WHERE EUROPE’S FOUNDERS COME TO THINK BIGGER.
01/08
INSPIRATION STAGE
The flagship stage. Around 1,200 founders, investors and decision-makers in one room – and on stage, the people actively reshaping industries, capital and culture. Keynotes, fireside chats and moderated panels built around one principle: no performance, no PR. Honest stories. Unexpected perspectives. The kind of thinking that makes you reassess what you're building.
Speaking on this stage
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02/08
VISIONARIES
STAGE
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Across six dedicated sectors, we bring together the ecosystem’s leading visionaries who are actively moving the needle. No safe questions, no polished PR. This is a 60-minute deep dive built to be demanding, honest, and controversial. Our moderators skip the pleasantries and go straight for the real tension lines, forcing a raw exchange on market realities, failures, and the bold bets required to win the next decade.
Vertical AI · AI-native startups · Autonomous Agents · Enterprise AI · Workflow Automation
Robotics · Autonomous Vehicles · Drones · Industrial Automation · AI-driven Hardware
Cybersecurity · Defense Tech · Dual-Use · Critical Infrastructure · Geopolitics
The Fusion of Biotech, AI & Longevity
Quantum · Space Tech · Hardware Innovation
Fintech · Financial Infrastructure · Embedded Finance · Digital Assets · Cross-Border Systems
Logistics Tech · Manufacturing Innovation · Trade Infrastructure · Automation · ERP · Industrial AI
Speaking on this stage
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03/08
INVESTOR
STAGE
Built for the people who allocate it.
Two programs. One standard: depth over headlines.
Investors ↔ Investors – GPs and LPs in focused exchange on fund strategy, portfolio construction, market signals and data-driven VC. Peer-level. Analytical. No soundbites.
Investors ↔ Founders – Transparent conversations on investment theses, opportunity assessment and long-term value creation. The kind of candor you don't get in a pitch meeting.
Around 1,700 VCs and 300 LPs attend Bits & Pretzels. This is their stage.
Speaking on this stage
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04/08
STARTUP & CORPORATE COLLABORATION STAGE
Partnerships get built.
This stage serves as a strategic bridge between established corporations and the startup ecosystem, focusing on the practical scaling of AI and further emerging technologies. Accelerators, hubs, and infrastructure providers pitch their unique value to founders, while offering corporate leaders a direct look at market-ready solutions and the technical foundation that power them.
05/08
MASTER
CLASSES
We stripped away the conference noise to build a high-signal environment for founders who mean business. No crowded panels – just one expert, a hyper-focused masterclass, and real interaction.These 45 minutes deliver the exact tools you need to stop surviving and start scaling. Unlock the psychological habits of elite CEOs or master the operational blueprints of fundraising and sales. Pick your session wisely – seats are strictly limited.
Speaking on this stage
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06/08
DEFENSE FOR EUROPEAN SOVEREIGNTY STAGE
Government budgets won‘t just fund the future of European defense - it will be built by venture capital. Central Europe‘s largest venture capital gathering shines a spotlight on defense.Bits & Pretzels connects defense pioneers and policy leaders with 1,700+ investors to turn dual-use innovation into European sovereignty at venture speedEurope has the capital and brains to secure it‘s sovereignty - both collide at Bits & Pretzels.
07/08
PITCH
CORNER
Ten startups. One session. Industry-specific blocks so the feedback comes from people who know your market – not generalist observers.
Each startup gets 90 seconds, then 3 minutes of direct response from investors and specialists in the room. The feedback is concrete: gaps in the value prop, questions your pitch doesn't answer, what would make them lean forward. No "great energy." No safe applause.
08/08
STARTUP GERMANY STAGE
Hosted by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. Six hours. Founders, investors, researchers, corporates, and policymakers in one room, talking about what it actually takes to build out of Germany and into the world.No theory. Sessions cover the whole arc: early research, company creation, venture clienting, scaling, international expansion. The people on stage have done it, or funded it, or built the infrastructure around it.Every session connects to the Startup Germany exhibition next door: matchmaking, introductions, and follow-up conversations included.