Photo: Dan Taylor/Heisenberg Media

Interview with tech guru Mike Butcher

The Founders Festival Bits & Pretzels attracts the global tech and startup scene. Also Mike Butcher, one of Britain’s most influential people in tech and Editor-at-large of TechCrunch, will attend Bits & Pretzels.  We asked Mike some questions about Munich, upcoming trends and consequences of the Brexit vote.

We are glad to welcome you to Bits & Pretzels in Munich. What do you expect from the Founders Festival?

Lots of great ideas.

What do you have in mind when you think of Munich?

Cars and DLD.

In which fields and industries do you see the greatest potential for disruptive startup companies in the coming years?

AI, drones, transport, health are a few.

Not just Kevin Spacey and Ashton Kutcher but also German footballers, actors and celebrities are involved in startup companies. When did technology and entrepreneurship become sexy?

When it started making a great deal of money for the investors and screwing around with old, slow moving industries.

You strongly oppose Britain leaving the EU. Is there an impact of the Brexit vote on British startups already? Do you know London-based startup companies that consider relocating to mainland Europe?

It’s still too early to say. Plenty of companies will find a way of trading in the EU but still staying in London. The main issue is attracting staff to a country which will have uncertainty about visas for at least the next 2 years.

Do you think other European cities can benefit from the Brexit vote? How should Munich deal with the situation in your opinion?

They should ignore the Brexit vote and just do their best to make a great environment for entrepreneurs and startups.