We attended Istanbul Slush’D 2025 — two days full of insights, inspiration, and connections. Held at Rixos Tersane, the event brought together some of the most exciting founders, investors, and innovators from around the world — all gathered at the crossroads of continents to discuss the future of entrepreneurship.
🔥 Another highlight was the fireside chat with Hande Çilingir, who boldly said, “Europe is dying in terms of startups and growth.” 😅
Right after that, a VC in the audience shouted, “Not my portfolio!” — and the whole room burst into laughter 😂. It was one of those moments that perfectly captured the mix of honesty and humor that defines this community.
Beyond the sessions, the energy in every hallway conversation was unmatched. From Emmett Shear (Twitch) to Bryan Kim (a16z) and Julie Kainz (Lightspeed), the speaker lineup shared stories that went beyond scaling — they were about resilience, creativity, and building through friction.
Overall, it was an amazing event connecting founders, investors, and ecosystem builders — kudos to everyone who made it happen! 🙌
