SXSW Announces Winners of 2023 Pitch Competition

Fifteenth Annual Competition honors interactive tech startups within 8 categories

AUSTIN, Texas, March 12, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- This evening, South by Southwest^® (SXSW^®) Conference and Festivals announced the winners of the 15th annual SXSW Pitch event presented by ZenBusiness, which took place March 11-12 at the Hilton Austin Downtown during the Startups track of the SXSW Conference. In addition to a winner chosen from each of the 8 categories, winners were selected for the "Best Bootstrap Company", "Best Speed Pitch", "Best In DEI" and "Best In Show" awards.

The category winners of the 2023 SXSW Pitch event are:

Artificial Intelligence, Robotics & Voice: Reality Defender (New York, NY)

Enterprise & Smart Data: Climatiq (Berlin, Germany)

Entertainment, Media & Content: PentoPix (London, UK)

Food, Nutrition & Health: General Prognostics GPx (Boston, MA)

Future of Work: Reach Pathways (Chicago, IL)

Innovative World Technologies: SXD Ai (New York, NY)

Metaverse & Web3: Numbers Protocol (Taipei, Taiwan)

Smart Cities, Transportation & Logistics: Urban Machine (Oakland, CA)

SXSW Pitch 2023 also honored its "Best In Show" winner, PentoPix. Special awards were also presented to AMA — Environmental Agents for "Best Bootstrap Company", LeadrPro for "Best Speed Pitch", and CreditRich for "Best In DEI".

Each of the Pitch winners received a cash prize, two badges for next year's SXSW conference, a physical award (the SXSW Arrow), and most importantly, exceptional exposure to SXSW attendees and potential investors who are looking for the latest in cutting-edge technology and innovation.

"Now in our 15th year, SXSW Pitch continues to represent leading technology innovations from around the world and showcase how these startups are changing their industries' future," said SXSW Pitch Event Producer, Chris Valentine. "We are a growing global event, welcoming more startups from around the world each year. This year, 13 out of the 40 startups involved in SXSW Pitch are from outside the U.S. alone. We are excited that we had a chance to play a role in these early-stage startups' journey and are looking forward to seeing the work they accomplish in the future."

This year's participating companies represent the most innovative technology startups from around the world. To date, 613 companies have participated in SXSW Pitch, with over 93 percent receiving funding and acquisitions in excess of almost $21.5 billion.

Prominent trends showcased at this year's Pitch event included AI-assisted technologies, healthcare delivery and outcomes, and sustainability.  The competition also drew a number of global companies, with startups traveling from countries including Norway, Germany, London, Ireland, Brazil, Taiwan, and the United Arab Emirates.

SXSW attendees and media will have the opportunity to meet the 40 Pitch finalists on Monday, March 13 at 10:00 a.m. CT at the Hilton Hotel, 4th Floor in Salon D.

For a complete list of the 2023 Finalists, including alternates, and the Pitch event judges, visit: https://www.sxsw.com/pitch/

To learn more about the Startups Track, visit:
https://www.sxsw.com/conference/startups/

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 tech, film and television, music, education, and culture. An essential destination for global professionals, the annual March event features sessions, music and comedy showcases, film screenings, exhibitions, professional development, and a variety of networking opportunities. SXSW proves that the most unexpected discoveries happen when diverse topics and people come together. SXSW 2023 will take place March 10 - 19, 2023 in Austin. For more information, please visit sxsw.com. To register for the event, please visit sxsw.com/attend.

SXSW 2023 is sponsored by White Claw, Porsche, Itaù bank, C4 Energy, Slack, and The Austin Chronicle.

Press Contacts:
Benjamin Perez 
[email protected] 
512-467-7979

Nicole Lombardo 
[email protected] 
631-357-9593

SOURCE South by Southwest