Slush, an annual tech startup event that is held every year in Helsinki, stated on Monday that amid the coronavirus crisis, it has been decided to cancel the event. Slush, which is named after the typical Finnish weather at the end of the year, sees around 20,000 people in attendance each year. The startup event has grown into the largest tech event in Northern Europe. Miika Huttunen, CEO at Slush, announced (via Reuters):
“This change of direction might come as a surprise, but for us, this is the only responsible course of action to take as the health and safety of the Slush community remains our top priority.”
Slush, which connects startups to venture capitalists during the event, stated that amid the crisis, it would seek to assist founders struggling to stay afloat by facilitating their collaboration with corporations throughout the pandemic.
For example, we are already working on new ways to connect startups to investors and facilitate corporate-startup collaboration.
Moreover, Slush said that in a bid to benefit the startup ecosystem, it would carry on with its entrepreneurship education program Slush Academy. If possible, the company is looking to organize the event on a smaller-scale sometime this fall.