As temperatures dropped below zero and the first snowfall of the season made its appearance, Helsinki welcomed 13,000 founders and investors for yet another exciting edition of Slush, Europe’s leading startup event.

The magic that is Slush can’t really be put into words. You feel it everywhere‍—‌the experience, connections, and the content. Helsinki in November might seem like an unlikely destination, but Slush always turns the city's dark winter into tech's most anticipated gathering. The conference, which was powered by hundreds of volunteers, delivered on its reputation for meaningful connections.

With technology comes responsibility

Slush’s 2024 theme "Metamorphosis" asked a fundamental question: how is technology shaping humanity's future? Finnish President Alexander Stubb set the tone in his opening address, challenging founders to consider whether their innovations are genuinely improving the world.

Technology's influence on society grows deeper each day, and with it comes the responsibility to choose to design products that will either strengthen digital democracy or erode it. Ultimately, the power to shape technology's impact lies with those of us who build it.

As with all Slush events, the focus was on two key priorities: building better products and securing funding:

Validating an Idea

Building a successful startup starts with identifying the right problem, not just generating ideas. Daniel Khachab, co-founder and CEO of Choco, emphasised this distinction at Slush. Instead of chasing new concepts and ideas, he advised founders to cultivate a problem-solving mindset: find a significant challenge, validate it with potential customers, and then build solutions around it.

Khachab's approach has proven successful at Choco, the food industry's first supply chain unicorn. The company has raised €300 million and grown to 400 employees across seven countries, focusing on a clear problem: reducing food waste through AI-driven supply chain solutions. When developing multiple products, Choco advises founders to compare internal performance data to ensure each release builds on previous learnings.

Leading with product

Pendo’s CEO, Todd Olson shared insights on product-led growth‍—‌this is where the product itself drives customer acquisition and retention. The approach puts users in control by letting them experience value before making a purchase decision.

Free trials are an example of this strategy: customers can test the product's capabilities before buying, leading to better adoption and more scalable sales processes. When users discover genuine value during their trial, they become natural advocates, driving organic growth through recommendations.

Driving demand with fundraising PR

Regina Croda, Head of Product and Brand Marketing at Pigment, shared a practical framework for turning funding announcements into demand drivers. The key is making it effortless for others to amplify your story‍—‌or awkward not to.

Success starts with crafting a compelling narrative that resonates with your target audience. Define one specific person your message is for (for example, the CEO of a major financial institution), understand what they read, and tailor your story accordingly. While your PR agency might prefer traditional approaches, don't hesitate to leverage investor connections for media opportunities. Create attention-grabbing headlines that lead to factual, valuable content, and gather authentic testimonials from customers and investors.

The impact of your announcement will depend on systematic amplification. Identify key connections who can reach your target audience, run employee engagement campaigns with clear rewards, and make participation simple by ghost-writing approved content in your advocates' voice. Maintain momentum through newsletters and highlight reels, but most importantly, stay consistent and always focus on a single call-to-action.

Building culture from the beginning

In this talk, Roxanne Varza, Director at Station F advised start-ups to start shaping company culture early, right from the hiring process. While strong qualifications matter, cultural alignment is even more important in building a company that will last. Hiring someone who looks perfect on paper but doesn't align with your values often proves costly and disruptive in the long run.

More than the talks

These talks captured some of Slush’s key moments but they don’t really convey all of what makes the conference unique. When people ask why I return to Helsinki for Slush each year, the answer is simple: Slush creates an opportunity for startups and established companies to learn from each other. It is the meeting of vibrant, fresh perspectives with proven industry experience.

The value of Slush goes way beyond the talks, there is something powerful about bringing ambitious founders, industry leaders, investors and tech enthusiasts together in the dark of the Finnish winter. This setting‍—‌away from the usual tech hubs and offices‍—‌encourages deeper conversations, creativity and unexpected connections.

What seems like an unlikely choice‍—‌Helsinki in November‍—‌has become one of tech’s coolest and most rewarding gatherings. And as the original tagline of the first ever Slush conference perfectly captured it: Finland. Even cooler than you think!