Founders Day
An evening created just for founders to connect over what really matters.
The world’s largest founders-only gathering, taking place at Cable Factory, Nov 18 (Day 0) at 5–11 PM.
speakers
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Stage Agenda
5:40 PM: Opening words
5:47 PM: james hawkins (PostHog) & Miika Huttunen (Realm)
6:19 PM: Rob Snyder (Waffle) & Eerika Savolainen (Clair)
6:51 PM: Henrietta Moon (Carbo Culture) & Elina Laurila (Slush Team)
7:26 PM: Cal Henderson (Slack), Otto Hilska (Swarmia) & Kia Kanninen (Slush Team)
8:30 PM: DJ Arnaud Laurent
Activities
Stage Program
The Founders Day Stage is dedicated to real learning, featuring no-nonsense conversations with experienced founders and operators. Each stage talk is curated to be as relevant and helpful as possible for early-stage founders. These are lessons from people who’ve actually built, scaled, and succeeded.
- James Hawkins is sharing his playbook for scaling fast.
- Rob Snyder is bringing some hard truths about finding real product–market fit.
- Henrietta Moon is diving into how to successfully navigate Slush as a founder.
- Cal Henderson & Otto Hilska is tapping into their journey from connection to conviction—and how to stay focused along the way as a founder.
The three first stage talks will all also include a q&a.
Partner Lounges & Program
Founders Day is the one evening that saves you months of figuring it out.
We’re making the Founders Day experience the most valuable by joining forces with top-tier partners hosting curated lounges designed just for founders. Each lounge hosts its own dynamic lineup—from legal advice clinics to panel discussions tackling real-world founder challenges. Dive into workshops focused on practical skills to accelerate your journey, or join industry-specific meetups to connect with others building in your space.
This year, we're joined by Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Anthropic as our Main Partners, as well as Dottir Attorneys, PostHog, and Stripe as Supporting Partners.
Sign up for the Partner Lounge program and Industry Meetups here.
Feeling overwhelmed by the packed program and a busy Slush week ahead? Step into the Relaxation Corner—a calm space to reset, refocus, and recharge. With professionals on hand to guide you, you’ll leave feeling centered and fully ready to nail those investor pitches over the next two days.
Whether you’re looking to learn, share, or simply vibe with other founders, there’s a space for you.
Networking Area
Looking to meet fellow founders without any pressure? The Networking Area and Founder Arcade are designed for exactly that with relaxed spaces that make meaningful connection easy. Use the matchmaking tool before the event to spot founders you’d like to meet—or just show up and let serendipity do its thing. Drop by the Networking Area for casual convos and spontaneous meetups, or head into the Founder Arcade for classic games and low-key challenges that turn downtime into new connections.
Eat & Drink
Throughout the evening, you’ll find a range of food options available at affordable prices, so you can grab a bite without leaving the action. To keep the good vibes flowing, we’ve reserved a limited amount of free drinks, available on a first-come, first-served basis. Feeling extra thirsty? You can also purchase additional beverages throughout the evening.
Industry Meetups
Looking to connect with other founders in your field? Join our Industry Meetups—casual 30-minute gatherings at Founders Day where you can meet peers building in the same field. We’re covering the six most represented industries at Slush:
5:30 PM: FinTech
6:00 PM: AI
6:30 PM: HealthTech, MedTech & Pharma
7:00 PM: DeepTech
7:30 PM: SaaS
8:00 PM Climate & Energy
Sign up here.
Founders Day FAqs
Founders Day in 2025 will take place at Helsinki's iconic Cable Factory (Kaapeliaukio 3, Helsinki).
Yes, to get access to the Founders Day, you will need to have a Startup Pass or a Scaleup Pass for Slush 2025 and be registered for Founders Day on the Slush Platform.
Yes, there will be a badge claim point right at the entrance to Founders Day, so you can pick up your badge conveniently from the same location before entering Founders Day.
Once you’ve registered for Founders Day, you can sign up for the various partner-hosted sessions and activities through the Activity Tool. These sessions are listed under the Founders Day page.
Please note: many of these activities are first-come, first-served and have limited capacity, so be sure to sign up early!
Registration for Founders Day is now open! You can register here.
Originally a two-day happening, Slush has grown into an entire week of events around the Helsinki metropolitan area.
In addition to the official Activities organized by Slush, there are hundreds of Side Events around Helsinki and at the official
Partner Side Event Wing in the Slush venue.
You can browse and apply for the Slush 2025 Side Events on the Activity Tool.
You’ll get a confirmation email once you’ve registered on the platform. You can also check the registration status from the event page on the platform.
If you didn’t get confirmation of your registration or your registration is not visible on the platform, please contact startups@slush.org and we’ll help you out!
Food can be bought for affordable prices at the venue, so no need to leave if you get hungry.
We’ve reserved a limited amount of free drinks, available on a first-come, first-served basis. You’ll also have an option to buy more drinks at the venue during the evening.
Yes, there will. After the stage program ends we’ll host an unforgettable Day 0 party for you at the same venue! Prepare to let loose with your founder friends and relax before the two hectic Slush days ahead.
Main partners
Supporting partners
OTHER partners
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Got any questions?
Reach out to startups@slush.org