Istanbul’s second edition of Slush’D, now branded Istanbul Ignited by Slush’D, returns to Rixos Tersane from 12 to 14 October with organizers projecting more than 3,000 attendees, 1,400 startups, and 600 investors. That marks a steep climb from last year’s roughly 1,700 participants.
The inaugural 2025 event, held at the same waterfront venue under the Istanbul Slush’D name, sold out completely. Organizers reported over 1,000 curated meetings between founders and investors, with more than 75 international funds represented. Half the crowd traveled from abroad.
Slush launched in Helsinki in 2008 as a volunteer-run meetup and grew into one of Europe’s most influential startup conferences. Noora Saksa took over as chief executive in January. The licensed Slush’D format adapts that model for regional ecosystems.
Akbank and Togg, Türkiye’s electric vehicle manufacturer, anchor the event as main sponsors.
The 2026 program revolves around three themes. Sovereignty & Resilience examines independent supply chains and tech infrastructure. AI as Infrastructure explores how artificial intelligence underpins new products and business models. The Human Edge asks why creativity, judgment, and intuition still carry weight as AI accelerates.
The initial speaker roster spans heavyweight venture firms and tech companies. Confirmed names include Accel partner Zhenya Loginov, Periodic Labs co-founder and co-CEO Ekin Doğuş Çubuk, Langdock co-CEO and Visionaries senior partner Judith Dada, Mido Capital founder Bryan Kim, and Index Ventures partner Emil Schaefer.
General Catalyst partner Zeynep Yavuz, Scribble Ventures founder Elizabeth Weil, and Nvidia’s head of startups and VC Basil Fateen join them. Astra founder and CEO Chris Kemp will speak, as will Quantinuum founder Ilyas Khan.
Adjust CEO Andrey Kazakov and Midas founder Egem Eraslan appear on the schedule too. Gaming gets dedicated attention through Tripledot Studios co-founder Akin Babayiğit, Loom Games CEO Kübra Gündoğan, and Istanbul’s Grand Games, which closed a $70 million Series B in May.
Organizers say speakers from OpenAI, Anthropic, ElevenLabs, Index Ventures, Mubadala, and PIF will also take the stage. More names land in the coming weeks.
The event opens 12 October with an invite-only Investor Day and a hackathon. The main conference follows on 13 and 14 October. The core organizing team has doubled since last year, and its volunteer community expanded alongside it.
Co-founder Şan Yalman emphasized that this year’s lineup includes several speakers visiting Türkiye for the first time. “The focus is on creating the kind of access and conversations that are usually concentrated in only a handful of global hubs,” he said.
Co-founder Melisa Çağlar, who began working with Slush as a high school volunteer in Helsinki, framed the ambition regionally. She said the larger team and stronger partnerships aim to position Istanbul as a connector linking Turkish and regional founders with capital, opportunities, and markets across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.
Tickets remain available on the Istanbul Ignited by Slush’D website. Student passes run €80, startup passes €200, investor passes €350, and general admission costs €400 before VAT and fees.
