Web Summit and Slush are the two European tech events most founders and investors circle every November. They land in the same month, they both draw an international crowd, and they both cost real money once travel is added. But they are built for different people.
Web Summit is a giant, broad technology conference with a heavy media and corporate presence. Slush is smaller, tighter and built around founders meeting investors. Picking the wrong one can mean four days of noise or two days of meetings that do not match your goals.
This comparison uses facts published by each organizer as of November 2026, so you can make the call on solid ground.
Web Summit At A Glance
Web Summit 2026 runs November 9 to 12 in Lisbon, Portugal. Web Summit describes itself as a tech industry conference and network. The Lisbon event is held in the Parque das Nações district, at the MEO Arena and the FIL exhibition center, both served by Oriente station.
Scale
Web Summit’s own ticket page describes the event as drawing more than 70,000 attendees. For its 2025 Lisbon edition, Web Summit reported a record 71,386 attendees and a record 1,857 investors. Portugal’s trade and investment agency, AICEP, citing the organizers, reported 2,725 startups and participants from 157 countries at the same edition.
Tickets
Web Summit lists three main attendee tickets for 2026:
General Attendee: €1,595 (€1,297 excluding sales tax)
Startups attend through a separate startup program that bundles tickets with access to the pitch competition, the startup showcase, mentor hours and investor-to-startup meetings. Web Summit said its 2026 startup program was sold out when we checked, with applications open for 2027. Volunteers receive free admission.
Audience
The audience is broad. Large technology companies, startups, investors and major media outlets all appear on the attendee rolls, and the stage program mixes big-name executives, policy figures and founders. That breadth is the point: Web Summit is where you go to be seen by a lot of different people at once.
Slush At A Glance
Slush 2026 runs November 18 and 19 in Helsinki, Finland, at the Helsinki Expo and Convention Center (Messukeskus). Slush is run as a not-for-profit and grew out of a 250-person gathering in 2008.
Scale
Slush lists 12,000-plus attendees, more than 25,000 meetings, 200-plus speakers and 600-plus side events for its event. It says 76% of attendees are startups or investors and that investors present represent about €4 trillion in assets under management. Slush describes the ratio as one VC for every two founders.
Tickets
Slush lists its 2026 tickets as follows, including 13.5% VAT:
Startup: €395 for two days
Investor: €1,195 for two days, with €100 off for solo GPs and angel investors
Ecosystem: €1,195 for two days
Several categories were marked sold out when we checked. Slush also sold startup booths, a 5 square meter space in front of the Startup Stage, at €1,500 for one day or €3,000 for two, open to startups at Series A or earlier (applications closed August 31). Slush says the 2026 edition is built by 1,800 volunteers.
Audience
Slush calls itself the most founder-focused event in the world, and its numbers back that up. The event is built around pre-booked meetings between founders and investors, with dedicated investor lounges, office hours and a meeting tool on the Slush platform. Slush says it does not pay speakers and speakers do not pay it, so the stage is curated rather than sold.
Side-By-Side Comparison
Factor
Web Summit
Slush
City
Lisbon, Portugal
Helsinki, Finland
2026 dates
November 9 to 12
November 18 to 19
Length
Four days
Two days
Venue
MEO Arena and FIL, Parque das Nações
Helsinki Expo and Convention Center
Reported scale
71,386 attendees in 2025 (organizer figure)
12,000-plus attendees (organizer figure)
Investors
1,857 in 2025 (organizer figure)
One VC for every two founders; about €4 trillion AUM
Startups
2,725 in 2025 (per AICEP, citing organizers)
76% of attendees are startups or investors
Entry ticket
€1,595 General Attendee
€395 Startup
Investor or premium ticket
€1,950 VIP
€1,195 Investor
Startup route
Startup program packages (by application)
Startup ticket plus optional booth at €1,500 per day
Audience mix
Broad: corporates, startups, investors, media
Narrow: founders and investors
Format focus
Stages, expo, media, networking
Pre-booked founder and investor meetings
Who Should Pick Web Summit
Web Summit makes the most sense when reach matters more than precision.
Brands and corporates seeking visibility. If you want media coverage, partner conversations and exposure to a huge mixed audience, Web Summit’s scale is hard to match.
B2B companies hunting partners and enterprise buyers. Large companies attend in force, which makes the expo floor and side meetings useful for business development.
Founders at a stage where press helps. A strong pitch, a booth through the startup program and a media plan can deliver attention that a smaller event cannot.
Teams that want several days of content. Four days of talks, masterclasses and the Night Summit give you more time on the ground.
Budget accordingly. A General Attendee ticket is four times the price of a Slush Startup ticket, and Lisbon hotels are expensive during the event. Navan’s analysis of the 2025 edition put the median nightly rate near the venue at $444.
Who Should Pick Slush
Slush makes the most sense when you know exactly who you want to meet.
Founders raising a round. With roughly one VC for every two founders and a meeting system built into the event, Slush is designed for fundraising conversations.
Investors sourcing deals. The concentration of early-stage companies, many from the Nordics and wider Europe, is the main draw. Slush says more than 80% of attendees come from European regions.
Lean teams on a budget. At €395, the Startup ticket is the cheapest way into a major European startup event, and two days means fewer hotel nights.
Anyone who prefers depth over breadth. A smaller crowd means more meaningful conversations and less time walking between halls.
The trade-off is reach. Slush will not give you the media presence or the corporate crowd that Web Summit does, and popular ticket categories sell out early.
Can You Do Both?
In 2026, yes. Web Summit ends on November 12 and Slush begins on November 18, leaving almost a week in between. A founder who wants press and partner meetings in Lisbon and investor meetings in Helsinki can attend both. Just budget for two sets of flights and hotels, and book early: both events say their cheapest categories sell out.
Conclusion
Web Summit and Slush are both worth attending, but not for the same person. Web Summit is the choice for scale, media and broad business development, with 71,386 attendees in 2025 and a €1,595 general ticket. Slush is the choice for founders and investors who want focused, pre-booked meetings, with 12,000-plus attendees and a €395 startup ticket. Decide what a successful trip looks like for you, whether that is coverage, partnerships or a term sheet, and the right event usually picks itself.
