If you’ve ever been to SXSW, you already know that its a hotbed for burgeoning startups with new and innovative ideas. Whether it’s Foursquare making its debut in 2009 or Twitter using the conference’s popularity to make itself known in the social media landscape, SXSW is the place to be for new products. And if you attend Release It, a pitch competition for companies launching new products and services at SXSW this year, you could see history in the making.
SXSW Release It is a special pitch competition in Startup Village, where the SXSW programming track brings together startups, entrepreneurs, investors, and innovative tastemakers. Ten innovative startups will be launching new products or services and presenting to a panel of industry experts. The winner will be chosen based on which product or service is most likely to succeed in the marketplace.
In addition to the bevy of tech experts and industry leaders that will be judging the pitch competition, Jen Consalvo, the COO of Tech.Co, will be emceeing the event. And after years of supporting startups through Tech.Co’s numerous programs, including the Startup of the Year competition, she is more than ready to show these companies what it means to be successful in tech.
The Details
The event will take place on Friday, March 10th in two different rounds. Round 1 will be from 11am-12pm, while Round 2 will be from 12:30pm-1:30pm. Both rounds will be held at the Hilton Austin Downtown in Salon D on the 4th Floor.
The Startups
If you want to get to know the startups that will be showcasing these brand new products and services, check them out below and make sure to vote for who you think is going to win the whole thing:
90 Seconds (San Francisco, CA)
90 Seconds is a cloud video production platform making it easier for brands to connect with creators and get videos created all over the world.
Abartys Health (San Juan, Puerto Rico)
Abartys Health has created a unified system for the three major components of healthcare – patients, doctors, and insurers; streamlining services, communication, and treatment. Their technology is moving healthcare from the existing disjointed state to a centralized hub.
EpicMD (Miami, FL)
EpicMD™ is an affordable mobile healthcare solution that allows members to virtually connect with a network of U.S. board-certified doctors 24/7 from your smartphone, tablet or laptop device.
InstaChk (Singapore)
InstaChk has been incorporated in Singapore in 2016. The artificial-intelligence algorithm bridges the gap between the physical world and the digital world, enabling advertisements to reach the right consumers at the right time and the right place. Amit Chatterjee, Indian and Shayn Ong, Singaporean are the co-founders.
Jukedeck (London, United Kingdom)
Jukedeck has developed artificial intelligence that can create and adapt music. Over 10K videos have used their music, and we won a Cannes Lions Innovation award in 2016.
myAlfred (Linz, Austria)
myAlfred improves your work-life balance by managing your schedule. Its artificial intelligence finds time for the priorities in your life. Family trips, workouts or simply drinks with friends.
Populace (Bellvue, WA)
Populace is the world’s-best community platform for visualizing popular places. They catalogue, predict, and interpret crowd density with a map-assist capability.
SkinVision (Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
SkinVision USA puts a highly accurate app for skin cancer detection in the hands of the US risk population. The imaging technology is driven by a machine learning algorithm which captures a medically graded photo, makes the risk assessment and provides the outcome instantly. People are urged to see a doctor if needed.
soundBYTE App (Chicago, IL)
soundBYTE App makes audio sharing easy and fun. It allows you to record audio, called BYTES, and share conveniently with followers around the world. soundBYTE App users consume and share: comedy, music, news, sports, and much more!
Storyo (Lisbon, Portugal)
Storyo 2.0 is the world’s only collaborative storytelling app that collects and combines everyone’s photos, Facebook posts, maps and other amazing details to document life experiences in long-lasting video memories to review and relive.
Photo: Flickr / John Rogers