SXSW Pitch returns for its 16th year to showcase some of the global startup ecosystem's most exciting, innovative, and cutting-edge technology! According to Pitchbook, finalists involved in this competition since 2009 have raised more than $23.2 billion in funding.

The event provides an outlet for companies to present the latest ideas across eight categories to a panel of industry experts, early adopters, and representatives from the investment community. We invite you to join us for this incredible pitch event as we highlight startup technologies' most impressive innovations from March 9-10, 2024 at the SXSW 2024 Conference & Festivals in Austin, Texas.

2024 Categories include Artificial Intelligence, Voice, & Robotics; Enterprise & Smart Data; Entertainment, Media & Content; Extended Reality and Web3; Future of Work; Food, Nutrition, & Health; Innovative World Technologies; and Smart Cities, Transportation & Sustainability, Student Startup.

For SXSW Pitch inquiries, please contact michelle@sxsw.com and send press inquiries to conferencepress@sxsw.com.

See You in 2024

Experience more opportunities for discovery, networking, learning, and career-enhancing connections than ever before at SXSW 2024 from March 8-16. Register and book your hotel early for the best rates. Subscribe to Event Updates to stay in the SX know.

Artificial Intelligence, Voice, & Robotics

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 and may include Super Apps, generative AI, AI chips, and more.

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, organization, big data simulation, analysis, presentation, interpretation, security, and augmentation across industries such as business, finance, advertising, and more.

Entertainment, Media & Content

Technologies and applications that are re-inventing the experience of leisure, information and entertainment. Industries these technologies address may include gaming, music, film, television, video, arts, news and publishing, streaming, and digital storytelling.

Extended Reality and Web3

Technologies that enhance the way people connect, communicate, and share unique life experiences with those around them in a digital ecosystem. Startups within this category aim to better immerse consumers within their digital experiences through Web 3.0 applications, wearables, blockchain technology, multi-sensory incorporation, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and other visualization technologies. These startups may have applications in dating and friendship, professional networking, gaming, data visualization, warfare, content creation, NFT/blockchain, social media, instant messaging, extended reality, mass media, and more.

Food, Nutrition, & Health

Technologies focused on human-centric applications that advance nutrition 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 food and CPG, agriculture and farming, aging and geriatrics, vaccines, mRNA technology, general wellness, assistive technology, diagnosis, treatment, fertility, genetics, exercise, home fitness, nutrition, sleep, sports, cannabis, and medical wearable 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, employee education and skills training, recruiting, and others.

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) societal good, social networking, supply chain, payment and fintech, Aerospace and flight technology, biotechnology and nanotechnology, pet tech, drones, home refinancing, defense and security measures, quantum computing and computer chip technology, and others.

Smart Cities, Transportation & Sustainability

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 sustainability, climate change, renewable power sources, real estate development, transportation, tourism, logistics, product delivery, autonomous vehicles, ridesharing, infrastructure, utilities, public works, security, population data, government and civic services, and more.

Student Startup

Student startup that is showcasing innovative technology with a focus on Artificial Intelligence, Voice & Robotics; Enterprise & Smart Data; Entertainment, Media & Content; Extended Reality and Web3 Future of Work; Food, Nutrition & Health; Innovative World Technologies; Smart Cities, and/or Transportation & Sustainability. A student from the startup management team will need to present at SXSW Pitch if selected as a Finalist or Alternate, as well as must be enrolled at a College or University during the SXSW Pitch March 2024 event.

Please note that high school students are not eligible to enter the Student Startup Category for SXSW Pitch — if you are a high school student, then you should enter the EDU Student Impact Competition.

SXSW Pitch is a featured startup showcase event that has an open call for startups to apply for the chance to participate at SXSW each March. Explore SXSW Pitch 2024 deadlines, criteria, and categories before you submit your application.

Eligibility Criteria

• The company’s product and/or service must have been conceived no earlier than March 9, 2022.
• Each company may only enter one product or service into SXSW Pitch. A company that enters more than one product or service will not be eligible to participate in SXSW Pitch.
• Startups are encouraged to apply to multiple SXSW competitions, including SXSW Pitch, SXSW Innovation Awards and SXSW EDU Launch (if you are an education-related startup). But because we want to showcase as many different compelling startups as possible at SXSW, know that your startup will only be selected as a finalist in one of these three competitions.
• Founders of the company applying must retain some portion of ownership in the company.
• The Company must not have raised over eight (8) million dollars in funding from combined funding sources.
• Startups should be legally registered and compliant with all relevant regulations and laws in their respective jurisdictions.
• The product or service must fall into one of the SXSW Pitch categories.

For questions about eligibility, the selection process, and more, please see the FAQ.

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 2024 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.

2023 Winners By Category

Artificial Intelligence, Robotics & Voice: Reality Defender (New York, NY)

Enterprise & Smart Data: Climatiq (Berlin, Germany)

Entertainment, Media & Content: PentoPix (London, UK)

Food, Nutrition & Health: General Prognostics GPx (Boston, MA)

Future of Work: Reach Pathways (Chicago, IL)

Innovative World Technologies: SXD Ai (New York, NY)

Metaverse & Web3: Numbers Protocol (Taipei, Taiwan)

Smart Cities, Transportation & Logistics: Urban Machine (Oakland, CA)

2023 Special Award Winners

"Best In Show" | Entertainment, Media & Content: PentoPix (London, UK)

"Best Boostrap Company" | AMA — Environmental Agents (Curitiba, Brazil)

“Best Speed Pitch” | LeadrPro (Los Angeles, CA)

“Best In DEI” | CreditRich (Washington, DC)

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 647 companies that participated in SXSW Pitch between 2009 and 2023, over 93% received funding, with combined funding over almost $23.2 billion (does not include undisclosed grants, angel and seed funding). Of these 647 companies, 17% have been acquired by Google, British Telecom, Huffington Post, Apple, Live Nation, OpenTable, Meta, Michelin, Constant Contact, and Harmon. Some of our prestigious alums you may know include Klout, ICON, Hipmunk, Wildfire, Tubemogul, Siri, Foodspotting, and Tango.

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