AUSTIN, Texas — March 14, 2025 — South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conference and Festivals announced the winners of the 18th annual SXSW Pitch event presented by KPMG, which took place March 13-14 at the JW Marriott Austin during the Startups Track of the SXSW Conference. In addition to a winner chosen from each of the nine categories, winners were selected for the “Best Bootstrap Company”, “Best Speed Pitch”, “Best in Inclusivity” and “Best In Show” awards.
The category winners of the 2026 SXSW Pitch event are:
Enterprise and Future of Work: Yuzi Care (Seattle, WA)
Entertainment, Media, Sports & Creator Content: OneCourt (Seattle, WA)
Healthcare, AssistiveTech & BioTech: Surgicure Technologies (Boston, MA)
Innovative World Tech: Mayimflow (Palo Alto, CA)
Intelligent Systems, Robotics, & Multisensory Technology: AlterEcho.io (Copenhagen, Denmark)
Smart Cities, Transportation, Manufacturing & Logistics: GigU (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
Smart Data, Security, and FinTech: Smart Bricks (San Francisco, CA)
Student Startups: Pittsburg Coastal Energy (Pittsburgh, PA)
Sustainability, AgTech & Food: Sotira (Melon Park, CA)
SXSW Pitch 2026 also honored its “Best In Show” winner Sotira (Melon Park, CA). Special awards were also presented to PLNTmatter (Los Angeles, CA) for “Best Bootstrap Company,” Ecosphere Organics (Detroit, MI) for “Best Speed Pitch,” and Rea Diagnostics SA (Lausanne, Switzerland) for “Best In Inclusivity.”
Each of the Pitch winners received a cash prize, two badges for next year’s SXSW conference, the SXSW Arrow Trophy, and most importantly, exceptional exposure to SXSW attendees and potential investors who are looking for the latest in cutting-edge technology and innovation.
“SXSW Pitch is honored to showcase leading startups from around the world for the 18th year,” said SXSW Pitch Event Producer, Chris Valentine. “It’s inspiring to see the journey these standout entrepreneurs take from concept to impact. We’re looking forward to seeing how developments in these new technologies transform the people and industries they’ll serve. Congratulations to this next generation of global innovators!”
This year’s participating companies represent the most innovative global startups. Since the program kicked off in 2009, SXSW Pitch finalists have raised more than $22 billion in funding, with 22% of SXSW Pitch finalists have been acquired by industry giants such as Google, Apple, Meta, British Telecom, Huffington Post, Live Nation, OpenTable, Michelin, Constant Contact, and Harmon. SXSW Pitch startups include Klout, ICON, Hipmunk, Wildfire, Tubemogul, Siri, Foodspotting, and Tango.
Prominent trends showcased at this year’s Pitch event included artificial intelligence and GenAI, autonomous robotics and virtual environments, disease detection, and environmental and sustainability initiatives.
SXSW attendees and media will have the opportunity to meet the Pitch finalists on Sunday, March 15, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. CT at Salon FGH at the JW Marriott.
For a complete list of the 2026 Finalists, including alternates and the Pitch event judges, visit: https://www.sxsw.com/pitch/
To learn more about the Startups Track, visit: https://www.sxsw.com/conference/startups/
About SXSW
SXSW dedicates itself to helping creative people achieve their goals. Founded in 1987 in Austin, Texas, SXSW is known worldwide for conferences and festivals that celebrate the convergence of technology, film and television, music, education, comedy and culture. The annual event serves global professionals through sessions, showcases, screenings, exhibitions, and networking that consistently generates unexpected discoveries when diverse communities come together. SXSW 2026 runs March 12-18 in downtown Austin, preceded by SXSW EDU March 9-12. Learn more at sxsw.com.
SXSW continues to connect creative communities around the world through its flagship event in Austin and SXSW London, which launched in 2025—reflecting SXSW’s commitment to fostering meaningful exchange across culture, technology, and creativity.
SXSW 2026 is Driven by Rivian.
###
