The most founder-focused event on the planet

We know building companies is hard work. That’s why we’ve dedicated our event to making it just a little bit easier for you. Whether you’re looking for investor meetings, on-stage visibility, or founder friends to vent with, we’ve got you covered.

At Slush, you can pack months worth of VC meetings, sales calls, and growth efforts into just three days—leaving you more time back in the office to focus on building. Join Slush, and you’ll be able to clear out your event calendar for all of Q4.

Activities

Founders Party

The calm before the storm? Not quite.

Kick off your Slush experience at Founders Party, the biggest founder-only gathering of the week. Before two days of back-to-back meetings, pitches, and networking, we're bringing hundreds of founders together for a night of music, dancing, and a chance to catch up with old founder friends and meet new ones.
‍

When? Day 0 (Nov 17), 9 PM–12 AM

Where? Helsinki's Dance House, Kaapeliaukio 3

Registrations are open on the Slush Platform. Any questions can be directed to liv.barner@slush.org.

Founder Dawn

Early-stage founder? We've got you covered.

Founder Dawn brings together early-stage founders for an evening of practical advice with in-depth Q&As, industry-specific networking, and peer support. Hear from experienced founders who've been through the ups and downs of building a company, get answers to the questions you're facing, and connect with others navigating the same hurdles.

When? Day 0 (Nov 17), 5:30–9 PM. Arrive on time to grab your badge on-site.

Where? Helsinki's Dance House, Kaapeliaukio 3

Registrations are open on the Slush Platform. Any questions can be directed to liv.barner@slush.org.

Hardware Foundry

Hardware Foundry is our ode to founders and investors in hardware. The event features product demos, a curated stage program, and industry-specific networking. From robotics and space to energy and biotech, Hardware Foundry hosts those who are building and backing answers to some of our world's biggest questions.

Amongst others, you'll hear from Maximilian Oligschläger (Co-founder and COO, ERC System), Matthijs Rijlaarsdam (Co-founder and CEO, QuantWare), Max Gulde (Co-founder and CEO, constellr) and Andreas Klinger (Prototype Capital, EU-Inc) on stage.
‍
‍

When? Day 0 (Nov 17), 9:30 AM - 1 PM. Arrive on time to grab your badge on site.

Where? Helsinki's Dance House, Kaapeliaukio 3

Registrations are open on the Slush Platform. Any questions can be directed to liv.barner@slush.org.

‍

Investor Office Hours

Want to meet a VC fund? Spots are open to Slush ticket holders, and they’re filling up fast.

These 75-minute sessions are hosted by VCs and offer an easy way to meet investors and learn from experienced founders in an intimate, closed-door setting during the Slush Main Event on Nov 18–19.

Learn more and register on the Slush Platform.

Startup Booths

5 m² exhibition space in the prime spot in front of Startup Stage to showcase your product and generate leads. We’ve had actual deals closed at the Startup Booth.

Booths are priced €1,500 for one day and €3,000 for two. Any startup at Series A or earlier can apply.

The applications closed at Aug 31.

Startup Stage

We have an entire stage for the most promising early-stage founders from Seed to Series A. Anton Osika launched Lovable on this stage in 2024, similar to how Markus Villig pitched Bolt in their early days. We give future unicorns 10 minutes to pitch, demo, or do both.

Applications for the Startup Stage closed on Aug 31.

Speaker Mentoring

Our speakers are some of the most accomplished founders, operators, and investors in the startup ecosystem. Speaking at Slush, they're giving back to the ecosystem and helping the next generation of founders. On top of speaking on stage, they host a 30 minute Q&A session for founders.

There are three series of sessions, one for each main stage: Founder Q&A, Builder Q&A, and Impact Q&A. Each session follows a speaker's talk and is hosted in the Speaker Mentoring area. It's a small room built for real questions, so you can go deeper on a topic you heard on stage.

More information on sessions hosted and how to get involved coming soon.

Science to Scale

Built for researchers taking their first steps from lab to company. Free with a Slush Pass. Hosted Day 2 morning at the largest side event venue.

The agenda brings everything that matters into one session. The launch of the European Spinout Report 2026, a curated panel discussion (tbd), pitches from proof-of-concept research projects, and networking between research teams, universities, research centers, deep tech investors, and spinouts.

Participants are carefully selected to ensure every person in the room is worth meeting.

Pitching applications have already closed, but you can still sign up to the event here.

360° Pitching

A high-impact Day 0 (Nov 17) side event for Life Science founders to pitch directly to leading VCs from the Helsinki SkyWheel, with the city skyline as your backdrop. The pitches are followed by networking at the adjacent restaurant.

Learn more and apply on the Slush Platform.

Slush 100 – €500,000 equity free

The largest equity-free amount in a startup competition, ever. Free runway, money to experiment, no strings attached, no reporting burden, no ties, but win in front of 10,000 people and return to Slush 2027 as a main stage speaker.

Slush 2026 bets on the best startup.

Learn more about Slush 100 here.