In 2008 Slush was born in the middle of The Great Recession as the beacon of hope. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, startups are now facing unprecedented challenges, and help is needed perhaps more than ever. Much like in the early days of Slush, we want to bring hope for entrepreneurs amid the uncertainty also now. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has made us rethink our plans for the year.

We don’t know how the global coronavirus pandemic will evolve, what will happen over the next couple of weeks, let alone in November. While the annual main event here in Helsinki has always been our crown jewel, and the highlight of the year for our community, we have made the decision not to organize the Slush 2020 event.

Instead, we will pursue our mission of helping founders in other ways that are better suited for these challenging times.

This change of direction might come as a surprise, but for us, this is the only responsible course of action to take as the health and safety of the Slush community remains our top priority. In addition, it would have been irresponsible to overlook the possible financial ramifications not only to Slush, but also to our partners, vendors, and visitors in case we would have been forced to cancel the event closer to November.

Our goal is to find solutions that allow us to help the startup ecosystem during not only these challenging times but also in the years to come, without putting the future of Slush at risk.

Moving forward, we’ll focus all of our efforts on finding the best possible ways to help founders struggling due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We believe that during times like these, Slush can help startups 365 days of the year instead of just the two days in November. For example, we are already working on new ways to connect startups to investors and facilitate corporate-startup collaboration.

In addition, we’ll continue our new initiatives; entrepreneurship education program Slush Academy, online media Soaked by Slush and conducting research that benefits the whole startup ecosystem. We are also not ruling out the possibility to organize a smaller event for our community during the fall. This all depends of course on how the pandemic will evolve.

Finding new solutions has always been part of Slush’s DNA, and we are not going to give up our mission now – and neither should you. If history proves to be any sort of reliable predictor, the economic downturns have served as the launchpad for some of the world’s most incredible businesses. The next Microsoft, Google, and AirBnB will be built during these less than favorable conditions. Sure, it’s going to be hard. Way harder than in the booming market. But as the aforementioned and many other iconic companies have proved, there should be nothing that stops you from going after your dreams and we are going to be here to help you do it. 

Our team’s thoughts remain with everyone affected by the COVID-19 pandemic around the world. 

Miika

CEO, Slush