With more than 200 talks on four stages, not to mention the side events, Slush 2024 had so much content to offer that you probably missed some even if you were there. And if you missed it altogether, here are four trends that caught our attention:
Second-hand is going mainstream
Two high-profile figures of second-hand marketplaces were speakers at Slush 2024: former Depop CEO Maria Ragu, and Vinted co-founder Milda Mitkute.
The two companies are incredible success stories in terms of adoption, and also as businesses. Vinted is now valued at €5 billion valuation, and Etsy acquired Depop for some $1.625 billion. “Depop returned 25 times our money,” Creandum general partner Fredrik Cassel said on stage during his fireside chat with Maria.
While both entrepreneurs have moved on (Maria, to VC, and Milda, to edtech), second-hand itself is here to stay, and not just in the background.
It’s already blatant in Helsinki, where pre-owned items are a shopping highlight. Premium second-hand clothing can even be found right inside Stockmann, the city’s largest and fanciest department store, and at the airport, where Finnish family business Relove has its own shops, complete with cafés.
But the trend goes well beyond Scandinavia, or clothing; for instance, pre-owned is no longer a taboo for Christmas gifts, and it will be interesting to see if French unicorn Back Market has any numbers to share in January on how many refurbished electronics made their way under the tree during this holiday season.
Medtech: The time is now
The startup that won this year’s Slush 100 competition was OASYS NOW, a solution to connect patients with clinical trials. It is a sign that there is still a lot to be done in healthtech, but also that startups can help.
“Unfortunately healthcare has been quite a drought when it comes to adoption of innovation and technology. We are here to make a difference,” its CEO Nima Salami told Sesamers.
OASYS NOW wasn’t the only healthtech company on stage, including during the finals: Top 3 finalist Mohana Health is a platform to navigate perimenopause. According to its founder and CEO, Dora Jambor it relieves symptoms thanks to three key ingredients: “precision, personalized care and behavioral psychology.”
With smart ring maker Oura Health now valued at $5 billion and establishing itself as one of Finland’s top success stories, it is only natural that Slush would be one place where investors are on the lookout for medtech innovation. AstraZeneca’s A.Catalyst Network (A.CN), for instance, was created in 2021 and has been attending the conference every year since then.
Don’t sleep on Roblox
Roblox is “a sleeping giant to us adults who weren’t playing,” Gamefam chief business officer Ricardo Briceno said. And while we were sleeping, a lot happened: Time spent on the platform skyrocketed, and esthetics changed, too.
There’s also more to come, Gamefam CEO Joe Ferencz argued in a keynote. Roblox, he said, “is likely to disrupt gaming, and maybe media itself.” The key here is user-generated content, which is “changing everything.”
These conversations took place at a Slush side event dedicated to the future of gaming, but Roblox was also represented at the conference itself. Its Vice President of Civility & Partnerships, Tami Bhaumik, took part in a panel discussing gaming safety.
EU regulation for the win?
European entrepreneurs have mixed feelings about regulation in the region, to say the least. But Slush also brought examples of how legislation is creating tailwinds for startups in some sectors.
One is Slush 100 Top 3 finalist DevAlly, which is helping companies comply with the European Accessibility Act (EAA), which will come into effect on June 28, 2025. “What GDPR did for data protection this act will do for accessibility,” its CEO, Cormac Chisholm, said during his finals pitch.
Another example is the textile sector. In a panel featuring Infinited Fiber Company, maker of circular fiber Infinna, and Syre, the recycled polyester venture founded by H&M Group and Vargas Holding, the conversation touched on the EU’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, and how it serves as an incentive for fiber recycling.
The startup and investment community in Europe is also taking proactive steps to ensure that regulation plays in its favor.
The most emblematic initiative in that sense is EU Inc, a petition to create a pan-European legal status for startups, and which was also a topic of discussion at Slush. It will definitely be worth tracking: If it works out, it could serve as a platform to introduce other changes that would better serve the startup ecosystem in the EU and beyond.