SXSW Pitch returns for its thirteenth year to showcase some of the global startup ecosystem’s most exciting, innovative, and cutting-edge technology!

2021 Event Information

SXSW is launching SXSW Online as part of our 2021 offerings. The digital experience will feature conference keynotes and sessions, screenings, showcases, networking, and exhibitions from March 16 – March 20, 2021. Learn more about SXSW Online here.

This year’s SXSW Pitch will be part of the SXSW Online digital experience. 2021 SXSW Pitch will feature 48 interactive technology companies from 8 different categories. These companies will virtually pitch and participate in a 5-minute Q&A with three judges.

Applications are being accepted October 20, 2020 to January 8, 2021.

Application Information

2021 SXSW Pitch Schedule

Day One: Wednesday, March 17
10:00am-10:55am | Smart Cities, Transportation & Logistics
11:00am-11:55am | Social & Culture
12:00pm-12:55pm | Artificial Intelligence, Robotics & Voice
1:00pm- 1:55pm | Innovative World

Day Two: Thursday, March 18
10:00am-10:55am | Future of Work
11:00am-11:55am | Enterprise and Smart Data
12:00pm-12:55pm | Entertainment, Gaming and Content
1:00pm- 1:55pm | Health, Wearables & Wellbeing

SXSW Pitch Alums: $7.6 Billion in Funding

SXSW Pitch proudly applauds our alumni and the millions of funding along the way. Over the years, we launched our startup platform for finalists with great ideas with the goal of matching them with top investors both nationally and internationally.

Of the 553 companies who participated in SXSW Pitch between 2009 and 2019, over 80% received funding, with combined funding in excess of almost $7.6 billion (does not include undisclosed grants, angel and seed funding). Of these 553 companies, 18% have been acquired by the likes of Google, British Telecom, Huffington Post, Apple, Live Nation, OpenTable, Constant Contact, and Harmon. Some of our prestigious alums you may know to include Klout, ICON, Hipmunk, Wildfire, Tubemogul, Siri, Foodspotting, and Tango.

Explore the SXSW Pitch Archive to browse winners, finalists, and other participants from previous seasons.

Contact Us

For questions about SXSW Pitch, please contact Chris Valentine at chris@sxsw.com.

Press

For press inquiries about the SXSW Pitch event, please contact interpress@sxsw.com.

SXSW Pitch Presented by Target Accelerator

Target Accelerators offers programs focused on networking and business guidance for startups of any stage.

Applications are being accepted October 20, 2020 to January 8, 2021.

2021 Application Dates & Deadlines

• Early Bird Application Fee: $29 | October 20, 2020 – November 24, 2020
• Regular Application Fee: $59 | November 25, 2020 – January 8, 2021

To be eligible:

• A company’s product or service must have launched no earlier than March 17, 2019.
• A company’s product or service must not have launched after June 17, 2021.
• Each company may only enter one product or service to SXSW Pitch.
• A company that enters more than one product or service will not be eligible to participate in SXSW Pitch.
• Founders of the company applying must retain some portion of ownership in the company.
• Each applicant is only eligible to present in one of the SXSW family of startup events (SXSW Pitch or SXSW EDU Launch). In contrast, if you have applied for SXSW EDU event and were not accepted to participate, then please feel free to apply to SXSW Pitch.
• The Company must not have raised over ten (10) million dollars in funding from combined funding sources.
• The product or service must fall into one of the SXSW Pitch categories.

Apply

Artificial Intelligence, Robotics & Voice

Technologies related to machine-simulated intelligence, consciousness, empathy, or speech. These technologies may also cover Internet of Things and smart devices, or a machine’s ability to perform, anticipate, and streamline tasks without human assistance. These startups seek to address a wide variety of issues.

Enterprise & Smart Data

Technologies that increase productivity for businesses and/or individuals by simplifying informational data through new workflows and analytics. These startups may have applications in data collection, management, analysis, presentation, interpretation, security, and augmentation across industries such as business, finance, advertising, and more.  

Entertainment, Gaming & Content

Technologies and applications that are reinventing the ways humans find enjoyment through areas such as leisure, education, and entertainment. Industries these technologies address may include gaming, music, film, television, video, arts, news and publishing, streaming, and digital storytelling. These startups may also deploy new and hybrid entertainment delivery models such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), mixed reality (MR), and other novel visualization technologies.

Future of Work

Technologies that enable, empower, change, and expand capabilities in the future of work and the working experience. These technologies may find applications in the gig economy, remote working and connectivity, business communications, project management, workforce incentives and benefits, payments, manufacturing, human resources, education and skills training, recruiting, and others.


Health, Wearables & Wellbeing

Technologies focused on human-centric applications that advance health and connect individuals with health systems and facilities, care teams, providers, insurance, corporate and personal wellness services, and public health & social services. These startups may also include applications in aging and geriatrics, general wellness, diagnosis, treatment, fertility, genetics, exercise, home fitness, nutrition, sleep, sports, and wearable technologies.

Innovative World Technologies

This category is for any creative and innovative application, product, or service that does not fit in another SXSW Pitch category, as well as technologies that act as the infrastructure that new technologies are built on. Examples that might fit into this category include (but are not limited to) payments and financial technologies, blockchain, space and aerospace, biotechnology and nanotechnology, agriculture and natural resources, pet tech, cannabusiness, sustainability, drones, home refinancing, quantum computing and computer chip technology, energy, and others.

Smart Cities, Transportation & Logistics

Technologies that create and advance smart cities by providing services and products for local environments, which includes buildings, neighborhoods, communities, and public spaces. These innovations may find applications in real estate development, transportation, logistics, delivery, autonomous vehicles, ridesharing, infrastructure, utilities, public works, security, population data, government and civic services, and more.

Social & Culture

Technologies that explore and expand the boundaries of how humans experience life as individuals, as communities, and as global citizens. Examples of such sectors include but are not limited to social media and networking, family-tech, dating and friendship, travel and hospitality, environment and climate change, home, fashion, and consumer tech. This category also covers social enterprise technologies that aim to solve social or societal problems, impact positive change, and improve lives.

Apply

Explore the the SXSW Pitch Archive for 2020 Finalists, Judges, Coaches, and more as well as finalists and winners from past seasons.

Past judges have included Tim Draper of DFJ, John Sculley of Apple/Pepsi, Robert F. Smith of Vista Equity Partners, Constantijn van Oranje of Startup Delta, Tim O’Reilly of O’Reilly Media, Paul Graham of Y Combinator, Kay Koplovitz of Springboard Growth Capital/USA Network Co-Founder, Naval Ravikant of AngelList, Guy Kawasaki of Alltop, Cyan Banister of Long Journey Ventures, Werner Vogels of Amazon, Christine Herron of Intel Capital, Whurley,  Mark Suster of Upfront Ventures, Albert Wenger of Union Square Venture, Bob Metcalfe of 3Com/Ethernet Co-Founder, and Laurie Segall with CNN to name a few.

Browse Archive

Each year, PitchBook, a financial data and software company, complies over a decade’s worth of data into a report for the SXSW Pitch event.

Download the 2020 Report from PitchBook below to explore industry categories and data on standout past participants from the most VC capital raised to most active investors in SXSW companies and more.