Slush - an opportunity to present at the largest startup conference in Europe

This year, for the third time in a row, domestic startups are offered the opportunity to present their ideas in the field of sustainable innovation at the local competition Slush and qualify for participation in the ten-day program Slush Global Impact Accelerator (GIA) and in the two-day conference Slush , held in November and December in Helsinki. (Finland).

Slush conference, one of the largest of its kind in Europe, provides an opportunity for startups to present themselves to numerous investors and companies, while the Accelerator program gives them the opportunity to improve their skills and business idea.

The local Slush competition will be held on September 6 in Belgrade at the Belgrade Science and Technology Park. The Embassy of Finland and the Innovation Fund invite startups to apply for the local competition until September 1, 2017 via the Application form at the link: http://www.inovacionifond.rs/Slush/.

The theme of this year's competition is sustainable innovations. Ideal candidates for the competition are startups that develop original and sustainable solutions to pressing issues - without sectoral and geographical limitations; have experience and potential for growth; skills and desire to succeed; a business idea that has attracted interest but is still in the early stages of development, as well as a working prototype. The working language of the competition is English.

The local Slush competition in Serbia has been held since 2015. At the local competition, the jury will choose three teams, and Finnish experts will choose the winner from among them. Serbia is one of 20 countries around the world where local competitions will be held during the summer. The winners of the previous two were Neopix from Niš with the game for mobile platforms They Mean Well and OrganicNet from Novi Sad with an online platform that connects organic food producers and those who want to live and eat healthy. Both participated in the Slush conference in Helsinki and the Slush Global Impact Accelerator program.

What is Slush?

At the Slush conference startups have the opportunity to present their ideas to international investors and the professional public. Last year, this two-day conference gathered 17.5 thousand visitors from 130 countries, including more than 2,300 startups and 1,110 investors. This year the Slush conference takes place on November 30 and December 1.

What is Slush Global Impact Accelerator?

In partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland and international organizations, including the Fund for Innovation Activities in Serbia, Slush Global Impact Accelerator (GIA) organizes a program to support founders of startups in developing business ideas, establishing a network of contacts, connecting with investors and potential partners, as well as presenting their products at the Slush Conference. The program includes work with mentors before the Conference and a local preparatory program (boot camp) in the period from November 22 to December 2. Last year, 40 startups from 21 countries participated in the program. All travel and accommodation expenses are borne by the Finnish organizer.

You can get all additional information at: slush@inovacionifond.rs.