Maximising your Slush experience: Essential tips for founders

1. Take advantage of side events

Slush is full of huge opportunities and each year brings an array of engaging and focused side events. Experienced attendees tend to prioritise these smaller, off-site gatherings. There is a good reason for this. Slush is fundamentally about connecting founders and investors. Many public and private side events offer great business and networking value with excellent efficiency. The trick is to find and get access to the ones most relevant to you. Many times, your investor and your founder network are the best tool – ask if they are hosting anything or know of events that align with your goals and try to get invited. You should also take advantage of what the Matchmaking Tool has to offer.

2. Sharpen your venture narrative 

Over the past two years most startups have slowed down the growth to focus on profitability and this way burn less and extend the runway. As a result, many startups do not appear to be strong venture cases and could not offer the 10x possibility for a venture capital (VC) funds or business angels. This is why some startups may look more interesting in the eyes of a Growth or even Buy Out Funds. Still, many startups are by nature venture cases and should therefore target venture investors. 

How can you position yourself efficiently? If your startup is still in the development phase, it is essential to present a clear and compelling case for your market opportunity, customer-oriented business model, team’s execution capability, and exit strategy viability. Startups with stronger commercial traction should motivate the scalability via metrics that open the gross profit, scalability of the cost base, unit economies, and can justify the bigger demand where the lack of capital is the main reason slowing down the growth.

3. Understand debt options 

Be aware of public and private debt providers who are able or willing to provide funding only once. Such solution should be a last resort unless you are certain this will be the last time you need debt before an exit. In cases nearing exit, ensure that the terms and conditions do not conflict with M&A or IPO interests. Many startups have faced significant challenges in next funding rounds because new debt provider is unwilling to share the relationship and the one of party is not going to add more funding. To avoid these pitfalls, confirm that the debt provider you choose is willing and able to support future rounds of financing – if you progress as planned.

4. Prepare for a changing funding landscape 

Many experts believe that 2025 will be the year we finally see clear growth on venture space. Traditional economic indicators suggest this trend, but if you have been extending your runway and driving with reduced speed, it is essential to consider the polarization in funding opportunities. A few years ago, out of 100 startups, 30-40% of the strongest ones could secure equity relatively easily, while the next 30-40% had to work hard to reach their goals. The bottom 30% faced significant challenges – some never made it, while others succeeded, albeit with less funding. Today, only the top 10% have an easy life. VC funds are saying the competition is fierce. The next 30% must be prepared to work hard and long, while the bottom 30% may find it pointless to seek equity funding; they may be better off focusing on sustaining their operations through cash flow. 

As funds remain flush with capital, you should expect the sentiment for founders below 10% to improve by 2025. However, you must be better prepared than in the easier years prior to the recent market shifts. This means having your facts, figures, and opportunities clearly articulated and well justified to stand out in the competitive landscape.

If you are still on the fence about attending, I encourage you to take the plunge. Slush provides a unique environment to grow your network, sharpen your skills, and gain fresh insights. Every interaction can be a step forward – do not miss this change! If you are new to the startup scene or still getting comfortable with it, the article below provides a helpful glossary to get you up to speed: