One of the best things about working for SXSW Interactive is hearing about the unique experiences our participants have at our event. We especially love the serendipitous connections that help get projects off the ground. One of these SXSW success stories came to us by way of 2010 Core Conversation presenter Jonathan Beilin, of Koduco Games. Beilin jumped head-first into networking at our event and met future business partner, Austin-based Famigo Games.

Fast forward six months and Beilin and his co-founder, Cole Krumbholz, received funding from Y Combinator and a pretty great write up on TechCrunch. The iPad version of their multiplayer game, PongVaders, received kudos for using all the real-world physical interaction capabilities possible on a tablet, rather than just being a bigger version of the iPhone game.

Beilin was impressed with the online legends he met at SXSW Interactive and thanked us for giving him "a crash course in the tech scene and congregating so many entrepreneurs, investors, and tech innovators" in one place. Thanks to everyone who participated in SXSW 2010 for bringing the creativity and innovative thinking that inspires us every year. Want to meet some of these amazing people yourself? Join us March 2011, and here's to your continued success!

Photos courtesy Jonathan Beilin — top photo (l-r): Jonathan Beilin and Cole Krumbholz, bottom photo: PongVaders screencap