World's Largest Startup Event "SLUSH" Held ~Tackling Social Issues Through Open Innovation~

On December 4th and 5th, Helsinki, Finland hosted SLUSH, one of the world's largest startup events. Finland is recognized as a nation actively supporting startups through initiatives like social security and industry-academia collaboration, and SLUSH stands as a symbolic event representing this commitment.

SLUSH began in Helsinki in 2008 as a platform connecting entrepreneurs and investors, and this was its 11th iteration. It is also held in Japan, Singapore, and Shanghai. A key feature is its support by student volunteers, whose energy creates the next wave of connections and opportunities.

At the beginning of the conference, SLUSH CEO Andreas and President Alexander announced the creation of "SLUSH ACADEMY," causing a stir in the venue. This is an attempt to train entrepreneurs by launching a global educational program with renowned universities, companies, and venture capitalists from around the world. Applications will be accepted starting in the spring of 2019, and 20 to 30 people will be selected for the first term. The plan is to expand the scale of the program beyond 2019.

Additionally, at the SLUSH venue, major energy company Fortum announced a project with Valo Ventures, led by Scott, co-founder of Google Ventures.

Fortum CEO Pekka Särkkä emphasized the need for open innovation, stating, "We are aiming for a clean world, and we cannot achieve this alone." Outside the main venue, companies like Nokia, Daimler, and major telecommunications firm Telefónica also held side events, underscoring how collaboration with startups is becoming increasingly vital for large corporations seeking sustainable growth.

At the event's pitch contest "SLUSH100," MEESHKAN, which develops an interactive machine learning framework, was selected as the winner. It was praised as a tool that solves a common pain point for anyone involved in AI project management by providing a Slack-based interface that allows users to grasp the entire development status.

Other finalist teams also ranked highly with products addressing concrete social challenges in everyday life, such as drones for cleaning skyscraper windows and network services utilizing AI to manage smooth internet connections.

A Slush report session for participants is scheduled for Thursday, January 31, 2019, at DMM.make AKIBA. For inquiries, contact digup@dentsu.co.jpまで.