Bits & Pretzels
CFO CIRCLE

Join a curated community of finance leaders from Europe’s most ambitious startups and scaleups. The CFO Circle is your exclusive space to connect with top-tier VCs, exchange insights with peers, and dive deep into the financial challenges that really matter.

Real talk. Real connections. Real value.
Get your ticket now

Date

29 Sep - 01 Oct 2025

within the Bits & Pretzels Festival

Venue

Trade Fair Grounds & Oktoberfest

How to access?

all ticket
categories

Why It Pays to Be in the Circle

Efficient
Networking

Meet 1,500 leading VCs and 200+ CFOs of the fastest growing companies in one place.

High-Impact
Insights

Curated discussions on the latest tech for ambitious finance departments.

Exclusive
EVENTS

CFOs will be invited to exclusive events within the festival.

Efficiency
& ROI

Get months of networking done in just three days, maximizing time and opportunities.

Unforgettable
Setting

The Summit is part of the Bits & Pretzels Festival and takes place during Oktoberfest — there's no better time to be in Munich.

Experience All Benefits

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Preliminary Agenda

Join us for a day of impactful networking and strategic dialogue.
Gain exclusive insights from top industry leaders and peers.

September 30th

TBD

Finance-Ready from Day One
  • Scalable financial stack: Tools, workflows & KPIs that grow with you
  • Investor-ready setup: Clean books, smart forecasting & BWA logic
  • Financial clarity as your growth engine
  • Bringing in finance expertise: When and how to level up with external talent
  • Lessons from fast-scaling startup journeys

TBD

Financials That Convert: What Investors Really Want to See
  • Why most investor decks miss the mark on financials
  • The metrics investors care about: Burn, Runway, CAC, CLTV, Payback, MRR growth & more
  • How to build a financial story that gets investors excited
  • What to include (and leave out) in your financial appendix
  • Real examples from early-stage to Series A rounds

‍

TBD

Fundraising Unfiltered: What Top CFOs Would Never Do Twice
  • Avoiding the Vanity Trap: Traction ≠ Strategy – how storytelling should evolve with stage
  • Legal, DD, and Term Sheet Pitfalls: Costly oversights and what to lock down early
  • Team Dynamics During Fundraising: What gets ignored (and shouldn’t)
  • Controlling the Narrative: Balancing transparency and positioning
  • War Stories & Confessions: Rapid-fire round on “never again” fundraising moments

Tuesday, Sept 30, 8:00 - 9:30 am

CFO Breakfast (invite-only)

Kick off your morning with fellow CFOs and an exchange on the most pressing challenges finance departments currently face.

Save your limited spot for the CFO Circle

Meet 1,500 leading VCs and 200+ CFOs of the fastest growing companies
Private networking lounge for investors.
3 in 1: Get one ticket and experience the full 3-Day Bits & Pretzels experience.
Get your ticket now

speakers 2025

Name Surname
Position, Company name
Name Surname
Position, Company name
Name Surname
Position, Company name
Name Surname
Position, Company name
Name Surname
Position, Company name
Name Surname
Position, Company name
Sven Strohband

Managing Director

Khosla Ventures

Niklas Zennström

Founder & CEO

Atomico

Franziska Kayser

Partner, Head of European TMT

KKR

Andrei Brasoveanu

Partner

Accel

Alex Lim

General Partner

IVP

Greg Schmitt

Head of Private Equity & Co-Investments

MEAG

Simon Schmincke

General Partner

Creandum

Darian Shirazi

Managing Partner

Gradient

Judith Dada

General Partner

Visionaries Club

Ara Yeromian

Managing Director

Teachers' Venture Growth, OTPP

Ciarán O'Leary

General Partner

BlueYard

Alex Schmitt

Partner

Lightspeed Ventures

Zoé Fabian-Frey

General Partner

Noteus Partners

MEET THE HOST

The CFO Circles program is carefully crafted by our host.

Sebastian Janus
Strategic Finance Expert for High-Growth SaaS & Ecommerce
Content Creator & Entrepreneurship

Sebastian is the Founder and a trusted advisor to CFOs navigating the growth journey from startup to scaleup. With a background as CFO and operator in high-growth tech companies and over a decade of experience in building scalable finance organizations, he knows what truly matters in the world of startup finance. His sharp eye for financial strategy and operational excellence makes him a strong voice in the CFO Circle — where he curates an agenda tailored to the real-world challenges and ambitions of modern finance leaders.

Still need a Ticket?

Don’t miss your chance to join 1,500 leading VCs and 200+ CFOs of the fastest growing companies.
Get ticket now

all investors in one place

Experience the business magic of Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest attracts millions—a unique blend of culture and tradition.
A key networking event—connect in a special setting.
Business at Oktoberfest? Now’s the time. Join us this September!
Richard Branson as a Table Captain sitting among the attendees at an Oktoberfest site
2023
Bits & Pretzels is home. The Home of Founders. People came for Michelle Obama and they stayed for the community.
2019
President Barack Obama joins Bits & Pretzels and leads an amazing speaker lineup.
2017
Bits & Pretzels establishes its quality over size rule and limits the number of attendees to 5,000.
2015
For the first time the Festival lasts for three days. The grand finale gathers 3,500 founders at the Oktoberfest.
2023
Bits & Pretzels is home. The Home of Founders. People came for Michelle Obama and they stayed for the community.
2019
President Barack Obama joins Bits & Pretzels and leads an amazing speaker lineup.
2017
Bits & Pretzels establishes its quality over size rule and limits the number of attendees to 5,000.
2015
For the first time the Festival lasts for three days. The grand finale gathers 3,500 founders at the Oktoberfest.
2024
Bits & Pretzels launches the first-ever Investor Summit and CXO Summit — setting a new standard for founder and investor networking.
2022
What a return after a two year break. It was time to reunite the European startup ecosystem and everybody joined.
2018
Tarana Burke, founder of the #metoo movement, opens the Festival to underline the commitment to diversity.
2016
5,000 attendees come to see the founders of Virgin, Airbnb, and other inspiring personalities.
2013-14
Wild first years. Started with only 80 participants at Hofbräuhaus the event grows to 1,400 attendees.
2024
Bits & Pretzels launches the first-ever Investor Summit and CXO Summit — setting a new standard for founder and investor networking.
2022
What a return after a two year break. It was time to reunite the European startup ecosystem and everybody joined.
2018
Tarana Burke, founder of the #metoo movement, opens the Festival to underline the commitment to diversity.
2016
5,000 attendees come to see the founders of Virgin, Airbnb, and other inspiring personalities.
2013-14
Wild first years. Started with only 80 participants at Hofbräuhaus the event grows to 1,400 attendees.

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 2025 and beyond.

Join our mission in helping founders shaping a better future.

FAQ

What's included in my ticket?
When should I arrive?
What airport should I fly in?
What is the appropriate attire for the summit?
benefitsagendaSpeakershostsAttend