SXSW 2015 marked the seventh year of the SXSW Accelerator. More than 500 startups pitched their business ideas to the Accelerator judges this year, and six winners were chosen from six different Accelerator categories: Enterprise and Smart Data Technologies, Entertainment and Content Technologies, Digital Health and Life Science Technologies, Innovative World Technologies, Social Technologies, and Wearable Technologies.
“Startups are a big part of SXSW,” said Bob Metcalfe, Accelerator emcee and professor of innovation at the University of Texas.
This was Metcalfe’s third year to be involved with the Accelerator, which he said is one of the most impressive startup showcases or pitch contests.
“It’s kind of like [how] rock bands used to come to the music gig,” Metcalfe said. “Now, we have startups coming to the startup gig…I think the garage band metaphor for startups is apt, because right now, it seems, especially when you’re here, that kids don’t start bands anymore, they start startups.”
Congratulations to the winners of the 2015 SXSW Accelerator:
- Enterprise and Smart Data Technologies: Partpic – Atlanta, GA
- Entertainment and Content Technologies: Zype – New York, NY
- Digital Health and Life Science Technologies: Tinnitracks – Hamburg, Germany
- Innovative World Technologies: SLANTRANGE – San Diego, CA
- Social Technologies: RealSavvy – Austin, TX
- Wearable Technologies: Tinitell – Stockholm, Sweden