My Slush Helsinki Experience: Serendipity, Weird Vibes and Big Insights

Slush in Helsinki is one of those events everyone talks about like it is a pilgrimage.
So I went — curious, hopeful, and open to whatever the universe (and Finland) had in store.

Monday: Investor Pizza, Closed Rooftops and Swiss Luck

I landed on Monday and headed to an investor reception with pizza.
Let us just say the pizza was warm, the atmosphere was not.

It felt like dropping into a birthday party you were not invited to — tight circles of people who already knew each other way too well. Zero room to join. So I escaped.

I walked to the harbor — I always gravitate toward water — and noticed Allas Sea Pool, this fascinating building with pyramid-like stairs. Perfect spot for a photo.
But the rooftop? Closed for a private event.

On my way down, two Swiss guys asked if I knew the way in. I said, "If I can be your guest, yes."
They agreed.
Ten minutes later, I was inside the VOF Ventures rooftop event — great vibe, friendly crowd, a complete contrast with the awkward pizza meetup. The first "Slush miracle."

Tuesday: Shiny Rooms, Serious Acronyms and Karaoke Trauma

Tuesday began at the UK House. The focus was gaming, media, and immersive audience experience. Impressive, but not really my playing field.

But I did meet founders talking passionately about SEIS and EIS, especially how powerful they are for foreign startups looking to expand in the UK. Interesting insights, but the whole atmosphere felt a bit too polished.

Then came Founders Day. It was fine. Not particularly transformative.
But the Anthropic talks — high-level, academic, neural network deep-dives — those were worth it.

I also joined the Fake Board Meeting with Posthog CEO James. Funny, sharp, brutally honest. Definitely a highlight.

The evening's Founders Party...
Let us just say: karaoke happened. I escaped quickly.

I ended the night at the Eurasia Global 500 event hosted by Oksana. Cosy. Friendly. Not spectacular, but a nice place to land.

Wednesday: DeepMind Breakfast and the Co-Founder Reality Check

Wednesday started early at a Google DeepMind CMO breakfast.
Launch of Gemini 3.
Demos of Veo, Neo Banana, Flow.
Honestly impressive. A part of me wanted to run straight to the hotel and start experimenting.

But I stayed, and that turned out to be the right decision.

Talks from Lovable and Clay were interesting.
But then came EWOR.

Paul Müller on Stage — And the Q&A That Hit Hard

Paul Müller (partner at EWOR) gave a talk about something many founders avoid: the co-founder relationship.

But the real impact came afterward during the personal Q&A.
He spoke openly about:

• prenups for founders
• how breakups really happen
• why you need 5-year reverse vesting
• why a 1-year cliff is non-negotiable
• and how painful it gets if you do not set things up right

As a solo founder actively wrestling with the co-founder question, this landed with the force of a small earthquake.

After the session, I met people from AWS, Stripe, Google, and Cloudflare — basically key players in my current and future tech stack. Solid conversations, high-value insights.

Belgian Beer Night: Warm, Familiar, Real Networking

The day ended with the legendary Belgian Beer Night.
And this one delivered.

I ran into people I had met earlier in Paris — from XFO and Futurogram.
It felt familiar, warm, like reconnecting with old colleagues you have not worked with yet.
And of course, I met new people — open, curious, and easy to talk to.
The perfect closing scene for a long, intense day.

Time to Go Home

Slush is many things:
Chaotic. Shiny. Overwhelming. Occasionally weird.
But also full of serendipity, learning, and genuinely meaningful encounters.

My goal for this trip was simple:
Observe and discover.
Learn how it works.
Understand the rhythm, the rooms, the conversations — so that next time, I walk in fully prepared.

That goal was reached. Big time.

Time to go home.
Recharge.
Build.