Home match at Bits&Pretzels 2025
02.10.2025
Aline Kinzie
Event
When the start-up world meets in Munich, KIT is right in the thick of things: Bits & Pretzels 2025 brought our start-ups onto the scene, brought alumni together at our side event, and showed once again that universities do more than just provide ideas – they actively shape the ecosystem. As KIT-Gründerschmiede, we were there with Thomas, Daniela, Madeleine, Marvin, and Aline.
Bits & Pretzels is one of Europe’s largest start-up fairs. Thousands of founders, investors and innovators come together here to present their ideas, form partnerships and discover new trends. Normally, networking also includes the legendary Oktoberfest, which unfortunately had to be cancelled this time for safety reasons. Nevertheless, the atmosphere was excellent: from discussions at panel sessions to spontaneous conversations between the stands and our side event – we enjoyed the event to the fullest and had many inspiring encounters.
The KIT Innovators Get-together was an absolute highlight for us: around 40 KIT alumni from the start-up community came together for a relaxed evening away from the hustle and bustle of the trade fair to catch up, exchange experiences and make new contacts. The atmosphere was characterised by familiarity and excitement at the same time – like a class reunion, but with topics for the future. This side event impressively showed us how valuable and vibrant our network is, even outside of Karlsruhe. At the same time, it increased our anticipation for the KIT Innovators Homecoming 2026 in January. It is already clear that this meeting will be a milestone for our community.
KIT was also visible in the program. Our joint project NXTGN was presented in the panel on EXIST Startup Factories – with Adrian as a speaker alongside Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Katherina Reiche, among others. It was a moment that made it clear that we as universities are not only part of the debate, but are actively shaping it. In addition, there were program highlights for our team such as the OMR live podcast, the inspiring keynote speech by Jonas Deichmann, and discussions about the role of European AI and DeepTech in the start-up scene.
Beyond the program however, it was the encounters that made Bits & Pretzels special. Our team was particularly pleased about the exchange with colleagues from other universities – old connections were renewed and new ones were made. It became clear that the role of universities must become more visible and stronger in the start-up scene. Research, transfer and entrepreneurship must be more closely linked if we really want to shape innovation.
Our conclusion: Bits & Pretzels 2025 showed that KIT start-ups and alumni are not on the sidelines, but at the heart of the community. We return to Karlsruhe inspired – with lots of ideas, new contacts and great anticipation for what 2026 will bring.
