This week, Albania joined thousands of founders, investors, and ecosystem leaders at Slush Helsinki 2025, one of the world’s leading events for startups and innovation. Bringing together more than 13,000 participants from across the global tech ecosystem, Slush serves as a key platform where early-stage startups connect with international investors, explore new partnerships, and gain exposure to global markets.
Under the slogan “Albania Future Now,” the country showcased the energy, ambition, and growing maturity of its innovation ecosystem through the participation of ecosystem organisations and startups supported by EU4Innovation.
This year, EU4Innovation, Growpreneur, Tirana Slush’d, and GERMIN joined forces in Helsinki to strengthen Albania’s visibility within European innovation networks and support local founders in accessing international opportunities. Beyond participation itself, the presence at Slush reflects a broader effort to connect Albanian startups with global ecosystems, knowledge, and investment pathways.
Among more than 6,000 startups participating in Slush, Albania was represented by eight ventures supported by EU4Innovation: DollAPP, Katalogim, LekoTech, PayStorm AI, Great Shift, TeutAI, MedApp, and Avenirs. Their participation highlighted the diversity and potential of Albania’s emerging startup landscape, spanning sectors such as AI, healthtech, education, and digital services.
For many startups, events like Slush are not only opportunities for visibility, but also important learning environments where founders gain practical insights into scaling, fundraising, and navigating international markets. Throughout the week, Albanian founders engaged with investors, mentors, ecosystem builders, and global tech leaders, building connections that can translate into future collaborations and growth opportunities.
Albania’s participation at Slush also reflects the broader transformation of the country’s innovation ecosystem in recent years. What was once characterised by scattered entrepreneurial initiatives is increasingly evolving into a more structured ecosystem, supported through programmes, partnerships, incubation initiatives, and international networking opportunities.
Through initiatives such as Growpreneur, Deep Ecosystem, Tirana Slush’d, and collaborations with ecosystem actors across Europe, EU4Innovation contributes to strengthening the foundations needed for startups to grow, compete internationally, and position Albania more prominently on the global innovation map.
