South by Southwest Saturday announced the winners of the 13th annual SXSW Pitch event.
It took place on March 17 and 18th as part of the SXSW Online digital experience. Judges chose 8 winners from each of the categories and a “Best In Show” winner, holoride, as well as awarding “Best Bootstrap” to Refiberd, “Best DEI” to Sisu Global Health, and “Best Alternate” to Colorcast.
The category winners of the 2021 SXSW Pitch event in each category are:
Artificial Intelligence: Parrots, Inc.
Enterprise & Smart Data: Persefoni
Entertainment, Gaming & Content: holoride
Future of Work: Honest Jobs
Health, Wearable & Wellbeing: Leda Health Company
Innovative World: MolyWorks
Smart Cities, Transportation & Logistics: MicroTraffic Intersection Safety Plan 9
Social & Culture: Applied Bioplastics
Each of the winners received $1,000, two badges for next year’s SXSW conference, and exposure to investors and others.
“Now in our 13th year of programming, Pitch continues to showcase the best technology from around the world, proving our dedication to highlighting today’s most forward-thinking movers and shakers,” SXSW Pitch event Producer Chris Valentine said in a news release. “Adapting to a digital experience can come with unexpected challenges, but this year’s event was a big success, and we’re thrilled to recognize each of the winners within this mature class of startups.”
Among the strong trends showcased at this year’s event were accelerated innovation within the Health, Wearable & Wellbeing, and Future of Work categories, which can be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, there was a significant focus on applied artificial intelligence.