Nibletz Staff
Earlier this week SXSWi announced the 48 startups who will present on stage at the 2014 festival. Of the 48 companies, 36 are from outside of Silicon Valley.
This year’s startups will compete in 6 categories:
- Enterprise and Big Data Technologies
- Entertainment and Content Technologies
- Health Technologies
- Innovative World Technologies
- Social Technologies
- Wearable Technologies
On Saturday, March 8, the companies will pitch to a live audience, including a panel of judges. Eighteen will be chosen to present again the next day to a new panel. Grand prize winners will be picked for each category. Winners will get 2 badges to SXSW 2015, prizes from the category sponsors, and the distinction of winning at the industry’s biggest conference.
“Over the past years of companies competing in SXSW Accelerator, 56% have gone on to receive funding in excess of $587M, and 9% of the companies have been acquired, so the judges are looking for truly innovative companies to raise the stakes,” SXSW Accelerator Event Producer Chris Valentine said in a statement. “All of the finalists have demonstrated the capability to change our perception of technology, and we now have to recognize the utmost potential within a very distinguished group of entrepreneurs.”
If the startups have to be top notch, the judges and emcees can’t afford to be slouches either. The emcee list is headed by John Sculley, former CEO of Apple, and the judges are a long list of successful investors and CEOs, including Scott Weiss of Andreesen Horowitz.
To check out all the startups competing at SXSW, check out the SXSW Accelerator page.
