SXSW Announces 2018 Winners for 10th Annual Accelerator Pitch Event

AUSTIN, Texas, March 11, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- This evening, South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conference and Festivals announced the winners for the 10th annual SXSW Accelerator Pitch Event®, which took place March 10-11 during the Startup & Tech Sectors Track at the Downtown Hilton Austin. In addition to the 10 winners chosen among the 50 finalists – five finalists for each of Accelerator's 10 categories with one winner per category – one finalist also took home the overall "Best In Show" distinction.

The category winners of the 2018 SXSW Accelerator Pitch Event are:

"Augmented and Virtual Reality":  ARwall

"Enterprise and Smart Data":  DroneSeed

"Entertainment and Content":  Vochlea Music

"Health and Wearables":  Nanowear

"Hyper-Connected Communities":  GrubTubs

"Payment and FinTech":  FutureFuel.io

"Security and Privacy":   PolyPort

"Social and Culture":  ICON 3D

"Sports and Performance":  Nix

"Transportation":  GoKid

To honor the event's 10th anniversary, SXSW Accelerator also announced its inaugural "Best In Show" winner – Nanowear, a New York-based connected-self technology platform for diagnostics and disease management based on proprietary cloth-based nanosensors and analytics.

Special awards were also presented for "Best Bootstrap" (Leaf) and "Best Speed Pitch" (Roots Studio).

Each winner received $4,000, two badges for next year's SXSW Interactive conference, trophy, and most importantly, exceptional exposure to SXSW attendees and potential investors who are looking for the latest in cutting-edge technology and innovation.

"The 10th anniversary of our Pitch Event was celebrated with the best of the best in technology innovations, as showcased by our winners this year," said SXSW Accelerator Event Producer, Chris Valentine. "Congratulations to each of them and to the companies that are going above and beyond to reshape the world in which we live with their advancements and forward-thinking when it comes to creating, partnering and ultimately growing beyond the startup phase. It's been a pleasure to watch the evolution that has taken place over the past 10 years in the tech scene, and we're pleased to continue bringing together the various startup ecosystems from around the world."

This year's SXSW Accelerator Pitch Event featured startups from around the globe presenting innovative products in front of a live audience and panels of expert judges, which included successful entrepreneurs, investor, and industry influencers.

Strong trends that surfaced this year included break-through solutions designed to increase advocacy and impact, artificial intelligence (AI), and blockchain technology. The competition also drew in an increased number of global companies, with nearly one-third representing countries outside the U.S., including Germany, U.K., France, China, Norway, Canada, Kenya, Netherlands, Finland, and the Congo.

SXSW attendees and media will have the opportunity to see demos from all 50 Accelerator finalists on Monday, March 12 from 11:00 am to 1:30 pm at the Hilton Hotel, 4th Floor in Salon C.

For a complete list of the 2018 finalists, including alternates, and the Accelerator Pitch Event judges, visit: https://www.sxsw.com/awards/sxsw-accelerator/

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 2018 will take place March 9-18, 2018.

SXSW 2018 is sponsored by Capital One, Mercedes-Benz, Bud Light, and The Austin Chronicle.

Press Contacts:

Brett Cannon
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512.467.7979

Sarah Schonhoff
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512.502.5833

SOURCE SXSW