2020, the year of cancellations. At this rate, it seems like it's best to reschedule all your plans for 2021. And nobody knows that better than the big conferences, festivals and events that postponed due to Covid-19 in the Spring.
One of the first and biggest cancellations we saw in the startup world this year was South by Southwest. The tech, music, media festival has been the place to go pitch your startup. But alas, it wasn't meant to be.
In light of the cancellation, SXSW has released all the pitch decks from would-have-been presenters and their alternates, including a few Atlanta companies that were headed to Austin for the festival. So let's take a look at the local companies and community members who were planning on visiting SXSW.
Cove.tool: In the Smart Cities, Transportation & Logistics category, Atlanta's Cove.tool planned to present. The startup uses machine learning to help users discover ways to make their buildings more energy efficient and cost effective. Check out their pitch deck here.
Vital: This Atlanta-based emergency department software startup that uses AI to predict admission hours in advance and reduce length-of-stay, was named a finalist in the Health, Med and BioTech category for the 23rd annual SXSW Innovation Awards. Vital was planning to demo its platform at the showcase.
In addition to startups pitching, Jim Murphy, VP of global venturing and emerging growth platforms at the Coca-Cola Company, was planning to serve as a 2020 judge for the pitch competition. Holly Beilin with Engage; Sanjay Parekh, founder of MailMosh; Kelly Burton, founder of Founders of Color; Roshawnna Novellus, founder of EnrichHER; Burunda Prince with the Farm Comcast NBC Universal; and Joey Womack, founder of Amplify 4 Good, were all planning to join as part of the SXSW 2020 Advisory Board.
