A group of entrepreneurs has been selected to travel to the Slush tech conference in Helsinki next month as part of a programme led by Startup Grind Scotland to boost international connections.

Held between 12-20 November, the Helsinki trip is supported by the Scottish Government and Scottish Development International (SDI).

The Scottish cohort, which will be joined by tech incubator CodeBase, hopes to improve connections with the international startup community, peer-to-peer learning, investor engagement, and learning best-practice for ecosystem-building from the Finnish model.

Billed as “The World’s Best Startup Event”, Slush takes place between 17-18 November, with over 4,000 startups and over 2,000 investors in attendance.

The Slush 2022 Foras Programme was designed by Startup Grind Scotland executives Dec McLaughlin, Nick Murray, and Carolina Melendez.

As part of the programme, the cohort will also visit Nokia, Maria01, Startup Sauna, and Aalto University, with introductions supported by local agent and Startup Grind Helsinki Director, Kelvin Chikezie.

So who’s going to Helsinki with Startup Grind?

The 10-person cohort includes:

• Christian Arno of Pawprint
• Cally Russell of We Are Unfolded
• Ross Toomer of Care Reality
• Alex Lu of PortF.io
• Dagmara Aldridge of Zumo
• Janani Prabhakaran of Unbaggaged
• Pooja Katara of SENSEcity
• Duncan Di Biase of Brillband
• Euan Cameron of Willo
• Victoria Fullarton of Toto Sleep.

International Outreach

The Startup Grind Helsinki trip follows the success of a similar trip to Silicon Valley in April, with both visits stemming from Mark Logan’s Scottish Technology Ecosystem Review in 2020.

Carolina Melendez, Startup Grind Scotland’s Head of Operations, said: “We’re excited to bring together a richly diverse cohort, not only in the focus and stage of businesses growth, but also in age, ethnicity, gender and lived experience.

“Selected from different locations across this amazing country, our delegates are a true illustration of Scotland’s eclectic entrepreneurial ecosystem.

“We know the trip will bring inspiration and professional opportunities, but the ‘Foras’ model also encourages trust, openness and fostering peer relationships within the group.  The cohort will return with invaluable experiences, new connections and a global mindset that we hope will benefit the Scottish tech ecosystem as a whole.”

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Janani Prabhakaran, Founder of travel tech startup, Unbaggaged, added: “As a young person and woman of colour starting a business, it can sometimes be difficult to have the same edge as local entrepreneurs who have established networks here in Scotland.

“I’m ready to make the most of this opportunity to connect with my fellow founders in the cohort, be inspired by fresh ideas from a new ecosystem, as well as build international relationships to help grow the business to its full potential.”

Ivan Mckee MSP, Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise commented: “On behalf of the Scottish Government, I am delighted we have been able to support Start-Up Grind Scotland in delivering this excellent initiative following the success of the Ecosystem Fund-backed Silicon Valley programme in April.

“It presents a wonderful opportunity for a diverse cohort of entrepreneurs to access new networks, share ideas and ultimately return with fresh perspectives in guiding them towards scaling their business.”

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