SXSW Announces Winners for 2017 Accelerator Pitch Event

AUSTIN, Texas, March 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- This evening, South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conference and Festivals announced the winners for the ninth annual SXSW Accelerator® Pitch Event®, which took place March 11-12 during the SXSW Startup Village® Track at the Hilton Downtown Austin. Based on the technological innovation brought to their fields, 50 startup finalists were broken down into groups of five to compete in each of Accelerator's 10 different categories – one winner was selected from each category, plus three special awards were presented for Best Bootstrap, Most Innovative and Best Speed Pitch. Super Accelerator on March 13 at 5 pm will decide the 2017 Best Startup Pitch Company.

During the Accelerator Pitch Event, 50 startup finalists presented their products in front of a live audience and panels of expert judges, which included successful entrepreneurs, investors and industry influencers. Winning startups range from an application of artificial intelligence (AI) towards medical records to shopping technology that understands a woman's emotions, perceptions and aspirations about clothing.

The winners of the 2017 SXSW Accelerator Pitch Event are:

"Augmented & Virtual Reality": Lampix
"Enterprise & Smart Data": Deep 6 Analytics
"Entertainment & Content": Laugh.ly
"Health & Wearables": Sound Scouts
"Innovative World": Thimble.io
"Payment & FinTech": CNote
"Security & Privacy": UnifyID
"Social & Culture": Lily
"Sports": Brizi
"Transportation": SPLT

Special awards were presented for "Best Bootstrap" (Kymira), "Most Innovative" (Helixworks Technologies) and "Best Speed Pitch" (Lexody).

The grand prize winners received $4,000, two badges for the 2018 SXSW Interactive conference, trophy, various SXSW Accelerator sponsor gifts and, most importantly, exceptional exposure to SXSW attendees and potential investors who are looking for the latest in cutting-edge technology and innovation.

"Congratulations to all the winners," said SXSW Accelerator Event Producer Chris Valentine. "The pitches from all 50 of our Accelerator finalists were extremely impressive, which made the job of selecting one winner in each category very difficult for our judges. Each winning startup reflects the most exciting innovation and cutting edge technology in their space, and we know we're going to see amazing achievements from them in the coming years as they work to change the world."

On Monday, March 13, SXSW attendees and media will have the opportunity to see demos of products and services from all 50 Accelerator finalists. SXSW Accelerator Demo Day runs from 11 am to 1:30 pm. Later in the day at 5 pm is Super Accelerator, where all 10 category winners will pitch once more in front of new judges to be named the 2017 Best Startup Pitch Company.

For a complete list of the 2017 Finalists, including alternates, and the Accelerator Pitch Event judges, visit: https://www.sxsw.com/apply-to-participate/sxsw-accelerator/.

To learn more about SXSW's Startup Village, visit: https://www.sxsw.com/conference/startup-village/.

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 2017 will take place March 10-19, 2017.

SXSW 2017 is sponsored by Esurance, Mazda, Monster Energy, Bud Light, Capital One, McDonald's, The Austin Chronicle and Sonicbids.

Press Contacts:

SXSW Press + Publicity
Brett Cannon
512.467.7979
[email protected]

SXSW Accelerator
Chris Ruth
Leverage PR
512.502.5833
[email protected]  

SOURCE South by Southwest (SXSW)

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