SXSW EDU Launch

SXSW EDU Launch

March 3-6, 2025 in Austin, TX

$95.00

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The SXSW EDU Launch Startup Competition (“Launch”) is an opportunity for early-stage education startups seeking market exposure, investment, and strategic partnerships to showcase their innovative products and services.

Selected companies will pitch their startups in front of a panel of industry experts, early adopters, investors, and educators, as well as a live audience at SXSW EDU 2025. In addition to the fast-paced, live pitch event, finalists and semi finalists have access to additional opportunities to showcase their products and services and network with the SXSW EDU community.

Apply by Friday, October 25, 2024 to have your company considered for Launch occurring at SXSW EDU, March 3-6, 2025 in Austin, Texas.

Eligibility Requirements

  • Launch is open to early-stage startup companies in the education market.
  • Companies must be established with a management team and public-facing website, able to convey a sustainable business model and able to demonstrate user traction, engagement, and adoption metrics.
  • Companies who have raised over $8 million in funds from combined funding sources at the time of application are ineligible.
  • Each applicant is only eligible to present in one of the SXSW startup events (SXSW Pitch or SXSW EDU Launch). If you apply and are selected as a finalist for both, you will need to choose in which competition you’d like to present.
  • Past SXSW EDU Launch Startup Competition finalists and semifinalists are not eligible to apply.

Application Process

Once you begin the application, you can save and continue your work as you go until you decide to submit your completed application, which you can do at a later time up until the application deadline.

Please note there is a fee associated with this application, but you will not be asked to commit to purchasing until you have completed the application and are ready to submit.

Judging Criteria

Finalists are eligible for three (3) awards: the Launch Award, the Impact Award, and the Community Choice Award. More information about each award can be found here. A panel of judges and our community will decide the winners at the event in March based on the following criteria:

  • Creativity: How original is this product or service?
  • Potential: What is the longevity, actualization, and profitability of the idea? Does it have clear potential to scale?
  • Functionality: How accessible and effective is this product for its intended users? Would it detract from or improve current learning environments?
  • Team/People: Is it clear that the team has the experience and unique perspective to successfully lead this startup?
  • Impact: What is the product's potential to improve educational outcomes? Is the intervention provided based in the science of learning? Does this idea take into account issues around equity and accessibility?

Finalists and semifinalists will be selected with the help of the Launch Advisory Committee and invited to present at SXSW EDU 2025 in Austin, Texas.

For additional information on Launch, contact programming@sxswedu.com.

Please provide your information below to apply for Launch at SXSW EDU 2025. The SXSW EDU team and Launch Advisory Board will review your application and you will be notified regarding whether or not you have been selected to participate by SXSW EDU in December 2024.

Contact Information

Please provide the information below for the individual who will be the primary point of contact for all further correspondence regarding the selection process.

Note that this email address is where all future email correspondence regarding notification of status participation will be sent. If your company is selected for the Launch competition, you will have an opportunity to change your preferred email address if desired.

Startup Information
What's this?

Note to all applicants: SXSW requests that you do not require the Launch Advisory Committee to create a unique password, login and/or new accounts to view your product. To assure your online example is reviewed please provide a simple link.

Market
Competitors

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

Competitor 1
Competitor 2 (Optional)
Competitor 3 (Optional)
Launch Date
Events

Has this product been demonstrated at any other events? If so, at which event and what date?

Event 1
Event 2
Event 3
Funding
(Example: Self-Funded, Angel, Institutional, Crowdfunding, Grants, Incubator or Accelerator programs, etc.)
Management Team
Person 1
Person 2
Person 3
Person 4
Board of Directors / Advisory Board / Advisors

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

Person 1
Person 2
Person 3
Person 4
Referred by

How did you learn about Launch at SXSW EDU? Please reference the individual who encouraged you to apply (if applicable).

Terms and Conditions Print Terms and Conditions

By submitting this application to SXSW EDU (SXSW, LLC, and SXSW EDU are collectively referred to herein as "SXSW EDU") for the 2025 SXSW EDU Launch (“Launch”, or "Event"), I (referred to as "I", "you", "me", "my" or "Applicant") acknowledge and agree to the following Terms and Conditions:

  1. I have read and agree to the SXSW EDU Terms of Use, SXSW EDU Privacy Policy, and SXSW EDU Code of Conduct.
  2. I 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 EDU 2025, 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 EDU 2025 as a finalist, semifinalist, or winner of the Launch competition. SXSW EDU will only review and consider completed applications for inclusion in SXSW EDU 2025. SXSW EDU'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 EDU's sole discretion. SXSW EDU is under no obligation to provide feedback to applicants.
  5. The application fee is for SXSW EDU 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 EDU 2025 for any reason. If I am accepted to participate in SXSW EDU, and the activity I am accepted for does not take place as part of SXSW EDU 2025 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 programming@sxswedu.com prior to entering this application.
  6. Each Applicant is only eligible to present in one of the SXSW family of startup events: SXSW Pitch (formerly SXSW Accelerator Pitch Event) or SXSW EDU Launch.
  7. By entering the Launch competition, you will be given the option to register for SXSW EDU at the lowest rate. Companies selected as finalists for the Launch competition will be given two (2) complimentary registrations to attend SXSW EDU 2025 and participate in the Launch competition. Additional details regarding your discount or complimentary registration options will be provided after companies are selected as finalists. SXSW is not able to provide a refund if you secure a registration before the Launch competition selection process is completed and you are notified.
  8. Please note that all information must be entered via this application and only this application. No additional information and/or changes to the application will be accepted with regards to this entered application.
  9. 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.
  10. I hereby grant SXSW EDU 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, it’s affiliated services, media, or press to: (i) photograph, film, and record my participation in the Event, if I'm selected to participate in SXSW EDU 2025 ("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 and no material 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.
  11. 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 EDU 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 15, 2025 (the "Term") to promote Applicant's participation, solely as they are embodied and contained within the SXSW EDU provided social media images and promotional materials. Any additional use of the SXSW Marks, including 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.sxswedu.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.
  12. I represent and warrant that the information I provided in this application is accurate, I have the rights necessary to enter this application, and all aspects of the product, 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 project and/or idea underlying the application does not violate any agreement(s) or understanding by which I'm bound nor would my participation in SXSW EDU 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.
  13. I hereby indemnify, defend, and hold harmless SXSW EDU, its parents, subsidiaries, 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 contained herein; and (b) my violation of these Terms and Conditions and any guidelines, policies, and terms provided by SXSW EDU.
  14. I consent to SXSW EDU 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.
  15. I acknowledge and agree that in order to improve the SXSW EDU experience or due to causes outside of the control of SXSW EDU, SXSW EDU reserves the right to: (a) modify the dates, locations or method of participating in SXSW EDU 2025; and/or (b) cancel, modify or suspend applications for SXSW EDU 2025, whether accepted or not. I agree that SXSW EDU 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 EDU, at law or in equity or otherwise, if (x) the dates, locations or methods of participating in SXSW EDU 2025 change; or (y) my application is denied, canceled, or suspended, regardless of the reason.
  16. 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 the Launch competition, please email programming@sxswedu.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. 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.