Slush – one of the most founder-focused event on earth
What is it about?
The end of the year was a great time for us to join the latest Slush event in Finland. Telling you more about this annual show in the vibrant city of Helsinki; Slush has become a global startup and technology community hub in less than 10 years. This dynamic event hosts visionary startup founders and discerning investors from all over the world. It fosters meaningful connections through engaging initiatives such as matchmaking sessions and thrilling pitching competitions. The last one is quite interesting because it allows you to dive deeper into some business's needs and better understand industrial trends.
Slush is not only an annual event but also a year-round support and information resource for founders and investors alike. It has created essential resources for many different industries. Let's see more about this event in this article together.
Being at Slush - stay focused on the business and the founder's needs
The Slush event took place in Helsinki, Finland, from November 30 to December 1, 2023. At the core of Slush was a remarkable mission: Let's empower and support founders in their pursuit to change the world! For the 2023 edition, Slush seamlessly brought together a powerful gathering of 5,000 startup founders and linked operators. The event was accompanied by 3,000 investors and an additional 3,000 industrial players, so to speak. The last mentioned group also included many representatives from logistics, the transportation industry, and the supply chain. All visitors aimed to support the next generation of various developments taken towards their business efforts. [1]
During the event, many prominent speakers took the stage. They offered deep insights into their journeys and expertise. For example, Claire Hughes Johnson, director of corporate affairs and advisor to Stripe, shared her extensive experience from her time as Stripe's chief operating officer. Tony Xu, CEO and co-founder of DoorDash, presented on the transformative role of technology in connecting consumers with local businesses around the world. Cal Henderson, co-founder and CTO of Slack provided insights into Slack's engineering skills and technical vision. Severin Hacker, Ph.D., chief technology officer of Duolingo, presented his leadership since co-founding the language learning platform. Tope Awotona, founder and CEO of Calendly, brought his strategic direction to the fore, leading the platform to more than 20 million users after a career in enterprise software sales and startups.
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Explore moreThere was a lot to remember from the event. Still, Slush 2023 is not only a concentration of big brains but also proof of the transformative power of innovation and collaboration within the global startup ecosystem. By saying that, I mean that we had to deal with the flow of very pragmatic information that could be used in our daily business operations. We heard about the challenges of small and medium-sized businesses, and it was incredible to talk and hear from those who are deeply oriented about B2B segments. Many topics were related to custom software development and dilemmas on how to scale a business without an internal IT team.
This is actually what completely aligns with our business approach at Adexin. Our business focus is on solutions, and medium-sized businesses want to sell in their industries, such as transportation, supply chain, and logistics. We deliver custom software development for the below-mentioned software segments, integrations, and dedicated teams. This is how businesses can benefit from industrial and technical consultations in the best possible way.
Here are the software solutions that we provide for startups and small or medium-sized businesses:
Transport Management Systems Development (TMS)
Supply chain control tower development
Fleet management systems development
Freight rate management system (RMS) development
Order management systems development
Real-time asset monitoring and tracking
Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) development
Document management systems development
Data analytics platform development
Delivery apps
Matchmaking at the venue
Coming back to the event. The Slush provides everyone with great opportunities for networking and so-called matchmaking. This was a great approach to saving time in finding relevant businesses that anyone wants to talk with. This personalized approach to matchmaking not only enhances the overall experience but also underscores the event's commitment to nurturing a global startup community. We took advantage of this possibility and talked with various companies at the event.
Throughout the event, the Adexin team engaged in insightful conversations with many startups, spanning the domains of logistics and IT. We could gain a comprehensive understanding of market needs. Among the notable companies we have met was Digital Hub Logistics GmbH, an entity overseen by the Logistik-Initiative Hamburg Service GmbH and the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg. This is one of the 12 hubs within the Digital Hub Initiative that established a strategic collaboration between the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection in Germany.
Farewell to the event, and see you again
Attending the Slush 2023 event in Helsinki, Finland, proved to be a good experience that resonated with the essence of innovation in the global startup ecosystem in various industries. We at Adexin, as a custom software development company, have a great understanding of the needs of small and medium-sized enterprises, especially in transportation, supply chain, and logistics. We found many things in common with the challenges and aspirations we heard from various voices at the event.
Our involvement at the event went beyond passive participation. The matchmaking opportunities provided by Slush were amazing in facilitating industry-focused networking.
References:
[1] The Slush 30-Nov – 1-Dec 2023, Helsinki, Finland; Retrieved from: https://slush.org