You Collected 50+ Cards at Slush 2026. Now What?
Slush averages 50-100 cards over two intense days. The week after is when most founders quietly let those cards die in a desk drawer. This is the 7-day plan to keep them alive — and convert at least a handful into real follow-on conversations.
The 7-day follow-up plan
Day 0 is the flight home. Day 7 is when the trail goes cold. What you do in between is the difference between "I went to Slush 2026" and "I closed three deals from Slush 2026."
On the Helsinki-home flight: sort. LinkedIn-connect. Sleep.
Open NexaLink, sort everyone you scanned into Hot / Warm / Cold. Send LinkedIn requests to Hot tier with one-line personalized notes. Save email drafting for tomorrow.
Personal email to every Hot contact.
Reference where you met. Reference what you talked about. Propose one specific next step. Use this template:
Hi [name] — Great meeting you at Slush — [Day 1 / side stage]. Loved your take on [specific thing they said about their company]. Following up — would [15-min call / intro to X] be useful this week? — [your name]
LinkedIn note + soft email to Warm contacts.
Lower energy than Hot, but still personalized. Reference one detail from your conversation. Don't propose a meeting — just offer help. Acceptance rate is lower; the goal is staying on their radar for next quarter.
LinkedIn-only for Cold. Bump non-replies in Hot/Warm.
Cold tier: LinkedIn connection request, no email. Anyone in Hot/Warm who didn't reply by Day 5 gets one bump email — short, low-pressure, easy to ignore. After this, drop them.
Re-surface every contact tagged Slush 2026.
NexaLink filter: tag = Slush 2026. Send 5-10 no-pressure check-ins to people who didn't convert in week 1 but are still relevant. This is where year-over-year compounding starts.
How NexaLink runs the 7-day follow-up for you
- → Every card you scanned at Slush 2026 is auto-tagged. Filter by tag and you have your follow-up list ready.
- → AI drafts the personalized first email per contact, referencing the session you tagged at scan-time.
- → Reminders auto-set for Day 5 bump and Day 30 check-in. You don't have to remember.
- → When Slush 2027 happens, the same tag tells you which people you already met. That is your warm list for next year — without lifting a finger.
Frequently asked questions
How soon after Slush should I send follow-up emails?
Within 48 hours, before the dopamine wears off. Founders especially — they're back at their laptops Tuesday and the conversation you had is already fading. The single highest-leverage thing is to draft a one-line LinkedIn note on the flight home, then send the longer email Day 1-2.
What should the first follow-up email say after Slush?
Reference exactly where you met (Day 1, side stage), what you talked about (their pre-seed round, their go-to-market), and propose one specific next step (15-min call, intro to a portfolio peer, share your deck). Generic 'great meeting you' goes to trash. Specific gets replied to.
How do I follow up with 80 contacts from Slush without spamming?
Bucket them: hot (clear next step, 5-10 people), warm (good chat, 20-30 people), cold (just exchanged cards, 40-50 people). Hot gets a personal email Day 1. Warm gets a LinkedIn note Day 2-3 with no ask. Cold gets a LinkedIn connect-only request — no follow-up email. This converts at 2-3x the rate of treating everyone the same.
What if I forgot what I discussed with someone at Slush?
Be honest: 'Hey [name], we connected at Slush but the days blurred — refresh me on what you're working on and let's grab 15 min.' Honesty beats fake-specificity every time. Better still: scan cards into NexaLink during the event with a one-line note attached so you never lose context again.
When should I send a second follow-up if no reply?
Seven days after the first. Keep it short: 'Hey [name], bumping this up — would still love to chat if you have 15 min next week.' If still no reply, drop it and revisit at Slush 2027. Two emails is professional, three is pushy, four is harassment.
Don't lose the connection.
Free on iOS and Android. Scan cards, tag by event, and follow up without dropping a single name.