Financing Journey

How do startups and investors co-create sustainable value through financing? On stage, founders and VCs reveal how they built trusting relationships, for capital and vision to align in 2025. Join us to learn what makes financing a journey, not just a transaction.

Our focus at Bits & Pretzels 2025 is on the Financing Journey. We explore how startups and investors navigate the complex path of funding — from first investment decisions to international growth. Financing is not simply a deal; it is a process built on trust, vision, and long-term collaboration.

Our speakers’ experience and unique perspectives inform the discussions on and off stage tell their stories. In “How Investors Decide in 2025” , leading VCs and fund managers explain how they assess opportunities, balance risks, and shape portfolios for the next generation of innovation. Amanda-Stella Birkenholz, Bettine Schmitz, Cailin Greiner, Pawel Schapiro, and Alexander Schmitt will let you in on how they decide where to invest next and how they build the foundations and relationships necessary for success. In “How Startups Raise in 2025” , entrepreneurs share their lived experiences of attracting capital, building investor relationships, and structuring deals that foster sustainable growth. We are excited to hear from leaders like Yasin Tatar, Louisa Desel, Dominik Novakovic, David Oudsandji, Jana Krotsch and Andreas Schumacher how they closed deals and unlocked capital.

Together, these case studies demonstrate that financing is not an isolated event but a continuous journey. By aligning investor expectations with founder ambition, the Financing Journey shows how capital becomes a catalyst for resilience, innovation, and international competitiveness.