Hundreds of thousands of festival-goers descended upon Austin last month for the 19th annual South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive, Film and Music festival. The Cockrell School participated in the excitement, hosting the Burnt Orange Tech (BOT) Tailgate in partnership with the College of Natural Sciences, participating in SXSW Interactive panels and chats, and having its first startup camp be a stop on the SXSW Startup Crawl.
The festival, which officially kicked off March 9 with the Interactive portion, featured Dean of the Cockrell School Greg Fenves and Professor of Innovation Bob Metcalfe, who both discussed innovation at the Cockrell School and the university. This was the first time leadership from The University of Texas at Austin participated in SXSW Interactive (SXSWi) in an official capacity.
SXSWi features five days of compelling presentations from bright minds in emerging technologies, scores of networking events hosted by industry leaders and a line up of special programs showcasing the best new Web sites, video games and startup ideas. From hands-on training to big-picture analysis of the future, SXSWi has become the place to experience a preview of what is unfolding in the world of technology.
Cockrell School was involved:
SXSW Startup Crawl
Thursday, March 8
Longhorn Startup Camp was a stop on the SXSW Startup Crawl, showcasing its residents — 27 new startups, all originated at the university.
The 27 companies, along with Metcalfe and Kyle Cox, director of the Austin Technology Incubator's University Incubator, mingled with guests, including Dean Fenves.
Burnt Orange Tech (BOT) Tailgate
Monday, March 12
Festival-goers who were alumni of the College of Natural Sciences and the Cockrell School of Engineering were invited to link up, sync up and fill up during the peak of SXSW Interactive at a Texas-style tailgate. Guests mingled with insiders from The University of Texas at Austin, industry and the stellar talent that descended upon Austin.
Startup Austin at SXSWi Startup Village
Tuesday, March 13
As part of the SXSWi Startup Village, Startup Austin provided five, one-hour sessions in which Austin-based groups presented startup-oriented programming with panels, meet-ups and a fireside chat. Throughout the day participants had tables set up around the room displaying marketing material of the various services the organization provide to support the Central Texas area.
On Tuesday, March 13, in the Startup Village, Metcalfe participated in a fireside chat with Kirk Ladendorf, technology reporter for the Austin American-Statesman. Metcalfe was also a judge for the SXSW Accelerator, where companies were charged to dazzle a live audience, panel of three judges and co-emcee with their ideas, innovations and product or service. Metcalfe joined two other judges for the Innovative Technologies category.
Dean Fenves also participated in Tuesday's activities, sitting on a panel that discussed "Educating the Future of Austin Technology: A roundtable discussion with educators on how they support technologies that companies need for talent and growth."
