After a forced two-year break, the startup industry is meeting again at the Founders Festival in Munich. Also present as a guest speaker: Hollywood star Arnold Schwarzenegger. The 75-year-old is harsh on European energy policy.

The sheer relief is with the three hosts of the bits

Because not only trade fairs like this are and were under pressure. The entire startup industry is struggling with the current situation and in some cases for survival. “We went straight from a great summer to a cold winter,” says Haas, describing his own situation with and after Corona. But it can also be applied to many of the founders in the room.

Hollywood star, entrepreneur and politician Arnold Schwarzenegger will ensure the best atmosphere at the opening. Appropriately dressed in leather trousers, a checked shirt and a waistcoat, Schwarzenegger entered the stage a little late in the morning. Schwarzenegger says it’s an honor to be the keynote speaker after Barack Obama in 2019. “They just wanted to make sure that a Democrat would speak one year and a Republican the next,” said the former governor of the US state of California.

Visions are important for sustainable success as an investor and entrepreneur. “Say No to No-Sayers”, Arnold Schwarzenegger calls to the founders in the hall and refers to his own rocky path as a native Austrian to bodybuilding champion and Hollywood star. Schwarzenegger, who in the past has regularly commented on social media platforms on current topics such as the Corona crisis or the Ukraine war, is also evident in Munich. “You have made yourselves dependent on Russia,” said the American by choice, referring to the ailing energy supply.

With more nuclear energy, Germany would have a much smaller problem, says Schwarzenegger. Around 5,000 people lost their lives in accidents involving nuclear power plants. Schwarzenegger is convinced that significantly more people die every year as a result of the consequences of coal energy and fossil fuels.

Die Bits

According to Pausder, anyone who has had to accept layoffs due to the crisis can quickly hope for a new job. This is all the more important because Germany is still lagging behind when it comes to digitization and therefore many future issues. Pausder demands: “We have to train people so that the innovations come from us in the future.” Innovations that may then be in the bits