The Austinpreneur’s Guide to SXSW 2018 Panels & Parties
It’s here! The biggest week of the year for tech and startups in Austin, Texas as South by Southwest (SXSW) descends upon the city from March 9–17. There are a zillion things to do, both official and unofficial — so here are some of my picks that might stand out from the crowd. Did I miss something? Leave it in the comments!
Surrender to Serendipity
My general rule of thumb is to make a big calendar with everything I could possibly want to do on it and then in the moment do whichever of the things is easiest and aligns with the rest of the group I’m with. Doing what’s easy primarily means not waiting in lines and not waiting in traffic. You can’t fight SXSW… you have to surrender to serendipity.
Don’t forget the ABC’s of SXSW — Always Be Charging!
All Week
Official Events
There is some amazing content at SXSW this year with a particular focus on artificial intelligence, blockchain and smart cities. Capital Factory will be making a $100,000 investment on stage in a blockchain startup. I’m looking forward to keynotes by Melinda Gates and London Mayor Sadiq Kahn. I’ll highlight specific events on each day below, but here is a link to my entire schedule of official events on the SXSW website.
The Trade Show
Make sure to leave yourself at least 2 hours to wander around the SXSW trade show floor — it’s always eye opening. See hundreds of exhibitors and demonstrations across every industry and technology. Bring a bag for collecting swag!
Time: March 11–14
Location: Austin Convention Center
Register: Open to the public
Ready Player One Experience with VIVE VR
“Ready Player One” is set in 2045, where the world is on the brink of collapse, but people have found salvation in the virtual reality universe called OASIS. Warner Bros. is bringing Steven Spielberg’s action adventure based on Ernest Cline’s bestseller “Ready Player One,” to life at SXSW. Guests will immerse themselves in vivid glimpses into hero Wade Watt’s world, experience the OASIS using VIVE VR, including a TheWaveVR live DJ set by lead actor Tye Sheridan (Parzival), & more!
READY PLAYER ONE is out in theaters March 29th (and Capital Factory rented out 2 theaters at the Alamo Drafthouse for the premier!)
Time: Friday, Saturday, Sunday starting at 12pm
Location: Brazos Hall
Register: SXSW badge required
Future of Technology Lounge
The Capital Factory VR Lab busted at the seams again and has spilled out into the center of the 5th floor. From Saturday to Tuesday we’ll have virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality, and alternate realities all available for you to try. See if you can spot the artificial intelligence singularity… it’s the room somewhere!
Time: 11am to 5pm, Saturday through Tuesday
Location: Capital Factory — 5th floor
Register: Sign up here
Hear what you see. Experience Bose AR.
Bose is announcing audio augmented reality — a new platform that helps people hear what they see in ways that were impossible before. Bose will be demonstrating the new technology to app and device developers in a fun, informative setting.
Time: Friday through Tuesday
Location: Half Step — 75 1/2 Rainey St.
Register: SXSW badge required
Capital Factory VIP Lounge
All week long, the place to be is the 16th floor VIP Lounge at Capital Factory. Guests visiting from out of town can apply for access here. Capital Factory members and mentors are always VIP’s and can bring in a +1 with them so if you know someone at Capital Factory you’re a VIP, too.
The 16th floor kitchen and coworking area will be buzzing with even more energy and excitement than normal. It’s stocked with free food, drinks and wifi but the real reason you want to be there is because we’ve curated all of the top entrepreneurs, investors, and innovators at SXSW and invited them to stop by. Sure, there will be celebrities and TV cameras but the real action will be the serendipity of the people you meet. You never know who you might bump into and how that might change your life!
Serendipity is what SXSW is all about.
Engineering Serendipity
Making real connections starts with having the right people in the room. We start by doing our homework and researching all of the most interesting people and companies coming from all over the world and add in all of the local entrepreneurs and investors that we know. Then we reach out to all of the venture capitalists, accelerators and coworking spaces to spread the word. We ask everyone to tell us when they are coming and who they want to meet. We pull that all into a big spreadsheet, share it with everyone, and offer to make introductions between everyone on the list and book a conference room. Our goal is to make 1,000 introductions in one week!
SXSW Edu
Most of my focus is on the technology and entrepreneurship components of SXSW, but we will be hosting a special edition of the Intro to the Austin Startup Scene focused on EdTech.
Intro to the Austin EdTech Startup Scene
Come meet Sean Duffy, founder of EdTech Austin and let him tell about everything going on in EdTech in Austin! Then ask questions of our panel of experts and mix and mingle with other EdTech entrepreneurs visiting for SXSW.
Date: Tuesday, March 6
Time: 4:45pm to 7:15pm
Location: Capital Factory — 16th floor
Register: Sign up here
Thursday, March 8
Capital Factory VIP Lounge Preview
Capital Factory members and mentors and anyone on our VIP list who arrives on Thursday will kick things off old-school with preview of the VIP Lounge we’ll be rocking all week long. This will probably the most laid back and chill night of the week which might make it one of the best. If you know a Capital Factory member you should ask to be their +1.
Time: 6pm to 9pm
Location: Capital Factory — 16th floor
Register: Sign up here
Austin Tech Happy Hour
When we first started doing an event on the Thursday before SXSW Interactive starts, we were the only tech event in town. Now everybody has an event the Thursday before, but you can tell your friends that you go to the original! Come network with your friends and share your secret parties, plan your conference sessions, and discuss whose undiscovered indy band is cooler.
Time: 5:30pm to 7:30pm
Location: The Dogwood Downtown
Register: Sign up here
ATC Gateway
Join us at The Roosevelt Room and TheEleanor, adjacent properties that evoke an early 20th century jazz atmosphere and known for their craft cocktails. Come enjoy the live band and intimate seating that also opens up into networking lounges designed to showcase Austin’s executive clout, global appeal, and the Austin tech scene and companies that live and thrive here 365 days a year.
Time: 6pm to 11pm
Location: The Roosevelt Room
Register: Sign up here
Friday, March 9
On the first official day of SXSW I’m going to be at the convention center all day until I head over to Capital Factory to kick off the SXSW Startup Crawl!
Attracting VC Funding Outside Silicon Valley Panel
We do a lot of things differently in Texas, including fundraising. Join us and learn how to attract Venture Capital investment in your startup when you live somewhere other than Silicon Valley, Los Angeles, or Boston. Hear from venture investors and successful entrepreneurs to find out what factors they considered and how you can make your pitch stand out from the rest.
Time: 12:30pm to 1:30pm
Location: Hilton — Salon C
Register: SXSW badge required
The Texas Startup Manifesto SXSW Panel
The Texas Startup Manifesto is call to action to connect Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and the rest of the state into a Texas Startup Megatropolis, unlocking billions of dollars in capital and unleashing thousands of diverse entrepreneurs. If you live in Texas, find out how you can tap into the network. If you’re not, learn how you can facilitate collaboration across your region with the Union platform.
Time: 2pm to 3pm
Location: Hilton — Salon C
Register: SXSW badge required
Bankrupt to Billionaire
We all know that in business — as in pro wrestling — you’re going to take some hits. It’s not how you fall but how you get back up that matters. Join us at this interview and hear how WWE co-founder Linda McMahon fought back from bankruptcy to build her company into a publicly traded entertainment and media powerhouse. Interviewed by my good friend Dustin Wells.
Time: 3:30pm to 4:30pm
Location: Hilton — Salon C
Register: SXSW badge required
Getting and Making Angel Investments
Are you founding or joining a startup venture? Are you being asked to invest in, or raise money for one? In this session, we will share and discuss a simplified — and easy to remember — framework for both presenting and analyzing early stage venture investment opportunities.
This session has Bill Gross, founder of IdeaLab and one of my favorite entrepreneurs and investors.
Time: 3:30pm to 4:30pm
Location: Hilton — Salon J
Register: SXSW badge only
The Future of Capitalism and Everything Else
Capitalism needs a re-boot or it needs to go. Can capitalism fulfill its promise to create a shared and durable prosperity for all of us? Join co-founder of the B Corp movement Jay Coen Gilbert in a conversation with John Mackey (Whole Foods), Kesha Cash (Impact America), and Brett Hurt(data.world) as they explore how we can create a culture shift in expectations about the purpose of business and a change in the institutions which govern corporate and investor behavior so that they are hard-wired to create business models that works for everyone, and for the long term.
Time: 5pm to 6pm
Location: Hilton — Salon C
Register: SXSW badge only
Giving Back Rocks: How Austin Brands Do It with John Paul DeJoria, Andy Roddick & Kendra Scott
What do a jewelry designer, hair care billionaire, tennis player, and hospital have in common? Successful businesses that give back to the community, and it’s all on brand. This session highlights how an unconventional collection of panelists: Kendra Scott, John Paul DeJoria, Andy Roddick, Austin’s St. David’s HealthCare — leverage their individual talents and brands for serious philanthropy. How they do it that is as different as all of them.
Time: 5pm to 6pm
Location: Hilton — Salon DE
Register: SXSW badge only
SXSW Startup Crawl
Kick off SXSW in style on Friday with the SXSW Startup Crawl and meet 100 of Austin’s local tech startups. Now in it’s 8th year, this is one of the biggest parties at SXSW and takes place at multiple locations across downtown simultaneously. Sign up to get the map and choose your starting location.
Time: 4pm to 8pm
Location: Capital Factory and other locations
Register: Signup to get the map (no badge required)
Saturday, March 10
I’m planning on hanging out in the Capital Factory VIP Lounge most of the day on Saturday to mingle with people who stop by, but if I were at the conference, here are some of the panels I would be at.
A Venture Capital Outlook on Industry 4.0 Tech
Join some of the premier venture investors from Pritzker Group, RRE, Kliener Perkins, & Lux Capital who have put their money where their mouth is actively pursuing Industry 4.0 technology investments for a candid discussion on all things digital industrial. An all-encompassing panel discussion where we’ll cover a range of topics from technology adoption hurdles to the human element inextricably linked to all of this.
Time: 2pm to 3pm
Location: Hilton — Salon K
Register: SXSW badge required
Inclusion and Diversity Panel
Voltage Control welcomes you to a distinguished panel of experts from Atlassian, Uber, Zayo and other companies discussing Inclusion and Diversity. The panel covers a range of perspectives including companies with established programs, companies just getting started, thought leaders, and services organizations helping others design and execute internal programs.
Time: 12:30pm to 2:30pm
Location: Capital Factory — 1st floor Voltron
Register: Sign up here
Walter Isaacson on Hacking da Vinci’s Genius
He was history’s most creative genius. What secrets can he teach us? Walter Isaacson, author of the acclaimed bestsellers Steve Jobs, Einstein, and Benjamin Franklin brings Leonardo da Vinci to life in this exciting new biography. Based on thousands of pages from Leonardo’s astonishing notebooks and new discoveries about his life and work, Isaacson weaves a narrative that connects Leonardo’s art to his science. He produced the two most famous paintings in history, The Last Supper and the Mona Lisa, but he was just as much a man of science and technology. Isaacson discusses how Leonardo’s genius was based on skills we can improve in ourselves, such as passionate curiosity, careful observation, and an imagination so playful that it flirted with fantasy.
Time: 3:30pm to 4:30pm
Location: Hilton — Salon H
Register: SXSW badge required
Intro to the Austin Startup Scene and Ask Me Anything with Joshua Baer, whurley, Amos Schwartzfarb & David Altounian
Haven’t moved to Austin yet? Join us for a SXSW edition of Intro to the Austin Startup Scene with Capital Factory Executive Director Joshua Baer, Strangeworks Founder & CEO William Hurley, Techstars Managing Director Amos Schwartzfarb, and Associate Dean for Academic Programs and MBA Program Director at St.Edward’s University David Altounian!
Time: 4:30pm to 6pm
Location: Capital Factory — 16th floor
Register: Sign up here
Sunday, March 11
Intro to the Austin VR (AR/MR) Scene and AMA
Join us for the SXSW edition of Intro to the Austin VR (AR/MR) Scene and Ask Me Anything with the Ambassador of Emerging Technologies at Capital Factory Brance Hudzietz, CEO & Co-Founder of Underminer Studios Alex Porter, and Founder and Film Director at Passmore Labs Greg Passmore!
After the AMA, join us in the Future of Technology Lounge on the 5th floor! You’ll have the opportunity to network with people who are interested in or are already part of the VR scene and have access to the craziest, coolest tech Austin has to offer.
Time: 2:30pm to 4pm
Location: Capital Factory — 5th floor
Register: Sign up here
Hacking Life: The Sci & Sci-Fi of Immortality with Jamie Metzl
After four billion years of evolution, our species is on the verge of taking control of our evolution. The genetic revolution will transform healthcare, alter the way we make babies, the nature of the babies we make, how long we live and unlock latent human potential. Futurist and SciFi writer Jamie Metzl explores the latest technological breakthroughs in the science of genetic engineering and human life extension and their big picture implications for all of us.
Time: 5pm to 6pm
Location: Fairmont — Manchester CD
Register: SXSW badge required
#BehindEveryGreatCity with Mayor of London Sadiq Kahn
Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, will discuss the importance of gender equality and inclusivity in the tech sector with influential tech leaders. Learn about how London’s leading tech, start up and creative expertise attracts diverse talent from around the world. This event is in support of the Mayor’s campaign to drive gender equality in London #BehindEveryGreatCity.
Time: 5:30pm to 7:30pm
Location: Capital Factory
Register: Invite only
Monday, March 12
Bracing for a New Age of Longevity
We all hope that our children live a long and happy life, but did you know that kids born today have a 1/3 chance of celebrating their 100th birthday. With advancements in health, people will live longer and those extra years will be more vibrant and productive. This panel looks at the good, bad and bewildering impact of a global population expected to include 2+ billion people aged 60+ by 2050.
Time: 11am to 12pm
Location: Austin Convention Center — Room 8ABC
Register: SXSW badge required
A Conversation with Ernest Cline
Ernest Cline is an internationally best-selling novelist, screenwriter, father, and full-time geek. He is the author of the novels Ready Player One and Armada and co-screenwriter of the film adaptation of Ready Player One, directed by Steven Spielberg. His books have been published in over fifty countries and have spent more than 100 weeks on The New York Times Best Sellers list. He lives in Austin, Texas, with his family, a time-traveling DeLorean, and a large collection of classic video games.
This is one of my favorite recent books, and I’ve already rented out two theaters at the Alamo Drafthouse for the movie premier on March 29. I’m really looking forward to hearing what Ernie has to say!
Time: 12:30pm to 1:30pm
Location: Austin Convention Center — 18ABCD
Register: SXSW badge required
Pitch Competition for Underrepresented Founders
The future of tech is every color, gender, belief, origin, and community. The future of tech is accessible, flexible, and inclusive.
To spread this message at SXSW and beyond, Capital Factory is hosting a Pitch Competition for Underrepresented Founders* in collaboration with the AWS Startup Team and AWS We Power Tech. We will select 6 startups to pitch for 3 minutes each in front of a panel of VCs and early stage investors. All contestants will receive an allocation of AWS Activate Promotional Credits (some limitations apply). The winner will be featured on the AWS Startup Blog, receive 3 months of free coworking from Capital Factory, and receive various additional prizes that will help enable their company to grow.
Time: 4pm to 5:30pm
Location: Capital Factory — 1st floor Voltron
Register: Sign up here
Fireside chat with Reddit co-founder & CEO Steve Huffman
Thanks to Amazon Web Services I’m going to get the chance to talk to Steve Huffman on stage at Capital Factory! We had his co-founder Alexis Ohanian here a while back.
Time: 2:30pm to 3:30pm
Location: Capital Factory — 1st floor Voltron
Register: Coming soon
Startup Grind with Stephen Wolfram and Joshua Baer
Stephen Wolfram is the creator of Mathematica, Wolfram|Alpha and the Wolfram Language; the author of A New Kind of Science; and the founder and CEO of Wolfram Research. Over the course of nearly 4 decades, he has been a pioneer in the development and application of computational thinking — and has been responsible for many discoveries, inventions and innovations in science, technology and business. Stephen is a friend who I spend time with every year at SXSW and is one of the most interesting people in the world — I’m looking forward to this fireside chat!
Time: 5pm to 8pm
Location: Capital Factory
Register: Sign up here
Startup Party @SXSW 2018
Startup Party presented by Turkish Station is a party showcasing Turkish startups and is a great place for businesses to make connections while enjoying music and snacks. Turkish Station is the collective of inspirational people and tech companies.
Time: 7:30pm to 11pm
Location: Capital Factory
Register: SXSW badge required
Tuesday, March 13
Open Coffee Club — Tech Founders & Investors
Join us for an intimate gathering of esteemed entrepreneurs and investors. Delicious Tacodeli breakfast tacos, and Tweed espresso will be served all under one roof at one of Austin’s most amazing office spaces, Atlassian Austin in the Colorado Tower. This event is brought to you by the Austin Open Coffee Club which meets regularly to cultivate relationships in the Austin tech scene.
Time: 9am to 10:30am
Location: Atlassian
Register: Sign up here
ICO Alternative Financing for Startups
ICOs or Initial coin offerings, also known as token sales, are changing the way startups look at financing. These crowd sales that are raising hundreds of millions of dollars for new technology startups. In this session, industry experts will review some basic mechanisms of token sales companies, best practices to consider for this type of financing, and answer questions for anyone interested in investing or launching an ico.
Time: 9:30am to 10:30am
Location: Hilton — Salon DE
Register: SXSW badge required
Ready Player One: Welcome to the OASIS Meet Up
Virtual Reality is a big deal in the real world and VR is getting increasingly immersive as the technology develops. Will we ever develop a simulation that emulates reality so well that you will want to spend your whole day immersed? Welcome to the Oasis, an immersive Virtual Reality simulation, depicted in the science fiction novel and soon to be blockbuster, “Ready Player One”. This meet up will discuss the potential limitless opportunities and dire consequences that could come from the advancement of a true to life Virtual Reality.
Time: 12:30pm to 1:30pm
Location: JW Marriott — Room 211–212
Register: SXSW badge required
Convergence Keynote: whurley on Quantum Computing
Quantum computing isn’t just a possibility, it’s an inevitable next step. During his Keynote, “The Endless Impossibilities of Quantum Computing,” whurley discusses how it will forever change the computing landscape and potentially the balance of international power. Countries around the world are investing billions to become the first quantum superpower.
Time: 2pm to 3pm
Location: Austin Convention Center — Ballroom D
Register: SXSW badge required
Intro to the Austin Startup Scene and Ask Me Anything with Joshua Baer, Damon Clinkscales, whurley, Kevin Koym & Bijoy Goswami
Haven’t moved to Austin yet? Join us for a SXSW edition of Intro to the Austin Startup Scene with Capital Factory Executive Director Joshua Baer, Tech Ranch CEO & Founder Kevin Koym, Steward of Meaning Models Bijoy Goswami, Spredfast Engineering Manager Damon Clinkscales, and Strangeworks Founder & CEO William Hurley!
Time: 4:30pm to 7pm
Location: Capital Factory — 16th floor
Register: Sign up here
Wednesday, March 14
What Is Blockchain? How Will It Change The World?
Austin is a blockchain hub and it’s no surprised that blockchain is a major focus of SXSW. Join us at this session to hear from Dr. Julian Hosp, one of the world’s top blockchain experts. He will explain the basics of blockchain, why it’s the beginning of a new era and what profound possibilities it can bring to society and economy.
Time: 11am to 12pm
Location: JW Marriott — Salon D
Register: SXSW badge required
Augmented Minds — VR That Pushes Perceptual Limits
Research has shown that powerful perceptual illusions can be created in virtual reality, extending the sense of touch and allowing someone to see physiological changes that are “hidden” to the unaided eye. This session will explain the possibilities for augmenting perception through VR, discuss the challenges of advancing human senses and show demonstrations.
Time: 12:30pm to 1:30pm
Location: JW Marriott — Salon 1–2
Register: SXSW badge required
UT Austin’s Best Undergrad Startups
The University of Texas is a big part of Austin and there are several undergrad startup doing big things. Come to this session and in 60 minutes you’ll learn about five of UT Austin’s Best Undergrad Startups in a fun and fast-paced pitch session.
Time: 2pm to 3pm
Location: Hilton — Salon A
Register: SXSW badge required
Thurdsay, March 15
Ethereum Will Disrupt Everything
Here in Austin we love cryptocurrencies and Ethereum is no exception. The possibilities are endless and Austin is ready and willing to embrace the change. This session will widen the lense on the world of cryptocurrencies to explain that we’re actually witnessing the birth of the next generation of the Internet rather than a bubble in Bitcoin.
Time: 11:00am to 12pm
Location: JW Marriott — Salon E
Register: SXSW badge required
Trust Crisis: The Need for Blockchain
These days, trust is more important than ever and Blockchain is providing a simple, inexpensive mechanism to validate the facts that solidify human cooperation and may just be one of the most significant innovations of our time. Come learn about the Blockchain projects that are already changing the world and imagine the next frontier of this groundbreaking technology.
Time: 11am to 12pm
Location: JW Marriott — Salon D
Register: SXSW badge required
$100k Blockchain Challenge
Capital Factory is at it again and is rewarding one promising Blockchain startup with $100,000. After reviewing hundreds of applications, 5 finalist startups will get grilled by expert judges on stage but only one will walk away with a $100,000 investment.
Time: 2pm to 4pm
Location: JW Marriott — Salon E
Register: SXSW badge required
Did I miss something? Leave it in the comments!
