Slush Oulu Community Side Event & Pitching Competition 2026

StartupOulu invites you to join the Slush Oulu Community Side Event & Pitching Competition 2026, taking place on November 12th, from 14:00 to 18:00 at Teatteri Rio in Oulu.

10 teams will get the spotlight to share their business idea and win up to 1000 €, 500 €, or 300 € in cash prizes. And even if you don’t take home a prize, you’ll walk away with something just as valuable – real pitching practice, new connections, and visibility for your startup in front of Oulu’s startup community, who will support and admire every team that makes it to the competition.

This is your chance to sharpen a skill that matters everywhere in business. The more you pitch, the better you’ll get. It’s also a great way to get noticed by people who can open doors for you, find partners and customers, and take your startup one big step further.

To help you shine, everyone joining the competition gets workshops on how to pitch, plus practice and feedback sessions to rapidly sharpen your pitch before the big day.

The event will also include a red-hot debate between two top-class startup professionals, Sarita Runeberg and Erik Åkesson.

Take the bold step and join us to pitch! Read more and sign up to pitch or join as an audience member here.

The application deadline for the pitching competition is October 11th, 2026.