25 Most Inspiring Quotes from Global Tech-leaders and Startup Founders Speaking at This Year’s Slush in Helsinki
Slush 2024 went off with a bang and team Hypend was on site to experience and capture all its magic.
Here are the (approximately) top 25 most interesting quotes our team picked up from the amazing variety of global leaders speaking on Slush’s stages this year.
Maria Raga, Former CEO of Depop
Maria Raga led Depop, one of the world’s leading fashion resell platforms for 8 years. In the conversation with Fredrik Cassel, the General Partner or Creandum - the leading European early-stage venture capital firm in Europe, Maria shared personal learnings on navigating an acquisition and how founders should prepare for a future exit from the start.
“Don’t show your cards (views) until the very last moment during sales process. You want to stay as objective as possible”
“When an investor is onboard with a company, they inherently don’t want to sell their share but let the company grow bigger and bigger”
“Surround yourselves with great advisors so that you can focus on your business”
Nicolas Santi-Weil, CEO of Ami PAris
Founded in 2011, AMI Paris has grown to be one of today’s most popular fashion brands. At Slush, Nicolas Santi-Weil, the CEO of AMI Paris shared the journey of AMI’s rise from Paris to the global stage. Nicolas emphasized the importance of founder-led creativity, where storytelling play a central role in brand growth and consumer connection.
“We’ve always been trying to do the right quality for the right prices instead of some crazy fashion pieces”
“We develop new markets through partnerships and when we see that a market is big enough, then we double down on it”
Robert Brunner, Lead Designer for Beats By Dre
Robert Brunner has worked with legendary brands including Apple, Beats by Dr. Dre, Nike, and Coca-Cola. With over 40 years of experience, at Slush Robert shared what makes the most famous brands better than their competitors in terms of design, as well as shared personal stories from working with icons such as Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre.
“Culture is where art and commerce meet”
Alexander Stubb, President of Finland
The Slush 2024 opening ceremony featured an exceptional speech by Alexander Stubb, the President of Finland. In his speech, Stubb explained about the importance of technology company leaders and their investors in changing today’s world and shaping our future one.
“You’re the ones who can solve problems. It’s important to create optimism and hope here today about the good that technology can do because technology is changing the way we work, the economy, and the way we communicate”
“Finland is cooler thank you think”
Chris Malachowsky, Co-founder of NVIDIA
Chris Malachowsky, the Co-founder of NVIDIA talked about how NVIDIA was born from a breakfast booth at the American restaurant Denny’s and how it has since grown from a small startup to the leading global name in accelerated computing - and one of world’s most valuable companies.
“Culture will beat strategy any day”
Meredith Whittaker, President of Signal
Meredith Whittaker, the President of the Signal Foundation, took the stage to share insights on AI and digital privacy. A leading advocate for ethical tech, she critiques AI's lack of product-market fit despite massive investment and champions Signal’s mission to enable private communication for all. With a career spanning Google, the AI Now Institute, and the FTC, Whittaker brought unparalleled expertise to the stage.
“AI is far away from product-market fit in terms of revenues it has generated for the enormous amounts of money that has been poured into it”
“As Signal, we’re committed to a world where everyone can pick up their device and communicate privately with anyone”
Dylan Field, Founder of Figma
Dylan Field shared insights and learnings from his journey of building Figma, urging aspiring entrepreneurs to surround themselves with people who inspire them to think bigger. Known for co-founding Figma after receiving the Thiel Fellowship in 2012, Field’s story continues to inspire a new generation of tech innovators.
“In the sea of software, high degree of craft and design is the reason you’re gonna win or lose”
“The most important thing you should do is to go find and surround yourself with people who make you think bigger”
Andrey Khusid, Founder & CEO of Miro
Andrey Khusid, the founder and CEO of Miro highlighted AI's potential as a "sidekick" to enhance skills and competencies. Under Khusid’s leadership, Miro has become a global collaboration platform with over 80 million users, redefining teamwork for organizations worldwide. He encouraged the audience with the philosophy, "If you don’t know what to do, do something," reflecting his proactive approach to innovation.
“We see AI as a sidekick who will complement and encahnce your skills and competences”
“If you don’t know what to do, do something”
Ilyas Khan, Founder & CPO at Quantinuum
Ilyas Khan explained about the critical link between AI's future and the success of quantum computing. Emphasizing the importance of prioritizing people over capital in deep tech, Khan shared insights drawn from his extensive experience in quantum foundations, entrepreneurship, and ethics in technology. A Fellow Commoner of St. Edmund’s College and an Ambassador for Cambridge Judge Business School, Khan inspired the audience with his vision for scalable, ethical innovation.
“Quantum computing will change everything, even human biology”
“AI critically depends on the success of quantum computing”
“We will never give priority to capital over people, which is essential for deep tech”
Javier Olivan, COO at Meta
Javi Olivan, the COO of Meta since 2022 and originally an EU citizen born in Spain called for clear and unified regulatory standards to boost the EU's competitiveness in the tech industry. Drawing from his extensive experience at Meta, Olivan highlighted the importance of cohesive policies for fostering innovation across the region. His journey from Stanford MBA graduate to a key executive at Meta and insights on Meta's open-source AI model Llama offered valuable lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs.
“To make the EU competitive, EU really needs to get clear regulatory standards for the entire area”
Matthieu Rouif, founder at Photoroom
In the conversation moderated by David Thevenon of Balderton, Matthieu Rouif explored product development, monetization, and market positioning in the era of generative AI. Highlighting the value of feedback from paying users and recounting Photoroom's journey from a simple background removal app to a leading photo editing platform with 200 million users as of today, Rouif’s talk didn’t fell short on inspiring aspiring global tech builders.
“Find your niche and focus 10x to grow 10x”
“The feedback you get from paying users is so much more better than the feedback you get from free users”
Miki Kuusi, Co-founder and CEO of Wolt
Miki Kuusi, the co-founder and CEO of Wolt talked about the raw realities of leadership during times of chaos and growth. Joined by Timo Ahopelto of Lifeline Ventures, Miki recounted unfiltered stories of leadership challenges, offering insights into surviving and thriving while building for long-term success. Miki emphasized the importance of transparency, ownership, and resilience in leading a high tech organization from a startup to a scale-up.
“If there’s something that worries me, I always try to share it with the people around me”
“Best leaders are the doers who make shit happen”
“The best people rise to the occasion and take ownership when it is needed”
Milda Mitkute, Founder of Vinted
Sharing the story of Vinted’s humble beginnings as a solution to her own overflowing closet, Milda Mitkute reflected on how the platform grew from a local website to a global marketplace operating in over 20 countries. Her journey as a female tech-founder offered valuable insights into innovation, community-building, and scaling a business internationally.
“Fresh views and people outside your circle are so important”
Petteri Lahtela, Co-founder of Oura
Reflecting on Oura’s evolution from a startup idea to a $2.55 billion health-tech phenomenon, Petteri Lahtela shared insights into user-centered innovation and the power of purposeful design. In the session moderated by Mimi Billing of Sifted, he revealed behind-the-scenes stories, including how intention and authentic messaging propelled Oura to global acclaim.
“You have to find the way to create the biggest value to the end user”
Slush 2024 once again proved why it’s the premier gathering for tech visionaries, entrepreneurs, and change-makers. From AI’s transformative potential to the grit required for leadership and the value of user-centered innovation, the insights shared this year were nothing short of inspiring. Leaders like Meredith Whittaker, Dylan Field, Miki Kuusi, and the other people mentioned above offered a rare glimpse into the challenges and triumphs that shape the future of tech and business.
At Hypend, we’re thrilled to have captured these fleeting moments, and we hope the quotes we’ve shared ignite your own ideas and ambitions. A huge thank you goes to everyone at Slush for organizing such an inspiring event once again, and to all speakers and attendees who brought the magic with them to the cold, wet, and dark Helsinki this November. Until next year - let’s keep making cool shit 🌋
Curated by: Kasper Kasanen
Photo credits: Julius Konttinen, Petri Anttila, Riikka Vaahtera, Otto Jahnikainen, & Kasper Kasanen with the blurry iPhone shots