We’re excited to send a DIG SOUTH contingent (Co-Founder and CEO, Stanfield Gray, and our Sponsorship Director, Harriott Parker) to Austin, TX for South by Southwest Interactive! They’ll learn from the likes of Gary Vaynerchuk and Halle Tecco (who, #humblebrag, are also speaking at #DIG2016), scope out what’s trending in tech and innovation, and meet talented entrepreneurs from around the world.
And while SXSW is a lot of fun (hello TexMex and live music!), they’re also there to hustle, representing go-getters and change-makers from around the Southeast. Luckily, Stan and Harriott won’t be hustling alone. We rounded up 16 startups and corporations who are also drawing attention to our neck of the woods during SXSW, from pitches to showcase spaces.
Speaking
Durham-based Automated Insights will speak during two sessions, one on “Finding a Job in the Automated Future” and another called “The Automated Future of Sports Analysis.”
Raleigh-based LeaRn Trials presented as a LAUNCHedu finalist in 2015. The startup’s CEO, Karl Rectanus, will speak on two education innovation panels this year.
Showcasing
Miami-based GapingVoid, which focuses on culture and patient experience, and Virginia-based Enovative Tech, which develops massage devices, will both showcase during the SX Health & MedTech Expo.
A few Southeastern startups were selected to demo in the Startup Village alongside companies from around the globe! Two of these are Georgia-based Mixle, an app that connects like-minded people nearby for offline meet-ups, and Richmond-based WealthForge, which has a new solution for raising private capital.
Pitching
Traitify creates “visual personality assessments that can be embedded in minutes to enrich experiences and drive engagement. The Baltimore company will pitch during the Workplace Solutions session.
In addition to being in the Startup Village, Atlanta-based Roadie will take the stage during the Emerging Platforms pitches. The startup has developed an “on-the-way” delivery app for local or long-distance shipping.
Hailing from Miami, ChallengeStar is also part of the Startup Village and will pitch during the Social and Environmental Impact pitches. The startup gamifies the fundraising process through ‘charity challenges’ shared on social media.
Virginia Beach startup, Beatgasm is developing “a community for music fans to discover and support independent musicians around the world.” The company will pitch during the Music Products & Servicessession.
Atlanta-based Cinamaker Technologies is part of the 2016 ReleaseIt at SXSW, a pitch competition for 10 cutting edge companies from around the world to launch a new product. The company develops digital workflows for video creators to capture and produce content on smartphones, tablets, and digital cameras.
Hiring
Virginia-based Booz Allen Hamilton, which acquired Charleston software company (and DIG SOUTH sponsor)Sparc in 2015, will be in the Jobs Expo.
The Raleigh headquartered open source giant, Red Hat, is recruiting during SXSW Create.
Other organizations you might want to meet while you’re there include Georgia’s Innovation Hub, the Greater Richmond Partnership, and Virginia Tech, all of whom are exhibitors during the Trade Show.
Can’t make it to this year’s event? Don’t worry! You can follow us on Snapchat @digsouth or on Twitter@DIG_SOUTH to get in on the action, and join us in Charleston April 26 – 28 for even more tech, entrepreneurship, live music, and fun!
PS – With over 72,000 registrants and artists in attendance, we know we missed more than a few on this list. If you know of another Southeastern entrepreneur, startup, or large organization involved as a speaker, exhibitor, or recruiter during this year’s festival, let us know in the comments!
PPS – While we’re there, we’re teaming up with Charleston Open Source and Wildsam to give away FREE badges to #DIG2016. Make sure to follow us to find out more!
