Even though Slush has grown and evolved throughout the years, the reasons why thousands of early-stage startups make their way to Helsinki have mostly remained the same. That has given us over a decade to fine-tune the value-adding opportunities we offer to our international startup audience. Take a glance at what’s new regarding our startup track, which has boosted countless startups to the next level and beyond. 

Slush 100

Slush 100 Pitching Competition turns the spotlight on the ones that are in the very center of Slush – the early-stage startups. Each of the 100 companies participating in the competition receives invaluable feedback, invitations to exclusive events with the most relevant people and, of course, stage time at the event. The winner receives great attention from investors, media, potential partners and future team members – not to forget the prize, which consists of exclusive services provided by top companies in their fields. Last year, Meeshkan was crowned as the winner of the competition and quickly went on to raise a seed round of €300k. 

This year, we’re bringing pitching to the people by organizing the pre-qualification of Slush 100 as a public event in the city center of Helsinki. That gives startups a chance to gain exposure within an even larger crowd than before.

Demo Booths

Hundreds of startups have the opportunity to showcase their company at Demo Booths at the designated Startup District, in the heart of the venue. Due to the central location of the area, Startup District is constantly busy, which makes it an exceptional opportunity to catch the eye of investors, partners, customers, media and talent.

In 2019, we have more Demo Booths than ever before, allowing as many startups as possible to have their footprint at the venue. 

Showcase Studio

Showcase Studio is an intimate space for selected startups and scaleups to let their product shine live on stage. At the Studio, pitching is cut off and focus is solely on product demonstrations, emphasizing the journey behind the development. Thanks to industry-based batches, the audience is filled with relevant investors, partners, and customers. After the batch is done, the companies that took the stage have an hour to present their product at our Showroom.

Last year, our guests were constantly queuing to catch a glance of the demos taking place in Showcase Studio. We learned our lesson, and in Slush 2019 the studio will accommodate a bigger audience of 150 while maintaining the intimate vibe.

You can apply to all the three concepts while filling in your startup application for the event, and if you are not yet convinced, check out what else we have in store here. 

Hope to see you in Helsinki on Nov 21–22!