SXSW Pitch Application

SXSW Pitch

March 13-14, 2026 in Austin, TX

$100.00

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The 18th annual SXSW Pitch, where innovation takes center stage. Over two exciting days, a live audience and a panel of expert judges will explore the forefront of emerging technology sectors. SXSW Pitch will take place March 13th and 14th, 2026.

SXSW Pitch provides an outlet for companies to present the latest ideas in selected categories to a panel of industry experts, early adopters and Venture Capital / Angel Investor community representatives. The categories for the 2026 SXSW Pitch Competition are:

  • Enterprise and Future of Work
  • Entertainment, Media, Sports & Creator Content
  • Healthcare, AssistiveTech & BioTech
  • Innovative World Tech
  • Intelligent Systems, Robotics, & Multisensory Technology
  • Smart Cities, Transportation, Manufacturing & Logistics
  • Smart Data, Security, and FinTech
  • Student Startups
  • Sustainability, AgTech & Food

SXSW Pitch is a premier startup showcase that welcomes applications from emerging companies through an open call. By submitting your application, you agree to pay a non-refundable application fee, which supports the processing and evaluation of your entry. Please note that this fee is non-refundable, even if your startup is not selected as a finalist.

Entry Deadlines

  • Early Bird Entry: June 24th to September 12th, 2025 (Fee $100)
  • Regular Entry: September 13th to November 7th, 2025 (Fee $220)

SXSW Pitch Eligibility Criteria:

  • The company's product and/or service must have been launched before January 1, 2023.
  • Each company may only enter one product or service into SXSW Pitch. A company that enters more than one product or service will not be eligible to participate in SXSW Pitch.
  • Startups are encouraged to apply to multiple SXSW competitions, including SXSW Pitch, SXSW Innovation Awards and SXSW EDU Launch (if you are an education-related startup). But because we want to showcase as many different compelling startups as possible at SXSW, know that your startup will only be selected as a finalist in one of these three competitions.
  • Founders of the company applying must retain some portion of ownership in the company.
  • The Company must not have raised over ten (10) million dollars in funding from combined funding sources.
  • Startups should be legally registered and compliant with all relevant regulations and laws in their respective jurisdictions.
  • The product or service must fall into one of the SXSW Pitch categories.

Please visit the SXSW Pitch page for further details about SXSW Pitch categories, eligibility, alumni stats, and more


Company Information

Please select the category of the competition for which you would like your company to be considered.


Contact Information

Note: that this email address is where all future email correspondence regarding notification of status participation will be sent. If your company is accepted into SXSW Pitch, you will have a chance to change your preferred email address at that time if so desired.


Product/Service Information
 What's this?

Note: SXSW requests that you do not require the Reviewing Application Board to create a unique password, login, and/or new accounts to view your product as each member reviews 75-100 applications each. To ensure your online example is reviewed, please provide a simple link.


2nd Online Example

Market

Competitors

Please list your top competitors. Only the first is required.


Launch Date

What was the launch month and year of the current product and/or service you are pitching? Note this is not necessarily the company's founding date. We are looking for fresh, contemporary product launches.


Events

What other events and dates of those events have the current product and/or service been showcased?


Funding
Including any anticipated funding before SXSW 2025
Please select all of the options that are applicable to your funding sources. Select multiple by holding down the Command or Windows key while clicking.
What was the size and date of the most recent funding round?

Traction

Management Team
Management Team Member #1:
Management Team Member #2:
Management Team Member #3:
Management Team Member #4:

Board of Directors / Advisory Board / Advisors

Please list the individuals on the Board of Directors, Advisory Board, and/or Advisors for your organization who are not a part of the immediate management team.

If you do not have a Board of Directors, Advisory Board, and/or Advisors, please leave this section blank.

Board member 1
Board member 2
Board member 3
Board member 4

Referred By

Terms and Conditions Print Terms and Conditions

By submitting this application to SXSW, LLC ("SXSW") for the 2026 SXSW Pitch competition (the "Event"), I (referred to as "I", "you", "me", "my" "Applicant" or "Company") acknowledge and agree to the following Terms and Conditions:

  1. I have read and agreed, on my behalf and on behalf of Company, to the SXSW Terms of Use, SXSW Privacy Policy and SXSW Code of Conduct.

  2. I, on my own behalf and on behalf of any Company, have reviewed the terms of this application, which application terms, including, without limitation, the eligibility criteria and entry deadlines, are incorporated into these Terms and Conditions, and I agree to those application terms.

  3. If I am selected to participate in SXSW 2026, then I agree that on my behalf, and on behalf of the other participants, to be bound by the Participation and Credentials Terms and Conditions. Applicant shall be referred to interchangeably as Participant throughout.

  4. Entering this application does not guarantee my selection to participate in SXSW 2026. SXSW will only review and consider completed applications for inclusion in SXSW 2026. SXSW's selection decisions are based on the criteria set forth in the application and these Terms and Conditions, and its decisions are made in SXSW's sole discretion. SXSW is under no obligation to provide feedback to Applicants.

  5. If selected, Company will be provided with two (2) complimentary SXSW 2026 Platinum badges necessary to attend and participate in the Event. SXSW will not provide a refund if you secure a SXSW registration before the Event application process/selection is completed and you are notified.

  6. I understand that once I have entered my idea, it is final and can no longer be edited.

  7. The application fee is for SXSW receiving, handling, reviewing, and processing my application, and is not refundable for any reason, including, without limitation, if my application is not accepted or if I am no longer able to participate in SXSW 2026 for any reason. If I am accepted to participate in the Event, and the activity I am accepted for does not take place as part of SXSW 2026 for any reason, I may request an application fee waiver to apply to the next scheduled SXSW event. SXSW can be contacted with questions about fees at michelle@sxsw.com prior to entering this application.

  8. As the Applicant, I am solely responsible for protecting any intellectual property rights (including, without limitation, patents, trademarks, copyright, trade secrets, etc.) in my application, participation, product, service and/or idea, and consulting legal counsel before participating in the Event. I understand that sharing proprietary information on the internet carries inherent risks, including piracy, and I assume those risks.

  9. I hereby grant SXSW a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, license in any copyright, trademark, right of personality or publicity or other proprietary rights in and to the following for use in connection with the Event, its affiliated services, media, or press to: (i) photograph, film, and record my participation in the Event, if I'm selected to participate in SXSW 2026 ("Recordings"); (ii) use my name, image, likeness, headshot, bio and voice, all as provided by me, in connection with the advertisement and promotion of the Event ("My Likeness"); and (iii) display, distribute, reproduce, publicly perform, edit, translate, advertise, promote and exhibit the Recordings by any method or device now known or hereafter devised. I understand and agree that there will be no financial or other monetary compensation to me for such use of My Likeness in the Recordings, no materials incorporating My Likeness need be submitted to me for any further approval, and SXSW shall be without liability to me for any use of My Likeness.

  10. SXSW is the owner of all right, title and interest in and to the trademarks SXSW, SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST, SOUTH BY, and SXSW EDU, along with other trademarks, and the corresponding logos, social media and promotional images, or other materials embodying the same provided by SXSW to Applicant (collectively, the "SXSW Marks"). SXSW hereby grants Applicant a non-transferable, non-sublicensable, limited, non-exclusive, royalty-free, revocable license ("License") to use, reproduce, and display the SXSW Marks until March 18, 2026 (the "Term") to promote Applicant's participation, solely as they are embodied and contained within the SXSW provided social media images and promotional materials. Any additional use of the SXSW Marks, including in hashtags, requires SXSW's prior written approval. All use of the SXSW Marks by Applicant and all goodwill will inure to the exclusive benefit of SXSW. All rights not licensed herein are explicitly reserved by SXSW. Applicant further agrees to strictly comply with the terms of the Participant's Supplemental Trademark License Terms available here: https://www.sxsw.com/participants-supplemental-trademark-license-terms/. ("Supplemental Trademark License Terms"). In the Supplemental Trademark License Terms, Applicant is referred to as Participant, which terms are intended by SXSW and Applicant to be synonymous.

  11. I represent and warrant that the information I provided in this application is accurate, I have the necessary rights to enter this application, all aspects of the product, project, service and/or idea underlying this application are my own and do not infringe on the rights of any third-party or otherwise violate any law, my application and presentation of my product, project, service, and/or idea does not violate any agreement or understanding by which I'm bound nor would my participation in SXSW violate any such agreement(s) and I will not hereafter enter into any agreements or understandings with any person or entity that might conflict with my warranties and representations made in these Terms and Conditions.

  12. I indemnify, defend, and hold harmless SXSW, its parents, subsidiaries, shareholders, owners, and affiliates, and each of their respective shareholders, officers, directors, agents, and employees from any and all responsibility or liability arising out of or in connection with: (a) any breach of my representations or warranties herein; and (b) my violation of these Terms and Conditions and/or any guidelines, policies and terms provided by SXSW.

  13. I consent to SXSW collecting, processing and using the personal data I supplied in this application in order to review my materials and communicate with me about the application.

  14. I acknowledge and agree that in order to improve the SXSW experience or due to causes outside of the control of SXSW, SXSW reserves the right to: (a) modify the dates, locations or method of participating in SXSW 2026; and/or (b) cancel, modify or suspend applications for SXSW 2026, whether accepted or not. I agree that SXSW may notify me of any of these modifications by posting a notice on its website. I agree that I will have no remedy against SXSW, at law or in equity or otherwise, if (x) the dates, locations or methods of participating in SXSW 2026 change; or (y) my application is denied, cancelled, or suspended, regardless of the reason.

  15. These Terms and Conditions will be interpreted by, and enforced in accordance with, the laws of the State of Texas regardless of applicable choice of law rules. I agree that the exclusive venue for any dispute between me and SXSW related to my application will be in a court of competent jurisdiction in Travis County, Texas.

If you have any questions about SXSW Pitch, please email michelle@sxsw.com.

Applicant, on behalf of themselves and behalf of any Company, acknowledges and agrees that Applicant has read and understands the Terms and Conditions and intends to be legally bound by its terms. Applicant acknowledges that the information contained in this application is accurate, that they have the rights necessary to share the materials contained herein and that the application will not violate any third-party rights or laws of any kind. Applicant acknowledges and agrees that any linked terms or policies referenced in these Terms and Conditions are incorporated herein by reference. By clicking the box below or by using any other electronic mechanism presented to signify acceptance of these Terms and Conditions, Applicant agrees to and accepts these Terms and Conditions.