VibeScout at Bits & Pretzels 2026: Creating Opportunities Instead of Waiting
Reaching out to people, gathering feedback, and creating new opportunities:
For the Funkenwerk incubator team VibeScout, Bits & Pretzels 2026 in Munich was a valuable experience. In addition to exciting encounters and new contacts, the team came away with, above all, concrete ideas for the further development of their own startup.
Don't wait—create opportunities
Everywhere you looked, there were founders, investors, and people with their own ideas and projects: Even on the very first day, it was clear just how much entrepreneurial spirit Bits & Pretzels brings together.
For VibeScout, one question took center stage: What happens when you don’t wait to be approached, but take the first step yourself?
Instead of waiting for the perfect moment, the team actively approached people and asked for feedback on their startup. A simple way to start a conversation was: “Can I pitch my startup to you in 60 seconds, and then you can tell me how I can improve my pitch?”
The result: a wealth of valuable feedback—not only on the pitch, but also on VibeScout, its development to date, and topics such as growth and fundraising.
A phrase from an event hosted by Gründerland Bayern summed up this experience: “Be positively annoying.” Essentially, this means being persistent in a positive way. After all, opportunities often only arise when you take the initiative yourself.
An event of its own—and real connections
A particular highlight was the organization of our own side event on the second day of the conference. The goal: to create a smaller, more relaxed setting where people could truly engage in conversation with one another—without the typical pressure to make as many connections as possible in the shortest amount of time.
The feedback reinforced this approach. Several participants reported that they were able to have particularly open and in-depth conversations at the event. At the same time, concrete new connections were formed, along with potential collaborations and interesting prospects for the future.
For VibeScout, this was an important lesson: You don’t have to know every answer before trying something new. What matters is having a clear goal in mind, taking responsibility, and learning as you go.
Learning from Other Startup Teams
The discussion with a founder who built Taste Town, a restaurant discovery app in the Czech Republic, was particularly valuable. The business model shares similarities with VibeScout. According to the team, the app has reached about half a million users.
Among other things, the conversation focused on how Taste Town collaborates with restaurants and creates added value for both sides through special offers: Users receive a concrete incentive to use the app, while restaurants potentially attract new guests.
For VibeScout, this resulted in a concrete approach for the next phase of development: In addition to the product itself, the focus will shift more toward growth, reach, and community in the future.
Discussions with investors also made it clear that a good product alone is not enough. It’s equally crucial to get people excited about your idea, build an active community, and make it as easy as possible for users to share and recommend the product.
The most important lesson: Don't just build the product
Bits & Pretzels has opened up new perspectives for VibeScout—both for the startup’s continued development and for the founders’ own outlook.
Going forward, the team wants to focus more on community building, organize its own events, involve local partners, and get to know its users even better. At the same time, VibeScout aims to create additional incentives for discovering interesting places and planning new experiences together.
The most important lesson from Munich can be summed up in a few words:
“Ask questions. Talk to people. Create opportunities. Be positively persistent.”
For VibeScout, entrepreneurship isn’t just about having a good idea. It also means actively reaching out to people, asking questions, trying new things, and sticking with it—even when not every step is clear yet.
Would you like to learn more about VibeScout?
VibeScout is part of the Funkenwerk incubator program at the Technical University of Applied Sciences Augsburg. Want to learn more about the team and their idea?
Do you have a business idea of your own?
Do you want to turn an idea into a startup and are looking for support to take the next steps? Funkenwerk supports THA students, staff, and alumni on their journey to starting a business.
Discover Funkenwerk’s incubator program and find out what kind of support fits your idea.