Attending Slush 2023 was brimming with positive vibes

At a sizable booth, Samar Malik was promoting SAP for startups, emphasizing the company’s wealth of knowledge and expertise. It marked her inaugural attendance at Slush, where she commended the event and its arrangements. However, the genuine slush and sleet outdoors left the London resident a bit hesitant.

Sami Vuorenmaa recently established his consultancy, Clarinum Insights, which focuses on helping driven individuals unlock their full potential through mental training and incorporates elements of investing. Vuorenmaa expressed his desire to participate in this year’s Slush to benchmark his competencies. Primarily, he aimed to establish contacts to assist him as he embarked on his career. With a background in sports and business, Vuorenmaa aspires to support athletes and entrepreneurs in enduring these challenging times, eventually becoming an investor himself. He was pleasantly surprised by the event’s size and managed to secure a Friday ticket for the sold-out occasion.

Anna Wieslander, COO of the Swedish tech startup Elonroad (www.elonroad.com), discussed the company’s recent pivot at their booth. They are now focusing on closed areas, such as ports, where they plan to pilot their rail ecosystem for electric vehicles.

Martin Moravek, the mastermind behind the Minimalist Phone (www.minimalistphone.com), showcased his solution against phone addiction at the Slush booth. He noted the increasing interest in the minimalist phone solution, especially as the icons transformed to black and white under the vibrant lights and laser beams, making the phone less appealing.

Treebuddy’s CEO, Pekka Harju-Autti, and treemaster Mika Vanhanen, reported great meetings at Slush and told that several stakeholders expressed their interest in collaboration to ensure Treebuddy’s (www.treebuddy.earth) growth. They highlighted Slush as a framework that facilitates communication within the startup ecosystem, allowing for collaboration at various levels. Pekka and Mika emphasized the significance of Slush’s side events, providing a lower threshold for approaching others and making new connections.

Mikko Armila, a Senior Business Advisor at Business Helsinki (https://www.hel.fi/en/business-and-work/what-is-business-helsinki), agreed, stating that Slush offers something unique that cannot be replicated elsewhere, echoing his recent experience at WebSummit.