## Introduction

Calling all visionary entrepreneurs! Bits&Pretzels, in partnership with TechUkraine, European Association for Software Engineering (EASE), and Kyiv IT Cluster, is thrilled to extend a special invitation to Ukrainian startups for the highly anticipated Bits & Pretzels 2023.

Are you the mastermind behind a groundbreaking tech startup? Does your innovative product or solution possess the power to revolutionize industries and transform the world? If you're ready to embark on an exhilarating journey, we invite you to join the most exhilarating tech event of the year!

Bits & Pretzels\
September 24-26\
Munich, Germany

## About the Event

Prepare to immerse yourself in the vibrant atmosphere of Bits & Pretzels, where the brightest minds, innovators, and disruptors from every corner of the globe converge. This grand festival will unite 5000 participants, including founders, investors, and influential figures in the startup realm. The event will take place at the prestigious ICM Internationales Congress Center.

We're on the lookout for startups in diverse tech-related fields that meet the following criteria:

* Companies that launched their Minimum Viable Product (MVP) in 2013 or later.
* Startups with a team size not exceeding 100 employees and funding amounting to less than 15 million euros.

At the festival, a dedicated Ukrainian stand, spanning an impressive 2x4 meters, will proudly showcase four handpicked Ukrainian startups. The primary goal of the stand is to demonstrate the immense potential of Ukraine's thriving technology sector and foster valuable connections.

As a gesture of support, the conference organizers offer pavilion space free of charge, with EASE generously covering half the cost of the booth. Participating startups are required to contribute a participation fee of €560, along with any associated logistics expenses.

## How to Apply

To seize this extraordinary opportunity, complete the comprehensive [application form](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeVPEFtI_G_GPIVyy12dCPSCgRBX64DjFedbAo-8DQDOy9avw/viewform), ensuring you provide detailed information about your startup, your exceptional team, and the purpose of your attendance at this illustrious conference.

Application Deadline: **September 20**

## Action Plan

* Accepting startup applications until September 20.
* On **September 21**, a captivating offline Open Call with the esteemed jury will be held in Kyiv, where four deserving startups will be selected to shine at the festival.
* On the same day, **September 21**, participants must transfer the participation fee to the EASE account and provide essential company details for stand branding.
* Stand preparation and publication of captivating startup information will be carried out **until September 22**.
* Finally, mark your calendars for the grand event itself, Bits & Pretzels 2023, taking place f**rom September 24 to 26**.

Don't let this golden opportunity slip through your fingers! Be a part of Bits & Pretzels and propel your startup to unprecedented heights. [Join us](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeVPEFtI_G_GPIVyy12dCPSCgRBX64DjFedbAo-8DQDOy9avw/viewform) in shaping the future of technology, where innovation knows no bounds!


Join the exhilarating Bits & Pretzels 2023 tech event in Munich, Germany! Open call for Ukrainian startups to showcase their innovative products and disruptive solutions. Don't miss this opportunity to connect with industry leaders, investors, and fellow visionaries shaping the future of technology. Apply now and be part of the most exciting startup festival of the year!

Unleash Your Startup's Potential at Bits & Pretzels 2023: Open Call for Innovators

# The "Dream Job" Myth: Why You Shouldn't Find Work You Love (But Should Create It)

Based on the insights of Sergiy Nozdrachov, inspired by the research of Gallup, Dr. Barbara Fredrickson, and Marcus Buckingham.

We’ve all heard the cliché: "Find a job you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life." Let’s be honest –  it sounds like something dreamed up by a jobless poet. For most of us, work often feels like something we just have to "survive" to get to our real life. But what if the problem isn’t the work itself, but the way we try to find "love" in it?

According to Sergiy Nozdrachov, a Gallup-certified strengths expert and business professor, the secret to professional happiness isn't about hunting for a perfect role. It’s about a process called Job Crafting.

### 1. Love is a Biological "Turbo Mode"

We often think of love at work as a romantic abstraction. However, research by Dr. Barbara Fredrickson, a professor at the University of North Carolina, shows that "positivity resonance" (love) is a measurable biological state.

When you experience micro-moments of connection and joy at work:

* Your cognitive functions expand.
* Your resilience hits a "turbo mode" (a study after 9/11 showed that people who felt moments of love and gratitude recovered from trauma significantly faster).
* You become more creative and less prone to burnout.

In short, love isn't a "nice-to-have" – it’s high-performance fuel.

### 2. The 1,500 "Luckies" and the Big Secret

Gallup once conducted a massive search for people who could genuinely say: "I have the opportunity to do what I love every day." They found about 1,500 such people.

The shock? Not a single one of them "found" that job. They didn't stumble upon a magical vacancy on LinkedIn. Instead, they found an acceptable job in a good organization and gradually built their role into something they loved. They turned a standard position into a customized fit for their talents.

### 3. The Three Languages of Love at Work

To stop "surviving" and start "loving" your 9-to-5, you need to look at three specific vectors (inspired by Marcus Buckingham’s Love + Work):

* WHY (Meaning): Do your personal values align with what you do? You might be a coder in a telecom company, but your "Why" isn't the code – it’s helping people stay connected to their families.
* WHO (People): Are you in "sync" with your team? Love thrives in environments where you feel mutual care and shared energy.
* WHAT (Tasks): This is the most important and most neglected part. What exactly are you doing from 9 AM to 6 PM? If you are an adventurer forced into a spreadsheet-heavy operational role (as Sergiy experienced during his time in Shanghai), you will burn out, no matter how much you believe in the "Mission."

### 4. How to Become a "Job Crafter"

If your current job feels like carrying heavy stones, don't quit just yet. Try Job Crafting (a methodology by Prof. Amy Wrzesniewski):

1. Task Crafting: Can you shift your schedule to spend at least 20% of your time on tasks that use your natural talents? Even small tweaks can recharge your battery.
2. Relational Crafting: Change how you interact. Spend more time with people who "light you up" and set boundaries with those who drain your energy.
3. Cognitive Crafting: Change your perspective. Remember the parable of the three stonemasons: one is "hauling rocks," the second is "earning for his family," and the third is "building a cathedral." Same task, different reality.

### 5. What if Love is Nowhere to be Found?

Sometimes, circumstances force us into jobs where love is impossible. If you’re in that spot, Sergiy suggests a "Backup Generator" strategy: Find love on the side. Realizing your talents (whether it's writing, analyzing, or creating) is a physiological need, like sleeping or drinking water. If your job won't let you do it, do it through volunteering, hobbies, or side projects. It will give you the energy to survive the transition until you can build a better professional reality.

You don't need to love 100% of your job. But if you can reach a point where you love at least 25% of your daily activities, you are already ahead of most of the planet.

Don't wait for a "dream job" to fall from the sky. Take the job you have and start crafting. Because in the end, love at work isn't something you find – it’s something you grow.

Research shows that 1,500 people who love their work didn't "find" it—they built it. Discover the Three Languages of Love at Work and how to recalibrate your tasks to trigger your biological "turbo mode."

Stop Searching for a Dream Job: Master the Art of Job Crafting

Beyond the LinkedIn Cliché: How to Use Job Crafting and the "20% Rule" to Turn Your Current Role Into a High-Performance Fuel Source.

The "Dream Job" Myth: Why You Shouldn't Find Work You Love, But Create It

When change stops feeling like progress, it starts feeling like noise. Learn to identify the signs of change fatigue, why it's a matter of trust rather than energy, and how to create the stable rhythms your team actually craves.

Change Fatigue: The Hidden Crisis in Modern Teams

It’s Not Burnout, It’s Exhaustion: Why Unlimited Flexibility Without Structure is Draining Enthusiasm and How to Restore Trust and Clarity in 2026.

Change Fatigue: Why Constant Innovation Quietly Exhausts Your Team

On December 20, 2023, Kyiv — Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship [/nnov8](https://www.cyberinnov8.com/) and [Unicorn Nest](https://unicorn-nest.com/), with the support of the [USAID Program "Competitive Economy of Ukraine"](https://www.facebook.com/usaidcep.ua/), are launching the Fundraising Lab project to increase investment maturity and help attract investments for 10 Ukrainian startups.

The 6-month initiative will run from January to June 2024 and will help startups raise capital from local and international investors, including venture capital funds and business angels. The FundraisingLab project offers practical support in the form of development of investment attraction skills, assistance in organizing and supporting an investment round, as well as building connections with the community of local and international investors.

“One of the biggest current challenges for technology companies is access to international capital. FundraisingLab project is designed to improve the level of investment maturity of Ukrainian startups and help ten of them with practical experience of growth and fundraising from local and international investors and business angels,” Sviatoslav Sviatnenko, CEO of /nnov8.

Unicorn Nest, which has already helped more than 300 startups from different countries to attract capital, and whose team members have facilitated investments for Ukrainian startups and scaleups in the total amount of more than $70 million (including Dmarket, SOCPrime, Dreamteam, Lemon.io and others) will become a partner of the project , providing its unique experience and innovative services in the field of fundraising.

FundraisingLab project allows you to use the unique experience of attracting investments in combination with the use of innovative services and online tools for attracting capital.

“We believe that Ukrainian startups have incredible potential and are proud to support their path to fundraising. FundraisingLab was created to help them realize their ambitions in attracting investments and grow in the international market through practical experience and a relevant community,” Denis Dovgopoliy, CEO of Unicorn Nest.

Ukrainian technology startups that attract an institutional round of investments in the amount equivalent to $1 million or more are invited to participate in the project.

Applications for the project will be accepted until January 19, 2024 inclusive.

The start of the project is January 22, 2024.

Read more details about the project and apply [via the link](https://fundraisinglab.com.ua/).

**ADDITIONAL INFORMATION**

The [USAID program “Competitive Economy of Ukraine](https://www.facebook.com/usaidcep.ua/)” supports Ukrainian business in order to increase competitiveness in the domestic market of Ukraine and in international markets, helps in building a simplified and transparent business climate, and also provides Ukrainian companies with opportunities to take advantage of international trade.

[/nnov8](https://www.cyberinnov8.com/) is a center of innovation and entrepreneurship, founded for the development of the technological ecosystem in Ukraine. The center helps potential and existing entrepreneurs create and scale startups as well as technology businesses.

[Unicorn Nest](https://unicorn-nest.com/) is a Ukrainian SaaS company in the FinTech industry, which with the help of services meets all the fundraising needs of startups.

MEDIA CONTACT\
Al’ona Guseva\
Head of PR and Communications at /nnov8\
[aguseva@cyberinnov8.com](mailto:aguseva@cyberinnov8.com)


Join the Fundraising Lab project launched by /nnov8 and Unicorn Nest in collaboration with the USAID Program "Competitive Economy of Ukraine." This 6-month initiative aims to enhance investment maturity and assist 10 Ukrainian startups in attracting capital from local and international investors. Benefit from practical support, development of investment attraction skills, and connections with a vibrant investor community. Apply now until January 19, 2024, and kickstart your fundraising journey in January 2024.

Fundraising Lab project announces a set of 10 startups to help attract investments

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