Analysis

May 29, 2019

Backlash against “sauna parties” at tech conferences

Are the sauna parties at tech events damaging diversity in the VC community or just an innocent way to showcase a Finnish tradition?


Mimi Billing

5 min read

Sauna or no sauna? That is the question investors need to ask themselves when attending a Finnish tech event. Photo credit: Sauna Village

Next week hundreds of business angels are going to meet in Helsinki, and some of them are going to get half-naked and sit sweating together in a hot wooden box; a type of event that goes under the name "sauna parties".

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Image of men steaming in an open air sauna during a tech conference sauna party
Events for startups and investors alike have been held at the Sauna village in Helsinki. Photo Credit: Sauna Village
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Jenny Ruth Hrafnsdottir is one of three female partners at Crowberry Capital.
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Mimi Billing

Mimi Billing is Sifted's Europe editor, based in Stockholm. She covers the Nordics and can be found on X and LinkedIn

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