Slush, hosted in Helsinki every year since 2008, is the world’s most founder-focused startup event. 2025 marked the 3rd successive year of Cornwall Slush’D, the sister regional-focused event to Slush, and this year was the only Slush’D hosted in the UK. Hosted at the Lighthouse Cinema in Newquay, the day brought together a vibrant mix of founders, investors, students, and ecosystem builders, all focused on celebrating and accelerating the UK’s growing startup scene.
Pitch Success
Mirroring the highlight of Slush, Slush 100, Cornwall Slush’D’s starring slot is the startup pitch competition. This year, 9 startups pitched to our panel of expert judges; Nic Eversett, CMO-in-residence at Canopy Community, Magellan Makhlouf, CedarBridge Capital Partners; and Bethany Campbell, Innovate UK. The judges had an incredibly difficult decision to choose the winning startup, who would win two tickets to Slush 2025, £1,000 of legal support from Murrells Associates, and Tech Cornwall membership. After hearing from Amutri, Butterfly Wellness, Charismatic AI, Data Harmony, KASA Tech, Strain Vaults, STRIBE, Surgassists and Wellness on Tap, the judges named Benjamin Felt, founder of Strain Vaults as the winner of Cornwall Slush’D 2025 pitch competition. You can read more about Benjamin’s story here, and see his winning pitch here.
Sparks of Inspiration
Following a traditional Cornish pasty lunch, we were joined by experienced founders, funders and operators in the afternoon with a series of talks and panels covering topics from bootstrapping, working with product people, hiring for scaling, human-centred approaches and what it takes to build a business from the edge of the UK.
All of their talks are available to watch so even if you missed out on the energy in the room, you can still benefit from their insight;
- Cornwall Slush’D 2025 Opening Keynote: Oyinkansola Adebayo in conversation with Shona Marsh – From Bootstrapped to a vision of 100 million users
- Thor Mitchell: FAQs from Startup Product Management
- Dickon Moon: Talent Tips for the Scaling Journey
- Shae Omonijo in conversation with Caitlin Gould: Building Human-First Startups in the Age of AI
- Panel Discussion: Let’s Hear it for the Funders – Join panel host Nina Hampson, director at iusegenius and multi-exited founder, as our panelists share their top early stage funding tips. Panelists: Sara Palmer, Head of Investment, Innovate UK; James Fairbairn, Deputy Director of Investment & Growth, Great South West; Matt Penneycard, Ada Ventures; Katelyn Milinowicz, Portfolia VC scout & angel investor
Panel Discussion: Success Stories from the Edge – Ali Glover, founder of Happy Business, hosts a discussion with founders on what it takes to build a successful business from the most southwestern point of the country. Panelists: Dan Parker, Firetext; Joe Turnbull, Bull & Wolf; and Kelli Fairbrother, xigxag.
Looking Ahead
Hosted by Tech Cornwall, Cornwall Slush’D isn’t just another event, it’s a manifestation of the Cornwall Growth Plan, the Events Strategy 2025-2030, and the long-term vision for a clean, fair, and inclusive economy.
We are working to make Cornwall:
- Economically diversified
- More confident in its green, digital and tech sectors
- Better connected to national and global investors
- A place where young people stay to build, not leave to survive
Slush’D answers that call. It brings investors, innovators, and ideas directly into the heart of Cornwall, helping to rewrite the narrative of our region, from a seasonal destination to a year-round innovation engine. Sign up to find out where Cornwall Slush’D is heading in 2026. In the meantime, you can get a taste of Cornwall Slush’D at Demo Nights, hosted in partnership with Canopy Community. Apply to pitch to a friendly audience, or attend to support pitchers and network.
