Slush “Let’s make big things happen.” Eerika Savolainen, 26, grew from a volunteer to a CEO, and soon she may change Slush permanently.

A growth business event Slush has been in the habit of changing its leader every two years.

That is why it was already known at the Slush event in December that Miika Huttunen would leave the organization and it would be time for a new appointment.

The new name isn’t really a surprise either, as the boots have tended to grow within the Slush team.

Slush pulls next Eerika Savolainen, who served as chief operating officer of the event last year.

The circumstances are exceptional. The 2020 Slush had to be canceled altogether, and for 2021, the team prepared in a precarious mood amid the constraints of an ever-changing corona pandemic.

The corona year Slush was a smaller event than usual, with 8,800 participants. The contraction, on the other hand, also received praise. More than half of the participants were startup entrepreneurs or investors, meaning Slush returned to his roots to serve his core target group. Can it be interpreted from this that this line continues?

“The audience loved the more focused approach and last year’s event taught us a lot. This year, the goal is to define exactly what Slush will look like in the coming years, ”says Savolainen.

As the event swelled to 25,000 participants, the stands of the major partners filled the halls of the Helsinki Fair Center. Is it financially sensible for Slush to make the event smaller?

“Yes, it is an economically possible equation. We strive to ensure that the participants are relevant, so it is attractive to the partners, ”Savolainen believes.

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The financial figures for 2021 have not yet been completed. According to Savolainen, however, Slush managed to make a profit with a smaller event, which ensures continuity.

The size of the event team varies throughout the year, and Slush currently has about 20 employees. As the event approaches in the fall, the number is about double. In addition, there are volunteers who will be involved during the event.

Every the team and the CEO have also left their own imprints on the event. During previous leaders, more environmental and impact themes have come to Slush and, for example, climate stalls have been prominently displayed. What is Savolainen’s idea about the gift he brought with him?

According to Savolainen, it is related to leading the team itself and how Slush works like any other high-level European growth company.

“I want the Slush team to be the best place for young people to learn about growth entrepreneurship.”

It means, for example, that the planning of an event proceeds strictly according to set goals and milestones. There is also such a thing in startups, where limited funding sets the framework for how quickly a product must be able to prove commercializability.

That is also the reason why Savolainen himself was initially interested in Slush and wanted to join the team.

Savolainen began studying finance at Aalto University in 2014. In the same year, he ended up in Slush for the first time as a volunteer in the construction team.

A few years passed, and in 2019 he applied for a full-time job with the Slush organization.

“Mua was fascinated by how much people believed in mouth even though you were still young and at the beginning of your career. How to achieve big things despite your young age. ”

Savolainen predicted to experience 2019 ordinary big Slush before the pandemic. Perhaps it could be compared to university study and the fact that it would have taken time to experience a freshman year before the studies turned into distance learning.

When the 2020 event was canceled, a Node network platform was quickly created to replace investors and entrepreneurs – thus replacing Slush’s networking remotely. Savolainen led the development of this service.

Node was initially a paid and curated service accessible only to selected companies, investors and partners. The platform featured virtual appearances and workshops by big speakers as well as mentoring.

“It was an extremely great learning experience. We were able to create a product from scratch in a situation where our success was important for Slush’s continuity, ”says Savolainen.

Last year, when the event was organized again, perhaps more young volunteers than usual sought to join.

“When there were no similar opportunities to do things for a couple of years, the enthusiasm was greater now.”

Read more: Jani Penttinen, who visited Slush, contracted a corona infection – two weeks later she was being prepared for intensive care at a hospital in Las Vegas

Read more: “When the closing party started, the gang threw the mask away and headed for the glitter point.” Slush shrank and brought out his hard core.

Self In Slush, corona passports were required from participants and quick tests were distributed to everyone. Face masks were held at the event during the day, but in the evenings there was more freedom to go to side events and parties. When the omikron variant was just landing in Finland, there was a fear of what kind of corona spin Slush would turn out to be.

According to official surveillance, fewer than ten infections directly related to Slush were still reported. In addition, some cases came to light from side events.

“All in all, it seems that the event was quite corona-safe,” says Savolainen.