AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 8, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conference & Festivals has announced the finalists for the 11th annual SXSW Pitch® event (formerly SXSW Accelerator), to take place March 9-10 during the Entrepreneurship & Startup Track at the Downtown Hilton Austin. Chosen based on the technological innovation brought to their fields, 50 startup finalists will compete in each of the 10 technology categories, with one winner selected from each along with an overall "Best in Show" winner.
To determine category and overall winners, the 50 startup finalists will present their innovations to a panel of expert judges in front of a live audience during SXSW Pitch. Participating judges include industry influencers and entrepreneurs from organizations like Johnson & Johnson Innovation, Samsung NEXT, Barclays and more. The participating startups are gathered from around the globe, with countries of origin including Dubai, Canada, the UK, Pakistan, Singapore and Japan.
This year's event includes startups within existing popular technology sectors like virtual reality and wearables tech, but also adds two new categories – Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain.
The finalists of the 2019 SXSW Pitch are:
This year's finalists represent the most cutting-edge technologies from around the world, chosen from a record-setting 800+ applications.
"We have seen a 42% rise in applicants coming out of last year's event, and we couldn't be more thrilled to see such an impressive increase in the value of SXSW Pitch among the tech industry's most innovative startups," said SXSW Pitch Event Producer Chris Valentine. "In addition to the creation of the new AI and blockchain categories, we've also expanded our advisory board to highlight geographic, gender and racial inclusion –- accelerating our desire to represent the world's most innovative and successful leaders in all areas of technology."
Out of the 453 companies that participated in SXSW Pitch from 2009 and 2018, more than 71 percent have received funding, with combined funding in excess of $5.43 billion (not including undisclosed grants, angel and seed funding). Of these 453 companies, 16 percent have been acquired by established leaders like Google, British Telecom, Huffington Post, Apple and others.
"There is no better place to accelerate your business than the SXSW Pitch. The program put Season Share in front of the right people at the right time," said Jon Rappaport, co-founder of Season Share and 2017 Pitch Event alumnus.
The 2019 SXSW Pitch will feature 25 companies on Saturday, March 9 and 25 companies on Sunday, March 10. On March 10 at 6:30pm CT, SXSW will host the SXSW Pitch Award Ceremony on the 6th floor of the Hilton in Salon H and announce a winner from each category, including the overall "Best in Show" winner. SXSW attendees will have the opportunity to meet all 50 companies at the SXSW Pitch Meet the Finalist Day on Monday, March 11 at 11 a.m. CT.
For a complete list of the 2019 Finalists, including alternates, visit: https://www.sxsw.com/news/2019/sxsw-pitch-2019-finalists-announcement/
To learn more about Entrepreneurship & Startup Track, visit: https://www.sxsw.com/conference/entrepreneurship-and-startups/
About SXSW
SXSW dedicates itself to helping creative people achieve their goals. Founded in 1987 in Austin, Texas, SXSW is best known for its conference and festivals that celebrate the convergence of the interactive, film, and music industries. The event, an essential destination for global professionals, features sessions, showcases, screenings, exhibitions, and a variety of networking opportunities. SXSW proves that the most unexpected discoveries happen when diverse topics and people come together. SXSW 2019 will take place March 8-17, 2019.
SXSW 2019 is sponsored by Capital One, Mercedes-Benz, Bud Light, and The Austin Chronicle.
Press Contacts:
Brett Cannon
brett@sxsw.com
512.467.7979
Murphie Mendez
murphie@calibercorporate.com
512.995.0155
SOURCE South by Southwest
