We Heart SX: Capital One at SXSW: Intersecting Ideas and Experiences

Jana Etheridge, Chief of Staff for Capital One’s Financial Services Division, provides insight into the value of collaborating with SXSW and their goals for this year’s festival.

How is your brand directly relevant to the SXSW Conference and Festivals (Interactive, Film, and Music)? If not directly relevant, what do you view your contribution to be?

This is our fifth year as a Super Sponsor at SXSW! SXSW has always been a great place to learn and connect —  brands to people, people to people and, most of all, people to fresh experiences and ideas. At its core, SXSW remains a hub for innovation across industries. It gives folks a peek into innovations that will shape the future, and that’s why Capital One keeps coming back.

SXSW has enabled us to showcase our product innovation and customer-centricity in an incredible way while connecting us with diverse perspectives and an amazing talent pool. I am so excited to share what we have in store for attendees this year at the Capital One House!

When approaching SXSW, what conference track or festival are you targeting as your main focus and why? 


The SXSW Interactive Festival continues to explore the intersection between humans and technology. We love that because Capital One isn’t your traditional bank. Our world is rapidly changing, and so are customer expectations. We’re laser-focused on creating solutions that are real time, intelligent and integrated into our customers’ lives. We not only want to meet our customers’ needs but anticipate them. Understanding how humans and technology converge allows us to do that.

How do you as a company hope to connect with SXSW registrants and attendees? 


For the fourth year in a row, we’re transforming Antone’s Nightclub into the Capital One House from March 8 - 11. Antone's is originally known for showcasing artists like Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Ray Charles and Clifton Chenier, and it helped Austin claim its title as the “Live Music Capital of the World” (how cool is that?)

During the day, we're hosting a variety of talks, ranging from intrapreneurialism and data privacy, to how a paraplegic climbed Kilimanjaro and maximizing your career potential. Plus we’re amping up our activations in creative ways. Overall, we want to spark discussion and allow attendees to exchange ideas.

At night, folks will hear from incredible (to be announced) musicians, including local Austinites! Beyond checking out the Capital One House while at SXSW, we’re hiring designers, product managers, engineers, and more! If you’re interested in learning more about the Capital One House and what’s in store, click here

What values or messages does your company wish to promote that brought you to a cohesive partnership with SXSW?


Capital One is still a founder-led company, and it wasn’t long ago that we were a startup. We still carry that startup mentality with us. We’re harnessing the power of technology to build effortless experiences that support the way people interact with money so they can live their very best lives. And, we’re not afraid to seek out new experiences and try bold things. SXSW brings together people from all walks of life — techies, musicians, filmmakers, culture leaders and more — to do just that. We’re honored to take part in such a diverse, inspiring and thought-provoking event.

Sponsored Content and Photo of Jana Etheridge Provided by Capital One