flywheel of innovation needs liquidity to continue accelerating. [...] In the absence of vibrant IPO and M&A markets, secondary funds are more important than ever to build a fully functional private capital market in Europe. [...]”
“The next wave of global leaders from Europe will come from bold entrepreneurs with the right partners behind them. I believe in pairing capital with ambition to create momentum and Bits & Pretzels is where that starts.”
Our Investor Speakers
Dr. Andre Retterath
General Partner
Earlybird VC
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Hendrik Brandis
Co-Founder and General Partner
Earlybird
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Fabian Heilemann
CEO & Co-Founder
AENU
Filip Dames
Founding Partner
Cherry Ventures
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Hubertus Bessau
Partner & CMO
EWOR
Michael Wax
CEO
Forto Logistics SE & Co. KG
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Judith Dada
Co-CEO & Senior Partner
Langdock & Visionaries
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Robert Lacher
Founding Partner
Visionaries Club
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Leyla Holterud
Partner
Vintage IP
Alex Ferrara
Managing Partner
Bessemer Venture Partners
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Prof. Dr. h. c. Carsten Maschmeyer
CEO
Maschmeyer Group
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Ollie George
Director, Executive Talent
Sequoia Capital
Ben Fletcher
Partner
Accel
Evgenia Plotnikova
General Partner
Dawn Capital
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Rana Yared
General Partner
Balderton
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Klaus Hommels
Founder & Chairman
Lakestar
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George Robson
Partner
Sequoia Capital
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Harry Nelis
Partner
Accel
Seema Amble
Partner
Andreessen Horowitz
Moustafa ElBialy
CIO
Kleiner Perkins
Jeannette zu Fürstenberg
President & Managing Director
General Catalyst
Greg Schmitt
Head of Private Equity & Co-Investments
MEAG
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Ritika Pai
Partner
ICONIQ
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Simon Schmincke
Partner
Creandum
Franziska Kayser
Partner, Head of European TMT
KKR
Dominik Stein
Partner
EQT Growth
Tom Fitzherbert-Brockholes
Partner
StepStone Group
Enrico Mellis
Founder
Animal Syndication Company
Robin Haak
Partner
Robin Capital
Andrei Brasoveanu
Partner
Accel
Where Deals Get Done
Experience the business magic of Oktoberfest
Yes we really take thousands of startup people to a single tent at the real Munich Oktoberfest. And yes, it’s even more about business as it is fun.
Every table hosts a pre-booked meeting of 8-10 attendees. It’s a place where founders pitch, new partnerships are made, and business partners become friends.
It’s a day like nothing you have ever experienced.
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THE Munich startup ecosystem is burning hot
Munich became a powerhouse of b2b and deep tech startups. It is the heart of Europe’s most powerful economy, features world-class universities, and is home to huge enterprise companies like BMW, Siemens, and Allianz.
Coming to Munich is always a good idea. But coming for Oktoberfest and Bits & Pretzels makes it the best trip of your year.
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WHERE WE COME FROM.
Bits & Pretzels started as founders breakfast with just 80 participants. We dared to start and the spirit of supporting founders continues in 2026 and beyond.
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