"Road to START Summit" is the annual pitching competition organized by Munich's most entrepreneurial student initiative, START Munich. This electrifying event brings together the most innovative early-stage start-ups, all vying for a chance to shine.
Participants compete not only for a monetary prize but also for the extraordinary opportunity to pitch their start-up in front of an audience of over 6000 people at the prestigious START Summit in St. Gallen!
"RtSS is a great sneak peek at what you can expect if you make it to the final at the START Summit in St Gallen. Standing on stage in front of over 5,000 entrepreneurs, VCs and corporates and pitching your venture - If I recommend applying? Definitely!"
"I had a fantastic experience at the Road to START Summit last year. The energy was incredible, and the inspiring people were very accessible for chats. It was a great opportunity to connect and learn."
"The RtSS is a great opportunity to get to know a variety of local start-ups and gives you the chance to connect with students, start-ups and other people from the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Already looking forward to this year's edition!"
"If you are looking for inspiration and meeting with like-minded people - you can col-lectively find them at RtSS. If you are a start-up, this competition could be a great chance to get strong feedback. If you want to be inspired, book your ticket and see you there!"
"RtSS is a great sneak peek at what you can expect if you make it to the final at the START Summit in St Gallen. Standing on stage in front of over 5,000 entrepreneurs, VCs and corporates and pitching your venture - If I recommend applying? Definitely!"
"I had a fantastic experience at the Road to START Summit last year. The energy was incredible, and the inspiring people were very accessible for chats. It was a great opportunity to connect and learn."
"The RtSS is a great opportunity to get to know a variety of local start-ups and gives you the chance to connect with students, start-ups and other people from the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Already looking forward to this year's edition!"
"If you are looking for inspiration and meeting with like-minded people - you can collectively find them at RTSS. If you are a startup, this competition could be a great chance to get strong feedback. If you want to be inspired, book your ticket and see you there!"
The Road to START Summit is a series of events organized by START chapters throughout Europe. These events serve as warm-up gatherings leading up to the START Summit, which will be held in St. Gallen. The goal of these events is to identify promising start-ups that will represent START Munich at the START Summit and pitch their start-up in St. Gallen.
Where & when: It will take place on 9 December 2025, at the Freiheitshalle, Munich. The following START Summit in St. Gallen, Switzerland, will be from 19 to 20. March 2026.
1. Your startup was founded in 2023 or later
2. Your startup is in the Seed or Pre-Seed stage
3. You have to be an independent legal entity
4. We have no limitations regarding the amount of funding you have already received
5. Extra points if your startup has a deep tech focus
The Road to START Hack serves as a warm-up hackathon for the START Summit. RTSH is a weekend-long event where students from around the world come together to work on new software and/or hardware projects. Therefore, the Road to START Hack is a hackathon, whereas the Road to START Summit is a pitching competition.
