The semifinal on Digital Sovereignty will include, among other things, Vaeridion from Munich. For the startup's founders, this is their first visit to a Bits & Pretzels event; they only founded their company in 2021. Before that, they worked for many years in the industry. Co-Founder Ivor van Dartel says: "The first Bits is very refreshing for us. This is a new world that we are now part of." The startup is working on a solution for the electrification of air traffic. From its presence at the trade fair and especially from the pitch at the competition, he hopes to draw attention "for projects like ours that address the world's major problems. The era of SaaS should be over now, please. I believe the future lies in hardware." In addition to Vaeridion, the Munich startups are also pitching Reverion, Exomatter and Kiutra in this semifinal. (Photo: M. Feigl / Munich Startup)