We chat to Jonny Clark, Director of Liverpool Slush’D about why he brought Slush’D, part of Europe’s top start up and investment conference ‘Slush’, to Liverpool.
Jonny please can you explain a little about Slush’D?
A good way to think about it is: Slush’D is to Slush what TEDx is to TED.
Slush is the top startup and investing conference in Europe. It takes place in Helsinki every year. Recently, Slush has begun supporting smaller, community-led events in countries all over the world. I pitched for Liverpool to host one and was successful, marking the first such event supported by Slush in the UK.
We’ll be hosting 300 attendees in ‘Content’ in the Baltic Triangle on Thursday 14th September. The day is all about supporting local founders to think globally, providing a forum for them to connect with each other and putting Liverpool City Region on the map as a startup destination. We’ll have speakers and panels covering everything from investment, product development, scaling a company, building a team and even more specialist topics such as Deep Tech.
What made you decide to bring Slush’D to Liverpool?
Before I got into tech startups, I worked in economic development. I’m a geographer by academic background and I am fascinated about why some places thrive and prosper, and why others stagnate and decline. There are many parallels between Liverpool’s story and Helsinki’s story – not least how they had a tech startup scene seeded by entrepreneurs who emerged after the exit or decline of a major corporate (Sony, in Liverpool’s case – and Nokia, in Helsinki’s).
My goal is to make Liverpool City Region stand out in a way that only our authentic scouse nature can. I believe we can forge a new identity based on being a hotspot for young, hungry entrepreneurs and laptop nomads who want to build successful businesses and live in a truly distinct place.
How have you found organising the event? Have you had much support?
I’ve organised a few big events before now, not least the old Digital Summits and some events as part of IFB2016 – but it’s been a while. I forgot how stressful it can be, making sure 300+ people are fed, watered and entertained! Thankfully, there is huge support for the event from a wide range of local people. Our sponsors have gone way beyond just providing financial contributions to make the event happen, so I just want to put on record how grateful I am to Growth Platform, KPMG, Baltic Ventures and Gather.
Why do you think Liverpool is a great place for the Creative and Digital Sector?
We’re a small city with a welcoming, active business community. We’re big enough that you can get into contact with people doing work at the bleeding edge of innovation in the Universities, but also small enough that the city isn’t too big to navigate and you don’t feel like a tiny minnow lost in a vast ocean. The slightly lower cost of living here can be a huge help for founders, particularly at the earlier stages of building a business. Via a short train or car journey, you’re connected to major international airports, London and enough pristine nature to satisfy even the strongest hiking urges.
Considering we are such a small subset of the wider population, it’s astounding how you can find the footprints of Scousers in locations and industries all over the world. The unique wit and sharpness that growing up around our region and imbibing its culture brings – I think that gives our people an edge, particularly in the creative and technological arenas.
What would you say to anyone else looking to organise an event in Liverpool?
Go for it – there’s so many great venues and there’s usually a community that would be interested in attending, regardless of how niche you might think your focus is.