Helsinki's startup year peaks in Slush week: Slush itself (18–19 November 2026 at Messukeskus), Junction in Espoo (13–15 November) and a week of free side events at Maria 01. Around it run FiBAN's monthly angel pitch nights, Women in Tech Finland's breakfasts and afterworks, ARCTIC15 (16–17 June 2027) and Nordic Business Forum (22–23 September 2027).
This guide lists startup, tech, investor and women-founder events in Helsinki and neighbouring Espoo from November 2026 to the end of 2027. We checked every date on the organiser's own website or event page. We mark each event as Confirmed (date on the official site), Announced (date from a reliable second source) or Expected (based on past editions only). For the rest of the country, see our startup events in Finland guide.
This article is regularly updated with new events. Do you know about an event that needs to be added? Send us some info and we will see if it's a fit.
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Must Attend Startup Events in Helsinki 2026–2027: Calendar from November 2026 to September 2027
Autumn 2026: early to mid-November
WiT Afterwork with Advania: 3 November 2026
Women in Tech Finland is the country's largest women-in-tech network, with two to four afterworks and breakfasts a month. Members hear about events first, and membership is free.
FiBAN Pitch Finland with OP: 12 November 2026
Eight investment-ready startups from the Finnish Business Angels Network's deal flow pitch to angels, after a morning spotlight on industrial startups. Founders apply all year round at fiban.org/apply. FiBAN's Screening Board with Business Espoo, on 26 November, picks cases for the next pitch nights (Luma).
Junction: 13–15 November 2026
Europe's biggest hackathon brings about 2,000 builders from more than 100 countries to Espoo, with €100,000 in prizes; the top five teams pitch to a grand jury. Founders come to scout and hire engineers.
Slush week: 16–19 November 2026
You don't need a Slush ticket for much of the week. Free options include Meet Maria 01 Startups (16 November, 13:00–15:00, one-minute pitches and startup tables; Luma), Epicenter's Global Tech Party on Slush Day 0 (17 November, 18:30–23:30, Mikonkatu 9; Luma) and the Sport Finland side event at Tavastia (17 November, register by 4 November; Luma). FiBAN and its Baltic partners host the Baltic Sea Unicorns after-party for investor-pass holders (Luma).
WiT Breakfast Date with ABB: 17 November 2026
A Women in Tech Finland breakfast at ABB on Slush Day 0, a good morning to meet a large industrial buyer before the conference starts.
Global Startup Ecosystem Mixer: 17 November 2026
Maria 01's mixer for the people who run startup ecosystems drew nearly 200 guests from 35 countries last year. The best room to meet accelerator and hub leads from other countries. Maria 01 Slush week
Slush: 18–19 November 2026
Slush brings together more than 12,000 people, with about one investor for every two founders and more than 20,000 pre-booked meetings. Slush 100 gives its winner €500,000 at 0% equity; applications closed on 7 September. Speakers include Reid Hoffman, Jessica Livingston, President Alexander Stubb and Anton Osika of Lovable. Startup tickets are sold out; check the FAQ for volunteer and side-event options.
Venture Night@Slush: 18 November 2026
Ten selected startups pitch for three minutes each, with Q&A. Awards include the pitch competition winner, best Ukrainian startup and audience favourite, with AWS credits as prizes. A cheap way to pitch on stage in Slush week.
Eir Accelerator Kick-Off: Future of Women's Health, 18 November 2026
The launch of Eir Accelerator's first cohort, with a keynote by Jessica Federer of The Women's Health Fund. Only guests working in women's health are admitted.
Slush Female Founder Breakfast: 19 November 2026
A small breakfast that Slush runs itself, for peer support and honest conversations between women founders.
Late November and December 2026
Nordic Banking Forum: 26 November 2026
Run by Fintech Farm, the forum gathers more than 500 banking decision-makers. B2B fintech founders can meet bank buyers from across the region in one day. See our fintech startup events for 2027.
Aaltoes Prompt Strategy Hackathon: 28–29 November 2026
Aaltoes, Europe's largest student-run entrepreneurship society, runs this weekend hackathon with challenge partners. All its events are free and open to everyone. Register on Luma.
FiBAN Pitch Finland with Castrén & Snellman: 10 December 2026
The year-end Pitch Finland night: eight startups pitch, then the evening moves on to Kämp Bar. Meeting angels here puts you in front of them before the new year's investment rounds.
Winter and spring 2027
Disobey: 19–20 February 2027
Finland's community hacker event turns ten. Tickets sell out fast, so cybersecurity founders who want to recruit should be ready when sales open. More in our cybersecurity startup events list.
Also in Helsinki: Assembly Winter, the gaming and demoscene event (25–28 February 2027, Messukeskus; assembly.org), RoboCon, the Robot Framework conference (8–12 March; robocon.io) and ScanAgile (10–11 March; scan-agile.org).
Summer and autumn 2027
ARCTIC15: 16–17 June 2027
ARCTIC15 turns 20 with a growth edition: more than 6,500 attendees and 750 investors are expected, with about 20,000 meetings. Startups can apply free to its "100 Innovations Shaping the Future" showcase until 31 May 2027; the jury picks a top three live.
Nordic Business Forum: 22–23 September 2027
A leadership conference rather than a startup event, for about 8,000 business leaders. Keynote speakers include Jacinda Ardern, Esther Perel, Mark Ritson, Cal Newport and Nobel laureate Philippe Aghion. Teams of ten or more get a group discount.
Dates not announced yet
- Slush 2027: expected in November 2027 at Messukeskus; no dates yet. slush.org
- Junction 2027: expected in November 2027 in Espoo.
- Aalto Startup Center Demo Day 2027: the 2026 edition was on 4 March at A Grid, Otaniemi, with a FiBAN pitch competition and an investor track. startupcenter.aalto.fi
- Maria 01 NOW 2027: the international pitching competition, from 2 June in 2026. maria.io
- Maria 01 NEXT 2027: Maria 01's startup festival, 23–24 September in 2026. maria.io
- Female Founder Pitching Competition: the fourth edition was on 14 November 2025 at Helsinki City Hall; no 2026 edition has been announced. Luma
- Helsinki Design Week 2027: expected in September.
Past events
- Co-founder Matchmaking Helsinki, October 2026: 27 October 2026, 17:00–19:30, at Maria 01, Lapinlahdenkatu 16, Helsinki.
- Dealing with Investors: a reverse pitch on 30 October 2026, 14:30–16:30, at Startup Sauna, Espoo.
Recurring meetups and communities
- Maria 01: nearly 400 events a year, including Business Helsinki sparring sessions for founders. maria.io
- FiBAN: Pitch Finland about once a month and free Startup Clinics (3 November, 13 November and 3 December 2026). fiban.org
- Women in Tech Finland: afterworks and breakfast dates two to four times a month. womenintech.fi
- Aaltoes and Startup Sauna: weekly talks and hackathons in Otaniemi, Espoo, all free. startupsauna.org
- Helsinki Think Company: weekly events for university founders. thinkcompany.fi
- Founder Institute Finland: a Nordics programme running in autumn 2026. fi.co
Quiet now: Startup Grind Helsinki has a chapter page but no dated events (startupgrind.com), DevFest Helsinki last ran in 2022, and Women Who Code closed in 2024.
Events for women founders in Helsinki
Slush week is the best time for women founders in Helsinki:
- Slush Female Founder Breakfast (19 November), for startup-pass holders.
- Eir Accelerator Kick-Off (18 November), invite-only, for women's health founders and investors.
- Women in Tech Finland: the afterwork with Advania (3 November) and the breakfast with ABB (17 November). Its biennial Women in Tech Forum was held on 22 October 2026. forum.womenintech.fi
- Female Founder Pitching Competition: run by The Shortcut with FiBAN and the City of Helsinki in 2025; watch for a 2027 edition.
Run an event for women founders in Helsinki? Send it to us and we'll add it. See also our women in tech events for 2027.
Funding and support to know before you go
- Startup Permit: non-EU founders first get an eligibility statement from Business Finland, then apply to the Finnish Immigration Service. The permit lasts up to two years and can be renewed; it comes with no funding. Startup in Finland
- Business Finland Sprint grant: a continuous call since 1 September 2026 for small companies building for international markets. It covers 75% of a €100,000–133,334 project, so €75,000–100,000, and does not need to be repaid. Business Finland
- Registering a company: the founding notification for a limited company (osakeyhtiö) costs €400 at the Finnish Patent and Registration Office, or €300 through the guided online service. PRH
- Business Helsinki: free counselling on legal forms, business plans and local rules for new founders. MyHelsinki
- Northern Light Accelerator: Maria 01's three-month programme for international teams costs €2,000, takes no equity and offers a €120,000 support package; the next batch starts in spring 2027. maria.io
How to get the most out of Helsinki startup events
- Plan Slush week around free events. Startup tickets sold out; Maria 01, Epicenter and dozens of side events need only registration.
- Apply to FiBAN early. Pitch Finland picks from FiBAN's deal flow, and applications are open all year.
- Book ARCTIC15 with SiRA. A verified startup ticket costs €49 + VAT instead of €99 + VAT.
- Use Espoo too. Junction, Aaltoes and Startup Sauna are in Otaniemi, 15 minutes from the centre by metro.
- Pitch somewhere every month. See our pitch competitions list and more startup competitions.
List your event in this guide
Do you run a startup, tech or investor event in Helsinki? Send us the name, dates, venue and official link, and we'll check whether it fits this guide. We list events for founders, with a real date and an official page.
This article is regularly updated with new events. Do you know about an event that needs to be added? Send us some info and we will see if it's a fit.
🔗 Add an awesome event
Startup events in other places
- Best startup events in Finland
- Must Attend Startup Events in Las Vegas, USA
- Must Attend Startup Events in Boston, USA
- Must Attend Startup Events in Los Angeles, USA
- Must Attend Startup Events in Tel Aviv, Israel
- Must Attend Startup Events in Hong Kong
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- Must Attend Startup Events in Seoul, South Korea
- Must Attend Startup Events in Madrid, Spain
- Must Attend Startup Events in Zurich, Switzerland
- Must Attend Startup Events in Dublin, Ireland
- Must Attend Startup Events in Copenhagen, Denmark
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- Must Attend Startup Events in Vienna, Austria
- Must Attend Startup Events in Austin, USA
- Best startup events in Europe (with country guides)
FAQ
When is Slush 2026?
18–19 November 2026 at Messukeskus in Helsinki, with Day 0 on 17 November. Startup tickets (€395 incl. VAT) are sold out; investor tickets were still on sale on 25 October.
Can I go to Slush week events without a Slush ticket?
Yes. Meet Maria 01 Startups (16 November), the Global Startup Ecosystem Mixer and Epicenter's Global Tech Party (17 November) and Venture Night@Slush (18 November, from €25) need only registration.
Where can I pitch to angel investors in Helsinki?
At FiBAN's Pitch Finland nights: 12 November and 10 December 2026. Founders apply at fiban.org/apply all year.
Are there events for women founders in Helsinki?
Yes: the Slush Female Founder Breakfast (19 November), the Eir Accelerator women's health kick-off (18 November) and Women in Tech Finland's monthly afterworks and breakfasts.
When is ARCTIC15 2027?
16–17 June 2027 in Helsinki. A SiRA-verified startup ticket costs €49 + VAT, and the 100 Innovations showcase takes applications until 31 May 2027.
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
