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CELEBRATING ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Slush has grown from a single gathering of 250 people in 2008, to an annual event bringing together the most relevant people in the startup ecosystem from around the globe.

While the size of our event has grown by leaps and bounds, our goal has stayed the same: we focus on how best to serve and create world-changing founders.

As a company, we serve startups and investors through our annual Slush event as well as our other products: a year-round online community Node by Slush, and our global events supporting nascent ecosystems, Slush’D.

Slush is a not-for-profit run by students and recent graduates. Our main event is made possible every year with the help of 1,600 ambitious and talented volunteers.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP REDEFINED

The pillars of Slush now and in the future are centered around the concept of Entrepreneurship Redefined.

At its core, it looks at how we aim to connect founders with what and whom they need while building a new, inclusive, and more purposeful culture of entrepreneurship.

This is because we fully believe our actions as a society over the next decade will determine the course of humanity for generations to come. Entrepreneurs building scalable solutions will be at the core of creating the solutions that will make that future a bright one.

OUR FOCUS

Here’s a closer look at the systemic problems we aim to tackle through our events, products, and initiatives:

DIVERSITY & INCLUSION IN TECHNOLOGY & THE STARTUP ECOSYSTEM

We are committed to tackling issues like biases, harassment, and the homogenous concept of what a “founder” is (the three-men-in-a-garage epitome is a thing of the past).

PURPOSE-DRIVEN FUTURE

We work to encourage and guide companies to acknowledge their greater responsibility not only to shareholders but to the planet, society, and their employees.

REVOLUTIONARY INNOVATION

We want to inspire the current and future generations to tackle complex problems and collide people from different areas of expertise.

OUR MISSION

We believe entrepreneurship is the most efficient way to create human progress. We need more builders. At the same time, building companies is hard.

Therefore, we think our role is three-fold: inspire, help and collide.

  • Inspire the current and future generations to solve hard and complex challenges
  • Help these people to build
  • Ensure that these people meet each other

In other words, we want to create and help founders to change the world.

OUR VALUES

BE CURIOUS

Slushers are some of the most curious people you will come across. We ask a lot of questions. We have strong opinions, but we are curious to hear reasons why we might be wrong. We refuse to act on the information we don’t fully understand. Many of us read voraciously. When we meet new people, we delight by being genuinely interested in them. Internally, we share what we’ve read and learned. Some of us have personal interests that border on irrational.

This is important for three reasons:

  1. Slush is a workplace that gives young people more responsibility than any other. What we lack in experience, we must make up for in curiosity.
  2. In our efforts to build a one-of-a-kind event and community, we have ventured beyond where any other event organizer has gone. No playbook exists for the work we do. Every day, we must answer questions that haven’t been asked before.
  3. Slush is not a destination it’s a launchpad. While we truly care about the work we do at Slush ultimately, we recognize that the measure of our time here will be everything Slush helps us do down the line.

TRUST BY DEFAULT

At Slush, trust is not earned, it can only be lost. From your first day as a Slusher, every person believes in you more than you believe in yourself.

We show this trust in ways that set us apart from most workplaces:

  • At Slush, decisions should be made by the team member who owns the corresponding domain. We trust each other to seek out the necessary perspective to make an informed decision.
  • We share all information openly. We believe that ample access to information results in the best work, and trust our colleagues to do what’s best for Slush with this information.
  • We are remote-first and highly flexible in working habits. We trust and encourage our team members to arrange their work in a manner that maximizes their productivity and well-being.
  • At Slush, leadership is a division of responsibilities, not an expression of hierarchy or a command chain. We trust every Slusher to act as if they were the founder of their own domain.
  • From Day 1, we trust our colleagues to be exceptional spokespeople for Slush.

Importantly, a company operating at this level of trust can only ever work if each of us tries hard to live up to that trust. In doing so, we are guided by our other eight values.

NEVER SETTLE

At Slush, we believe that only those who never settle thrive. In the past decade, we’ve built the world’s leading startup event with a group of students and volunteers. However, we are only getting started. We will never stop asking “what next?” and “how could this be improved?”.

In fact, we work in an ecosystem that was designed to dethrone incumbents. Therefore, we, if any, should know that category leadership is transient. Getting here was the easy part. The hard one is that which stretches out ahead.

The startup ecosystem reminds us that legacy and creativity are hard to reconcile. While we build on the great work we’ve done over the years, we must constantly evaluate that work from first principles, as if nothing had come before us. Equally, we don’t hire people who can execute a checklist, we hire those who can throw it out the window and redefine how to get to their goals. At Slush, every day is Day 1.

EXCELLENCE IS A HABIT

Attention to detail compounds over time. Even in startups, excellence is nothing more than a habit. For that, we have high standards for ourselves in doing the basics right:

  • We respect the intense struggle of the entrepreneurial process. When dealing with our community, we always show up on time and communicate promptly.
  • We respect the time and effort of our colleagues. We stick to commonly agreed routines and aim to put our progress out there to ensure our team has full information at all times.
  • We always close the loop – both internally and externally. If we are unsure, we say “I’ll figure it out and get back to you.”
  • We understand that there is always more work to be done than hours for doing it. To achieve our objectives, we actively take time to prioritize, de-prioritize, and plan our work.

By being consistent with the basics – even when no one is watching – we create an environment where we can expect the same from others. That, in turn, preserves our headspace for solving hard problems that deserve our attention.

STRIVE FOR CLARITY

We are a complex company. Very few organizations of 30–50 people have 17 teams, 4 main products, and thousands of customers. Even fewer employ a team whose average experience with the company is less than a year.

For these reasons, we try to be very clear in the following three actions:

  • Communication. Unclear or insufficient communication is a common root cause of failure. Therefore, we communicate succinctly, ask the right questions while providing ample context, and question our colleagues when we suspect we’re being asked the wrong ones. We put extra effort into documentation.
  • Decision-making. Every Slusher owns nearly all decisions related to their domain. Even after a heated debate, once a decision is made, we expect our colleagues to stand behind it. Therefore, we seek ample perspective before making a decision, reason rigorously, and then communicate clearly. At Slush, a decision isn’t considered made before it has been communicated to everyone who it might affect.
  • Leadership. As leaders, we recognize that our most important job is to reduce complexity. We set goals that clearly communicate what we expect of our team members and by when. Subsequently, we help our teams do intentional, clear, and specific work. We ask “why?” over and over again. When a team member gets really stuck, we are there for them with clear guidance.

Each of these modes of clarity is underpinned by a clarity of thinking. That is one of the core traits we look for when hiring.

Lastly, it’s worth mentioning that clarity and complexity can rarely be reconciled verbally. Therefore, in pursuing clarity, we default to writing.

CARE DEEPLY

We care deeply for our work and about our colleagues. We are curious to get to know our team members and proactively ask how they are doing. Even if in a hurry, we take time to pause and listen.

Work at Slush is about us, not me. We win and lose as a team and help beyond our own responsibilities. We own our failures and embrace them as a collective opportunity to learn. Moreover, we make sure to celebrate everything from the tiniest wins to major achievements.

We give and ask for candid feedback to help each other grow. We steer clear of gossip and encourage giving feedback directly by asking, “have you said this to…?”.

When encountering something uncomfortable or against our culture, we don’t close our eyes but run towards the pain.

DEFAULT TO ACTION

Like the startups we work with, Slush works best when we execute early and iterate rapidly. While we value rigorous thinking and thoughtful plans, we acknowledge that we rarely know the final solution before starting to work on it. We believe everything is a “work in progress” and therefore share our work openly for feedback, both internally and externally, already before it’s ready.

We recognize the difference between half-done and half-thought. While the former is acceptable and part of the iterative process, the latter is something we try to avoid. We aim to think-share-improve instead of making our colleagues do the thinking for us.

We are frugal like a startup, and default solving problems with creativity over budget. Whenever it makes a difference, we are ready to get our hands dirty and do things that don’t scale.

Slush trusts you more than you do. To complete our work, we first ask ourselves “can I do this myself”, and only then ask for help. More often than not, we learn something very useful along the way.

STAY HUMBLE

Slush exists to help and create founders to change the world. To pursue our mission, we actively put founders first in everything we do.

We acknowledge we’re not (yet) founders ourselves but make an effort to understand the founder mindset by going out there to ask, listen and read.

At Slush, all founders are equal. It does not mean that we serve every founder similarly, as founders’ needs differ based on where they are in their journey. It means that we obsess about solving founders’ problems at all stages.

We recognize that, while we’re at Slush, we have been put in charge of a project that is not our own. Ultimately, we know that doing what’s best for Slush translates into maximal personal learning for ourselves.

REDEFINE ENTREPRENEURSHIP

At Slush, we believe that entrepreneurship is the most efficient way to change the world at scale. Right now, perhaps more than ever, we face pressing problems to solve.

For these reasons, we feel a sense of urgency about shaping a brighter entrepreneurial future in Europe. We believe that it requires three axes of systemic change:

  1. We need companies to be built by diverse individuals that build in collaboration with the rest of society, including academia, governments, and the arts.
  2. We need those companies to take extraordinary risks that, if successful, change the future beyond recognition.
  3. We need them to pursue the most pressing problems of our time.

We call this Entrepreneurship Redefined.

We cannot enact this change unless we as a company live up to these same virtues. Therefore, diversity, inclusion, and sustainability are core to the way we build Slush. While we think deeply about the ethical questions inherent in technological progress, we strongly believe that better tech creates a better world.

OPEN POSITIONS

The Slush team consists of students and recent graduates looking to build a better world through entrepreneurship. Slush is not a destination, it’s a launchpad — we’re here to learn how to build great products and companies, and the measure of our time here will be everything Slush helps us do down the line.

FINANCE OPERATIONS

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM THIS ROLE

  • Responsibility for day-to-day finance operations, such as accounts receivables, accounts payables, payroll, monthly and annual closing processes, and audits.
  • Managing and overseeing our ticket tracking: processing tickets-related requests & transfers, owner of tickets tracking to ensure our revenue is tracked correctly.
  • Developing the finance function by suggesting and implementing changes or improvements to increase both accuracy and efficiency (invoicing flow, reconciliation budget & bookkeeping accounts, employee benefits, and other finance-related projects).
  • Managing customer service related to tickets and overseeing the tickets and finance inboxes.
  • Ensuring that Slush moves towards a more sustainable future: Taking part in Slush’s sustainability policy, emission calculations, and partnership compensations.
  • Recruiting, onboarding, and leading the Finance Team Leads. Team Leads are Slush volunteers who manage volunteer teams at Slush, such as the store team or tickets team.

WHAT WILL YOU GET

  1. As a part of the finance team, you’ll directly contribute to managing the finances of a company generating 10+ million euros in revenue — a level of responsibility that people typically get only after multiple years of experience across various finance roles.
  2. You will acquire invaluable leadership skills through recruiting, onboarding, and managing Finance Team Leads.
  3. You will be in arguably one of the best places to learn about startups and venture capital in the world. Due to our culture of “trust by default” and the constant need to renew ourselves, Slush has become one of the best founder & startup operator schools on the planet.
  4. You will build a unique network of people throughout the global startup & innovation ecosystem (VCs, founders, facilitators).
  5. You will learn what it is like to work in a fast-paced startup.

WHAT WE EXPECT FROM YOU

  • Some previous experience in accounting/finance, either through previous roles or academic studies, and a basic understanding of bookkeeping.
  • Process-oriented mindset and the ability to constantly look for ways to improve and streamline the finance function.
  • Excellent spoken and written communication skills in both English and Finnish. Unlike other roles at Slush, the nature of the Finance Operation’s work also requires excellent Finnish skills.
  • Ability to work and communicate effectively between internal teams as well as external stakeholders. This role involves constant collaboration with all Slush teams and a wide variety of external customers.
  • Ability to thrive in a fast-moving environment and perform under tight deadlines and pressure.
  • Great interest in or desire to learn about entrepreneurship, startups, and technology.

We at Slush don’t look for ready-made packages but rather for people with limitless potential. Your supervisor will support your growth and more importantly, relentless curiosity towards the role trump previous experience.

ABOUT THE FINANCE TEAM

You will be part of the two-person Finance Team and report directly to the Head of Finance, Ella. During the fall, the team will be expanded to include Finance Team Leads.

COMMITMENT

The role is a full-time and fixed-term position until the end of 2024. The role is based in Helsinki and we are looking for a candidate to start in May 2024.

At Slush, we work mainly at the office. Because of the physical nature of the work we do at Slush, working here will require an office presence, but partial remote work is possible. We trust and encourage our team members to arrange their work in a manner that maximizes their productivity and well-being.

If you have any questions about the role, feel free to message Ella at [email protected] (+358442902630).

We look forward to hearing from you!

We are interviewing people on a rolling basis and will hire as soon as we find our perfect candidate.

MARKETING & COMMS

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Marketing & Comms role is a part of Slush’s Studio Team, consisting of our Marketing, Communications, and Design functions. Together, we’re responsible for social media and website management, compiling the Slush Newsletter, executing creative campaigns, delivering pristine communications, and much more in order to develop our brand, drive sales, and serve our customers.

You’ll be part of a 6-person team that supports the mission of Slush by ensuring that we are seen and heard by our core customer groups consisting of startup founders, investors, and the wider entrepreneurial ecosystem. We’re always coming up with new and interesting ways of engaging and retaining customers and building a world-class brand. You’ll be working together closely with a diverse group of marketers, designers, and other creatives.

YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Working to achieve Slush’s common goals and personal, predetermined KPIs supported by other marketers and designers
  • Working closely with other Slush teams (Startups, Investors, Partnerships, Program, People, etc.) to support them in reaching their goals with strategic marketing
  • Ideate, copywrite, proofread, and publish engaging and relevant content on our social media accounts for our core audiences
  • Partake in the creation of creative campaigns from newspaper advertisements to video production together with the wider Studio Team
  • Engage with the startup community on social media, hopping onto the trends and discussions in the ecosystem
  • Edit our website through WordPress and create our Slush Newsletter through Mailchimp (don’t worry though, we can teach you how to use these!)
  • Copywrite for the Slush Newsletter which goes out regularly to an audience of 60,000+
  • Help out our customers in a personal way through emails and comments

IDEALLY YOU POSSESS SOME OF THE FOLLOWING

  • Excellent English skills for copywriting
  • Ability to come up with creative ideas
  • Excellent communication skills
  • Ability to take full ownership of projects and independently plan how to reach set targets through strategic and creative marketing
  • Digital marketing skills for example:
    • Running paid media campaigns
    • Using Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager
    • Ability to edit websites with WordPress
  • Interest in startups, the startup community, and entrepreneurship
  • Interest in different subfields of marketing, e.g., content creation, performance marketing, or media planning.

PRACTICALITIES

This is a full-time, paid position with an ideal start date in May or June. The role is fixed-term until the end of the year 2024.

The position reports to the Head of Marketing Campaigns.

While our team primarily works at our Helsinki office, due to the physical nature of our work, some office presence is required. However, partial remote work is also possible.

If you have any questions, feel free to message Liisi, Head of Brand and Growth, at [email protected].

We look forward to hearing from you!

We are interviewing people on a rolling basis and will hire as soon as we find our perfect candidate.

JUNIOR FULL STACK DEVELOPER

Are you our next Junior Full Stack Developer? Ready to dive deep into the startup ecosystem and build Slush’s products together with an ambitious and young group of developers and designers? Read on to see if we would make a perfect match for each other. We can’t wait to hear from you!

Requirements

Technical:

  • 1-2 years of experience with full-stack development
  • Git and common Git workflows
  • Typescript
  • PERN stack: PostgreSQL, Express, React, NodeJS
  • Databases, SQL, and schema designs
  • Cloud Platform and containerized deployment

Non-technical:

  • English fluency (technical and casual work settings)
  • Creative, driven, and adaptable to changes
  • Passionate about technology
  • Ability to learn quickly through work experience
  • Excellent problem-solving and critical thinking skills, task division, and prioritization
  • Time management, balancing tasks, and scheduling work autonomously
  • Ability to communicate effectively, both to technical and non-technical audiences

Responsibilities

  • Write maintainable, logical, and testable applications
  • Document software and write effective tests
  • Communicate with stakeholders/customer technical support
  • Collaborate with different internal teams
  • Identify and implement effective internal tools for teams, volunteers, and customers

Team

  • You will be part of the Dev Team for this role.
  • The team is responsible for building the digital tools and products surrounding the main event, used by internal teams, volunteers, and event attendees.
  • The team is also building year-round solutions for startups and investors, facilitating deals, ecosystem growth, and startup discovery. You can affect technical choices, and plan and contribute to the final product decisions.
  • The current team comprises of 5 full-stack developers, closely working with a UI/UX designer.
  • This position reports directly to the Head of Tech.

Bonus points

  • Interest in specialized fields: data engineering, machine learning, UI/UX, DevOps
  • Experience working in a collaborative software project or opensource
  • Product management skills
  • Interest in the startup ecosystem/Slush
  • Entrepreneurial mindset, ambitious
  • Good-to-know technologies/concepts (non-mandatory, in order of priority):
    • styled-components, zustand
    • GCP
    • Expo/React Native
    • Gitlab
    • Vitest/Jest
    • Monorepo
    • Microservices

Practicalities

  • This is a full-time, paid position.
  • The ideal start date is in May or June but can be adjusted
  • The role is fixed-term for 12 months from the starting date.
  • The team primarily works at our Helsinki office. Due to the physical nature of our work and culture, some office presence is required. Partial remote work is also possible.
  • If you have any questions, feel free to message Henri at [email protected]
  • Looking forward to hearing from you!

OUR TEAM

AINO BERGIUS
CEO

ANNASTIINA KOIVUSALO
Chief Content Officer

LIISI KORVENRANTA
Head of Brand & Growth

VILMA JUUSONEN
Head of Node

MAXINE BUCHERT
Head of Marketing Campaigns

KIMMO PESONEN
Developer

ELIN DÖLKER
President

MAIJA MUNTILA
Head of People

HILLA UOTILA
Head of Media & PR

KAROLIINA PÄRNÄNEN
Art Director

MARK HEIDMETS
Developer

NOORA SAKSA
COO & CFO

KONRAD KORDOWSKI
Head of Investor Relations

ELLA NORJA
Head of Finance

MIRANDA LEHTONEN
Head of Production

JUHA HOVINTALO
LP Relations

DIANA IAMANAEVA
Designer

HENRI MÄKIVIRTA
CPO

KALLE KOIVU
Head of Partnerships

JULIUS THIMM
Head of Program

STELLA KORPIKUUSI
Expansion (Slush’D)

HAU PHAN
Lead Developer

HENRI MARONEN
Developer

CONTACT US