Predicting Slush 100 winners using AI

In the dynamic landscape of technological advancements and entrepreneurial spirit, platforms that foster innovation and collaboration are crucial. 

Slush is at the epicenter of innovation in Europe as startups and investors from the whole region come to meet, network, and discover new technology. 

A big part of this conference is the Slush 100 competition, which involves a pitch-off by up-and-coming companies looking to make their mark. Having participated in the competition last year, we wanted to showcase some of the data behind the companies and even asked AI to predict who will be the winner.

We started off by collecting all the names and links of the top 20, 50, and 100 companies using the free Databar Chrome Web Scraper. We then used our enrichments to get a more detailed view of each company's:

• Headcount
• Estimated revenue
• Industry
• Website
• Product
• Description
• Founding date
• Funding status and amount raised so far
• LinkedIn data
• Social links

We then fed this data into OpenAI for it to come up with a predicted winner for the competition. Let's dig in!

The data

Here's the full dataset showing all the Slush top 100 startups. Each startup is marked if it was part of the final 20, 50, and 100 batch, along with each company's metrics.

Please note, since all data here was collected automatically without human involvement, some rows have empty data points.

Comparing only the top 20 startups, for the ones where we have data, the following raised the most from investors previous to this competition:

• Silo team: $1M
• Faircado: $500k
• Factored: $300k
• Ekvi: $125k
• Shai: $100k

When it comes to headcount, the following have the largest teams currently:

• GAIA Technologies: 16 people
• amberSearch: 14
• Faircado: 11
• Xworks Tech: 9
• Alter Climate: 8

Out of the top 20, only 1 is based out of Finland, while Germany and the UK brought the most number of representatives with 4 and 3, respectively.

And finally, Faircado had by far the largest online presence with 3374 LinkedIn followers as of December 1, 2023.

Asking AI to predict the winner

Having gathered all of this data, we asked AI to predict who's going to win the startup competition this year. We already know that Faircado, Congrify, and Lifeyear made it to the finals as of the writing of this piece, so we can cross-reference if the predictions are accurate.

The prediction

"To predict the top 3 companies that may make it to the finals of the Slush 100 startup competition, we can consider various factors such as the company's description, revenue, amount raised, and LinkedIn followers. However, it's important to note that making accurate predictions for startup competitions involves many uncertainties, and success can depend on various factors beyond the provided data. Here's an attempt to identify potential top contenders:

1. Alter Climate
   - Description: Climate change intelligence is a critical and growing field.
   - Estimated revenue: $2,500,000.00
   - LinkedIn Followers: 149
   - Industries: Climate Intelligence

2. broadn
   - Description: Autonomous AI agents for knowledge workers is a relevant and innovative concept.
   - Estimated revenue: ~
   - LinkedIn Followers: 577
   - Industries: Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Software

3. Faircado
   - Description: Addressing waste and promoting a circular economy aligns with current environmental concerns.
   - Estimated revenue: $3,000,000.00
   - LinkedIn Followers: 3374
   - Industries: Second-hand goods, Sustainability

These predictions are based on a combination of factors such as revenue, industry focus, and LinkedIn followers. However, the actual performance in the competition may depend on the quality of the pitches, the judges' preferences, and other unforeseen variables."

 

Predicting the winner in the finals

ChatGPT got one of the three finalists correctly, so you could assume that Faircado would win the whole thing. But when we tell ChatGPT that Congrify, Faircado, and Lifeyear made it to the finals, the prediction is surprising:

Summarizing

Ultimately, the winner will depend on many factors, one of them being how each startup is pitched on stage. We're excited to see who will take it all and congratulate all startups that made it to the semi-finals and finals!

About Databar.ai

This year, we are proud to introduce Databar.ai, a game-changer platform designed to not only streamline the investor experience but also enhance the workflow of professionals who rely on data in their work. Amid the spirited competition between founders and investors, Databar.ai serves as a centralized hub, offering a clear and concise view of key metrics for each startup. As the excitement unfolds and founders showcase their brilliant ideas, Databar.ai empowers investors to swiftly identify and support the most promising startups.

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