Media at Slush
Slush is the melting pot of the startup ecosystem. Whether you’re looking to interview top speakers, catch up with VCs, or hear what founders in the earliest stages are building, everything is possible at Slush
About Slush
Slush is a not-for-profit organization on a mission to help and create founders to change the world.
Founded in 2008 as a 250-person gathering, Slush has grown into the world’s leading startup event—bringing together a curated crowd of European startups, world-class investors, and tech journalists.
While Slush is best known for its annual main event in Helsinki, an equally vital part of our mission is to inspire young people to pursue careers in tech and entrepreneurship. Slush is meant to be a human accelerator—giving young people their first step into the startup world, whether they go on to become founders, operators, or VCs. To this day, Slush is organized by students and recent graduates, and the main event is made possible by a team of 1,600 volunteers.
Our 2025 full-time team consists of 44 team members, of which over half identify as female or non-binary—rare for a company operating in the tech industry. 30% of the full-time team members hold a nationality other than Finnish.
Slush has also become a founder factory: 15% of full-time Slush Alumni have gone on to found their own companies after Slush, as revealed by research done by Slush in collaboration with Accel & Dealroom. Notable alumni turned founders include Miki Kuusi, co-founder of Wolt and current CEO of Deliveroo & Head of International at Doordash, and Andreas Saari, co-founder & co-CEO at Paebbl.
Slush is owned by the Startup Foundation, a Finnish not-for-profit working toward strengthening the local startup ecosystem. Most of any profits made by Slush go back to the foundation, which uses them to support other ecosystem initiatives such as Individual Grants.
For more information on our mission, vision, and values, please visit the page here.
Slush in Numbers
Slush hosts 13,000 attendees, including:
- 6,000 Startups and Scaleups
- 3,500 Investors
- 1,700 Partners and Ecosystem entities
- 250 Media
- 200 Speakers
- 1,700 Volunteers
Media Area
Your exclusive space to work, recharge, and host interviews. Located next to the Founder Stage, this is the perfect space for you to write your next story, interview brilliant founders and investors, network with peers, and relax during the event. The Media Area hosts working tables, interview spaces, a snack and coffee bar, and a help desk stocked with batteries, adapters, and other equipment you might need.
- MEDIA HELPDESK: Available on-site to assist with pod bookings, technical matters, and general questions.
- PODCAST AND INTERVIEW PODS: Available for interviews and podcasts, either by advance booking or on-site. The Media Area hosts pre-bookable interview and podcast pods, where you can record your next story with the most exciting speakers, founders or investors with our top-notch audio equipment. Our volunteers are happy to help you with any practicalities.
- Two prebookable 4-person Podcast pods
- Four 2-person Interview Pods
- Pre-booking link sent via email to all accredited journalists.
- FOOD AND REFRESHMENTS: Coffee and light snacks available throughout the day.
- Day 1 Media Breakfast will be served on Nov 19 at 8–10AM
- Free lunch delivered to the Media Area.
If you have any questions relating to the Media Area at Slush, contact media@slush.org.
Meeting Experience
Slush is for Meeting the right people
In total +25,000 meetings take place during the Slush week, and a lot of these result in meaningful encounters—funding raised or stories told. Some examples of successes below:
- Pigment and 1047 games have raised €100M+ rounds
- Wolt founder Miki Kuusi first met his initial investors at Slush
- Lovable’s founder Anton Osika spoke on Startup Stage in 2024, before coming back this year to be one of the main speakers
Meeting Tool: Our Meeting Tool makes it easy to book meetings with the right people. You can browse attendees, schedule chats, and meet at dedicated tables in the Meeting Area. Access Meeting Tool .
- Meeting Tool also allows you to filter people based on companies, industry or location. This list can be exported and you can create your own database!
- Meeting Area: Area at the heart of the Slush venue, where a total of +25,000 meetings take place during the Slush main event
- +400 meeting tables make it the biggest meeting area ever before at Slush, resulting in +1,200 meetings every hour
Slush is a full week of events
Slush doesn’t last for only 2 days. It lasts for a full week. 200+ side events, all found on our Activity tool here.
- Stage talks, networking, dinners, drinks and saunas. Choose your favorites.
- Browse, filter, register and sync directly with your calendar.
Media-exclusive side events:
Helsinki Startup Crawl (Nov 18, 1–5 PM)
Start your Slush week by exploring Helsinki’s startup ecosystem. Visit IQM Quantum Computers, one of Europe’s fastest-growing quantum scaleups, and Maki.vc to hear founder stories — plus enjoy Finnish small plates along the way.
➜ More info & register here.
Media Dinner hosted by Helsinki Partners on Nov 18 at 7PM.
➜ Event is full.
Media Breakfast catering on Day 1 (Nov 19 at 8–10AM). Hosted in the Media Area at the Slush venue. Enjoy a relaxed breakfast, connect with peers, and get ready for two exciting days ahead.
➜ No registration needed, just show up to fuel for the start of Slush main event!
Media FAQ
Every year, journalists, opinion leaders, podcasters, and writers gather in Helsinki for Slush in November
to find the best startups and capture their next big story. If this is your first time considering Slush, here are three reasons why you won’t want to miss out:
- Discover stories worth telling
Slush is the world’s most founder-focused event, with 6000+ startup founders and operators gathering in Helsinki. As a journalist, content creator, or podcaster, you’ll get the inside scoop on cutting-edge innovations, have the chance to ask founders all the questions only you’d think to ask, and break stories before anyone else.
- Trendspotting
Slush is the place for uncovering emerging trends in tech and startups. Coming to Slush means you’ll have a front-row seat to new technology developments, research breakthroughs, and what’s next on the horizon.
- Everyone’s here
Whether you’re chasing an interview with a high-profile speaker or scouting for the next breakout founder,
Slush is the perfect place to make it happen.
Slush Media Passes are reserved for journalists and editorial members of the press. With limited availability,
we prioritize passes for outlets with a strong following and journalists with a solid track record in covering startups, tech, or venture capital.
Freelancers, podcasters, bloggers, and other independent creators are also invited to apply, though applications will be
closely reviewed for relevance.
Please note that PR and communications professionals, as well as non-editorial media staff, are encouraged to
purchase an Ecosystem or a Thursday Pass.
At Slush, we’ve made it easy for you to find news for your next piece:
- Follow our main event’s stage program and get to know our fantastic speakers.
- Make the most of our in-house Slush Matchmaking Tool, designed to help you message the speakers, founders,
and investors you have been eager to meet and interview. - We're planning a concentrated Slush info package for journalists including everything you need to know about Slush, our speakers, startups and investors so stay tuned!
All Slush photos can be found here.
Publications, articles, and all non-commercial Slush-related usage of our photos and videos are allowed when crediting
the photographer or videographer and mentioning that the photo or video is from Slush.
You are not allowed to edit the photos or videos or to use them for commercial purposes. If you want to use
the photos or videos for commercial use, get in touch with us.
You can discover all the speakers coming to Slush in our Speaker Page. Note that we publish new speakers
regularly and that the Slush agenda will launch in the fall.
The best and most efficient way to book interviews at Slush is through our Matchmaking Tool. You can search for
people, startups, investors, and other attendees and filter them based on your interests. You can book the interviews directly on the tool to the Slush Media Area and chat with the participants in advance.
You can access the Matchmaking tool on the Slush Platform.
- We will have a large Media Area in the main event venue with pre-bookable interview and podcast pods,
working tables, shooting locations, and a silent streaming area. - You’ll have exclusive access to our info package designed for Media needs, which will feature all the information you’ll need to create your next piece successfully. Available later this year.
Slush 2025 will gather 13,000 founders, investors, and media this year on Nov 19–20 in Helsinki. However, we understand you may need a little more information to convince your editor to join us — don’t worry, we got you.
Slush 2025 in numbers:
- 6000+ startup operators and founders
- 3500+ Investors
- 250 media representatives
- 1700+ Partners and Ecosystem Builders
We’re expecting more than 20,000 meetings to take place during Slush. Check out some of our success stories to see the impact for yourself.
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The core of the startup ecosystem under one roof
Investors at Slush 2025
Investors at Slush 2025
Founders at Slush 2025
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Founders at Slush 2025
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Got any questions?
Check out our Media FAQ or reach out to media@slush.org