Slush 2023 Side Events (hand picked by the pros)

Slush is on the ground (even if it’s still snow, and frozen right now). Remembering back to the Slush earlydays, there was this saying: “It’s cold and dark outside, and the coolest developers are inside”. Back then the inside meant Kaapelitehdas aka Cable Factory, and a selected venue for after party. These days Slush is on for a week, and Slush week events and venues are multiple, spread all over Helsinki. But as it is still cold and dark, the best and coolest people are inside, in multiple events, as there are the Slush official side events, and the Slush organised side events and the partner side events and then the huge category of “other side events”.

The side events make the Slush week last for a week, and even if most of them do not require the Slush badge, many of them require registration on various platforms.

So, onto the side events and some hints & tips – links to events on our FB page (also, give us a like while clicking, thx):

There are multiple ways to find these side events, and for the Slush badge holders the easiest is the Slush platform  https://platform.slush.org/slush23/side-events

Since Slush is again sold out, and not everyone has the badge, there are other sources for side event information; perhaps still the biggest one being Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.fi/d/finland–helsinki/slush-side-event/

Many local organizations also make side events, even inside the main venue Helsinki Congress Center, and for example https://www.businessfinland.com/slush-2023/ has been organizing events there for years. And NOTE: No Slush badge required, as these events are at the main venue, at “Siipi” area, right at the HolidayInn hotel. Pro-tip for non badgeholders, the hotel lobby is a great place to meet Slush goers with or without the badge!

It is also important to note that not all the side events happen after hours (or even after dark, which is like 3PM) but also during the day.

So, where do the other Slush goers go this year? Which are the hottest, and most crowded venues, who are throwing the quirkiest parties, where you meet the right bunch… Well, let’s find out: Here are the Top3 Slush side event not to miss by few Pro Slush goers we had a chance to chat few days prior to the extravaganza. Names are LinkedIn link, with a short introduction, but do get to know these people for their interests and fav side events, online or LIVE, at these side events:)

Peter Vesterbacka: Visionary Mastermind of Finest Future and Slush (and few other things:): 1: Unicorn Night 29.11. // 2: Finest Freundschaft by Deutsche Telekom 30.11.  3: // Mastercard Lighthouse 30.11.

Aape Pohjavirta: Startup enthusiast, coach, mentor, founder of Funzi: 1: XcitED 1.12.// 2: EU Funding 3: Africa Connect

Kimmo Timonen: Ex corporate marketer turned into Adventure Club primus motor with many startups:  1: Sustainability & Innovation Pitching Event 28.11. // 2: Superconnectors x Slush Helsinki 30.11. // 3: Go Global with Development Banks and UN 1.12.

Tommi Ullgren: Sauna Shaman, Mentor, Impact investor, the guy from the Universe and ATRA Innovations:  1: Oxygen Meetup 28.11. // 2: House of Impact 29.11. // GenAI & LLM @ Enterprises 29.11

Vitaly Stockman: The startup evangelist with a hat, and some great stories about future of work(place) at Desk.me: 1:Big in Japan 1.12 // 2: Tokyo pitch night 30.11 // 3: Founders day 29.11.

Laura Avonius: Singer, songwriter, performe and an entrepreneur at Audicin: 1: Finland as female tech founder frontrunner 30.11. // 2: MatchXRHelsinki 29.11. // Nordic Game Helsinki 28.-29.11

Aki Snellman: Aki, the mobile man, and nowadays also forest man from KOKO Forest: 1: Vietnam-Finland Startup Night 28.11. 2: Growth Marketing after dark w/ Wolt 29.11. // 3: Beyond Innovation w/ Lexia 30.11.

Jaakko Timonen: From Tampere. The founder of NoNoNo!, the one that knows how to grind in a startup world: 1: New Nordics Pitch Competition Grand Final  29.11. // 2: AMA lunch with Stripe’s Claire Hughes Johnson 30.11. // 3: Most importantly: The one that you don’t know yet but end up to because of serendipity. All week!

Kirsi Ekberg: Dreamer and doers, and AI developer at ViLiKe: 1: Nordic Game 28.-29.11 // 2: MatchXRHelsinki 29.11. // 3: Open Ocean Poker tournament (does it happen again in 2023?:)

Me: Oh well, time for my, founder of Rehaboo! and nowadays Chief Innovation Offifer of EvokAI, takes for the best week ever in cold HELsinki: 1: Slush Day 1 Karaoke Chaos by Singa 30.11. //  2: MatchXRHelsinki 29.11.  3: Music Tech Meetup & After Party @ Musopia 1.12 // And of course the original Slush week opener (even before Slush was a week:): Jani‘s legendary Birthday Party. Annual massive thanx & respect to Jani!!:)

There. Quite variation in the events by 9 pros and myself. Note, some of these might be sold out, or require additional invitations, sorry. In any case, Enjoy!

 

So, welcome to the North! – Remember (Slush 2016 poster) –  “Nobody in their right mind would come to Helsinki in November”. And this year many are staying until December huh. ENJOY Slush 2023!!!

/Peter Green

P.S. Here’s a “funny” (and true) story of this awesome event developing into 2 day event (and later into multiple days and nowadays for the whole week:) and into side event action:  Peter Vesterbacka told me, in 2009, when we discussed about Slush being a 1 or 2 day event: “Have you ever heard of a succesful international event that lasts only 1 day?” I had not, and so we had the 2nd day:). The importance of partner side events, while getting massive amount of international guests, investors and startups to Helsinki, was in the center of his plans. And thereafter, the event has expanded to a Slush week, where some clever people come already on the previous weekend, and some ang out until the next. Day 0 is already a must for most Slush goers (Wednesday Nov 29th this year), Day -1 gathering gets also a lot of attention, and nowadays the gaming industry gathering for the Nordic Game already on Tuesday 28th, while Slush day -2 is already for real pros, like Jani, who’s Bday was again celebrated in style!

/g