Get your Slush 2017 ticket – pitch your idea at the local competition
The local Slush competition(Link to another website.), held annually since 2015, offers Serbia’s startups the opportunity to present their ideas in the field of sustainable innovation and to qualify for participation in the ten-day Slush Global Impact Accelerator (GIA) program(Link to another website.) and the two-day Slush Conference(Link to another website.) held in November and December in Helsinki (Finland). Slush Conference, one of the largest of its kind in Europe, provides the opportunity for startups to pitch to investors and companies, while the Accelerator program gives them the opportunity to improve their skills and business ideas.
The local Slush competition
The local Slush competition(Link to another website.) will be held in Belgrade on September 6, at the Science Technology Park Belgrade. Embassy of Finland in Belgrade and Serbian Innovation Fund invite startups to apply for the local competition by September 1st. The working language of the competition is English.
The theme of this year's competition is sustainable innovation. Ideal candidates should:
• Have the vision to solve pressing challenges globally
• Have a business idea that has gained some traction, but is still in an early phase
• Have a solution that supports the sustainable development goals (SDGs)
• Have potential to scale
• Have skills and drive to succeed
• Have at least one working prototype
At the local competition, the jury will select three teams, and Finnish experts will choose the winner among them. Serbia is one of 20 countries worldwide organizing the local Slush competitions. The winners of the previous two competitions were Neopix(Link to another website.) with the game for mobile platforms They Mean Well and OrganicNet(Link to another website.) with an online platform that connects organic food producers and those who want to live and feed healthy. Both companies participated in the Slush Global Impact Accelerator and the Slush Conference in Helsinki.
For more information about the local Slush competition please visit the following web site: http://www.innovationfund.rs/slush/(Link to another website.) or contact the local partner, Serbian Innovation Fund: [email protected]
What is Slush Global Impact Accelerator?
In collaboration with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland and multiple partners globally, Slush Global Impact Accelerator organizes a program of support for startups to develop business ideas, establish a network of contacts, connect with investors and potential partners, as well as present their products at the Slush Conference. The program includes work with mentors before the Conference and a boot camp from 22nd November to 2nd December 2017. Transportation, accommodation and other program related costs are covered for the winners of the local Slush competitions.
Serbian companies at Slush conference
If you do not succeed to be the winner of the local Slush competition, there is an opportunity to visit Slush on your own. Last year, the local company Bstorm(Link to another website.) participated at Slush and fully utilized Slush matchmaking tool for meeting more than 40 potential partners just within 2 days. Based on their experience, the group of Serbian companies will organize visit to the Slush conference this year. Please utilize the opportunity to join them, too.
What is Slush?
Slush is a non-profit event organized by a community of entrepreneurs, investors, students and festival organizers. Slush has grown from a 300-person gathering to Europe’s leading startup and technology event, which gives startups the opportunity to present their ideas to international investors and professional public. The philosophy behind Slush has remained the same: to help the next generation of great, world-conquering companies forward.
In 2016, 40 startups from 21 countries participated in the Slush Global Impact Accelerator program and made their way to the Slush conference. Slush brought together 17,500 attendees, including 2,336 startups, 1,146 investors and 610 journalists from 124 countries.