Marc Lore, Ericka J. Coulter, Vlad Tenev, Amber Venz Box & More Featured Speakers Join SXSW 2022

From building new cities to exploring the metaverse, the experts who make up our third round of Featured Speakers delve into timely topics across the worlds of tech, film, music, and beyond, each with their own unique and forward-thinking spin.

"We're excited to announce an incredible group of experts and innovators across the technology, healthcare, and entertainment industries, who are actively shaping the world we live in," said Hugh Forrest, Chief Programming Officer. "Entrepreneurial luminaries such as Michael Dell, and industry disruptors like Margrethe Vestager only add to our already robust lineup of creative visionaries working to build a better future."

Featured Speakers announced today include Dr. Albert Bourla, Amber Venz Box, Sandy Carter, Ericka J. Coulter, Michael Dell, Sandy Fershee, Jason Isbell, Jim McKelvey, Merck Mercuriadis, Linda Perry, Nile Rodgers, Vlad Tenev, Jill Tiefenthaler, Margrethe Vestager, and many more.

Register for SXSW from March 11-20, 2022 in Austin, TX and online to experience this great programming and more. Get to know the latest round of speakers below and add events to your SXSW Schedule. Stay tuned for more announcements throughout the season including round three of Music Festival artists coming next week and the full Film Festival lineup on February 2.

Featured Speakers

• Co-founder and CEO of ICON Jason Ballard
• Chairman and CEO of Pfizer Dr. Albert Bourla
• Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Dell Technologies Michael Dell and CEO of Breyer Capital Jim Breyer
• Co-founder of LTK Amber Venz Box
• Artist, urbanist, director, and brand consultant Dario Calmese
• Psychology professor at the University of Texas at Austin Kathryn Paige Harden
• Grammy Award-Winning singer/songwriter Jason Isbell; Founder of CLEAN Cause Sparkling Yerba Mate Wes Hurt; and Huntington, WV Director of the Mayor's Council on Public Health and Drug Control Policy, Jan Rader
• Colossal Biosciences founder and CEO Ben Lamm with Colossal Biosciences head of biological sciences Eriona Hysolli
• Producer, Songwriter, and Philanthropist Linda Perry; Warner Records SVP of A&R / TheBasement Series CEO Ericka J. Coulter; VANS Director of Global Music Marketing Tierney Stout; and Record Store Day co-founder Carrie Colliton
• Co-founder and CEO of Robinhood Markets Vlad Tenev
• European Commission Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager

Featured Sessions

• Chasing Moonshots & Bringing the Future to Today
  Join co-host of the Business Casual podcast Nora Ali as she interviews founder, chairman, and CEO of Wonder and the co-owner of the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Minnesota Lynx Marc Lore. This session will explore how vision, capital, and people come together to make even the wildest ideas come true, from flying cars and the future of sports to Lore’s biggest moonshot, a new city he’s building from scratch to test a new economic model for society.

• Design Leadership: Creativity Driving Business
  In a post-covid world, General Manager of Design at IBM Katrina Alcorn, co-founder and CEO of Tech Talk | Studio Christie Dames, and Lab Director of D-Ford Sandy Fershee share evolutionary leadership insights from the front lines of organizational transformation and creativity to unleash action, unlock personal talent and potential, and solve wicked business challenges in a “brave new world” that moves beyond the pandemic.

• The Future of The Data Economy: Putting People First
  With the world at a crucial turning point that will shape the next 50 years of the data economy, founder of Big Technology Alex Kantrowitz and co-founder of Block (formerly Square) Jim McKelvey discuss how an economy that is people-first by design will give more transparency and efficiency to both businesses and people.

• Guerrilla Tactics & Asymmetric Political Activism
  In this session, co-founder and CFO of the Gravel Institute Henry Magowan; journalist, activist, and documentary filmmaker Skye Wallin; bestselling author, political activist, and former Democratic candidate for president of the United States Marianne Williamson; and Co-Executive Director of The Gravel Institute Henry Williams will discuss lessons learned from the 2020 asymmetrical campaigns of Williamson, Senator Mike Gravel, and Andrew Yang. Speakers will explore which campaigns used social media, film, and provocative progressive language to shift the Overton Window of what is acceptable discussion in democratic politics, and their evolving guerrilla efforts needed to solve the climate crisis, fight the war machine, win elections, and save our democracy.

• Reimagining Exploration with Jill Tiefenthaler
  CEO of the National Geographic Society Dr. Jill Tiefenthaler shares how the organization is building on its legacy of dauntless exploration by creatively leveraging cutting-edge science and immersive storytelling to illuminate and protect the wonder of our world.

• Web3, NFT, Metaverse! 3 Easy Steps To Get Started
  In the far corners of the internet, a new story is being written not by big tech, but by authors such as you and me. In this session, join Senior Vice President and Channel Chief at Unstoppable Domains Sandy Carter as she explains learnings centered around Web3, NFT, the Metaverse, and how you can play your part in reclaiming the internet so that it serves everyone.

• What’s Your Life's Soundtrack?
  Music is one of a few things that can transport you back to a moment in time, a special memory, and a song would not be whole without the songwriter. In this session, founder and CEO of Hipgnosis Song Management Merck Mercuriadis and Grammy Award-Winning composer, producer, arranger, and guitarist Nile Rodgers talk about where the songwriter currently sits in the economic equation and their mission to change the dynamics as to how songwriters are compensated in the future.

• What's in A Metaverse?
  CEO of Epyllion Matthew Ball; Head of Brands & Advertisers Solutions for Epic Games’ Unreal Engine Raffaella Camera; tech columnist and author Charlie Fink; and co-founder and CEO of High Fidelity Philip Rosedale answer questions such as how shall we define a metaverse, who else is building - or has built - a metaverse, what technology does a metaverse require, and on which platforms will these virtual, social spaces manifest, when, and how?

2022 Featured Speakers & Sessions

See You At SXSW 2022

Join us for SXSW 2022 to celebrate the convergence of the tech, film, and music industries across a variety of programming formats and special events from March 11-20 in Austin, TX and online.

Attendees will receive primary entry to programming associated with their badge type, in addition to enjoying secondary access to most other SXSW events. Plus, all badgeholders receive access to SXSW Online, our digital event component which includes live streamed content from Conference sessions to the iconic film and music festivals as well as unique networking opportunities – and of course, much more.

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Top Photos: 2022 SXSW Featured Speakers (l-r) Marc Lore, Ericka J. Coulter, Vlad Tenev, and Amber Venz Box