SXSW Online Announces Finalists for 2021 Pitch Competition

Thirteenth Annual Competition Goes Virtual, 40 Innovative Tech Startups From Around the World Showcase

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Feb 16, 2021, 13:00 ET

AUSTIN, Texas, Feb. 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conference and Festivals today announced the finalists for the 13th annual SXSW Pitch event, taking place virtually on March 17-18 as part of the SXSW Online digital experience. This competition takes place during SXSW Online 2021, with 40 startups chosen to compete based on the technological innovation brought to their fields. One winner will be selected from each of the eight categories, with the most promising project receiving the Best In Show award.

This year's event includes startups within existing popular technology sectors like artificial intelligence, smart data and health, with the addition of one new category, Future of Work, which highlights technologies that enable, empower, change and expand capabilities in the future of work and the working experience. As the COVID-19 pandemic has ushered in new challenges for businesses and catalyzed digital adoption, these participating companies are paving the way for new companies to emerge with fully remote operating models and reinforcing the need for remote work technology.

The finalists of the 2021 SXSW Pitch in each category are:

Artificial Intelligence, Robotics & Voice: Wisear (Paris, France); Our Kettle, Inc. (Berkley, CA); Flash (Pittsburgh, PA); Cradlewise, Inc. (San Francisco, CA); Parrots, Inc. (Seattle, WA)

Enterprise & Smart Data: Matidor.com (Vancouver, Canada); Slate Digital, Inc. (New York, NY); RudderStack (San Francisco, CA); Vocalytics (Costa Mesa, CA); Persefoni (Tempe, AZ)

Entertainment, Gaming & Content: holoride (Munich, Germany); Anything World (London, England); Virsix Games (Austin, TX); Teleportal (Los Angeles, CA); DanceFight App (Austin, TX)

Future of Work: Honest Jobs (Columbus, Ohio); V.one (Los Angeles, CA); OthersideAI (Melville, NY); Clair (New York, NY); TalkMeUp (Pittsburg, PA)

Health, Wearables & Wellbeing: AlphaBeats Works B.V. (Brabant, The Netherlands); Rem3dy Health (Birmingham, United Kingdom); Leda Health Company (New York, NY); PillBot (Redwood City, CA); Sisu Global Health (Baltimore, MD)

Innovative World Technologies: Future Fields Growth Factors (Alberta, Canada); COOLSTR (Freiburg, Germany); Lofty AI (Los Angeles, CA); Dimer (Los Angeles, CA); MolyWorks Materials Corporation (Los Gatos, CA)

Smart Cities, Transportation & Logistics:
TransPod (Toronto, Canada); MicroTraffic Intersection Safety Plan 9 (Winnipeg, Canada); VideowindoW BV (Amsterdeam, The Netherlands); ClearFlame Engine Technologies (Geneva, IL); Dastgyr Technologies (Singapore, Singapore)

Social & Culture:
Rewordly Inc. (Toronto, Canada); Dayrize (Amsterdam, Netherlands); Applied Bioplastics (Austin, TX); Refiberd (Cupertino, CA); Human Trafficking Fusion Center (Washington, D.C.)

"We're thrilled to present SXSW Pitch for a 13th year, and have made some exciting changes to this year's event to adapt to the digital experience," said SXSW Pitch Manager Chris Valentine. "We're looking forward to watching these early-stage startup companies showcase their cutting-edge ideas while connecting with top investors from around the globe."

The event will feature two Emcees from Founder Gym, the leading online training program helping underrepresented founders build successful businesses: Mandela SH Dixon, CEO and Paige Hendrix Buckner, COO. As Emcees, Dixon and Buckner will manage each of the eight pitch sessions during the event. Over the two days, 24 judges will be showcased within the eight categories, including Werner Vogel of Amazon, Stacy Feld of Johnson & Johnson, Drew Taggart and Alex Pall of The Chainsmokers, Lance Armstrong of Next Ventures and other industry influencers and entrepreneurs.

Out of the 553 companies that participated in SXSW Pitch from 2009 and 2019, over 80 percent have received funding, with combined funding in excess of $7.6 billion (not including undisclosed grants, angel and seed funding). Of these companies, 18 percent have been acquired by established leaders such as Google, Twitter, The Huffington Post, Apple, Live Nation, OpenTable and others.

The 2021 SXSW Pitch event will feature 40 companies between 10:05 a.m. - 3 p.m. CT on Wednesday, March 17 and Thursday, March 18. To learn more about SXSW Online, visit: sxsw.com

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. In 2021, the event moves to a digital format. SXSW Online offers conference sessions, music showcases, film screenings, exhibitions, and a variety of networking and professional development opportunities. An essential destination for global professionals, SXSW Online 2021 will take place March 16 - March 20. For more information, please visit sxsw.com. To register for the event, please visit sxsw.com/attend.

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Laura Grace Pustmueller
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SOURCE South by Southwest