“Who’s your perfect customer?” is a typical question for startups. And many of the 45 companies pitching in 9 categories during the 18th annual SXSW Pitch Event showed they have a clear understanding of who gains from their disruptive innovations.
But no matter the ideal consumer, we all benefit from the creative and resourceful minds tackling tomorrow’s problems in both emerging and traditional industries like healthcare, sustainability, transportation, and robotics.
The trends at this year’s event point to the positive impacts of advancements in AI-assisted technologies, healthcare delivery and outcomes, and robot-assisted devices that make our lives healthier, safer, and more efficient.
For example, Surgicure Technologies, Inc. has created a horseshoe-shaped airway securement device designed to reduce unplanned extubations and other injuries, improving patient safety and quality of care across hospital and military care settings. And AlterEcho enables experts to work remotely in sterile and hazardous environments by using remote robotic avatars.
Looking for matchmakers across various industries? For the real estate investment market, Smart Bricks is your matchmaker with its agentic AI real estate investment platform that empowers global investors to discover, analyze, and transact properties. For retailers, manufacturers and brands who want to sell unsold stock, Sotira matches you with the off price retail market to discreetly sell or donate overstock or short dated inventory. And for mothers and babies, Yuzi Care is an AI-powered postpartum care platform that matches families with trusted doulas, newborn care specialists, and maternal health providers.
Water management is no longer just environmental—it's a financial imperative. Miyamflow prevents water infrastructure failures in data centers and facilities while protecting communities with an AI-powered system for enterprise infrastructure.
Sports enthusiasts with visual disabilities can experience sports intuitively and independently with a haptic tablet invented by OneCourt, so fans can watch the game with their fingertips.
GigU is an app for gig workers that analyzes every ride and delivery offer, recommending the most profitable choices based on individual costs while also keeping drivers safe through an in-phone secret security camera. And student startup Pittsburgh Coastal Energy is expanding marine autonomy to the same degree we have in space by powering autonomous underwater vehicles and other marine technologies with energy harvested directly from the ocean itself.
Congratulations to this year's nine category winners, who were announced at the SXSW Pitch® Award Ceremony after the two-day competition.
2026 SXSW Pitch Winners
Enterprise and Future of Work: Yuzi Care (Seattle, WA)
Entertainment, Media, Sports & Creator Content: OneCourt (Seattle, WA)
Healthcare, AssistiveTech & BioTech: Surgicure Technologies, Inc. (Boston, MA)
Innovative World Tech: Mayimflow (Palo Alto, CA)
Intelligent Systems, Robotics & Multisensory Technology: AlterEcho (Copenhagen, Denmark)
Smart Cities, Transportation, Manufacturing & Logistics: GigU (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
Smart Data, Security, and FinTech: Smart Bricks (San Francisco, CA)
Student Startups: Pittsburgh Coastal Energy (Pittsburgh, PA)
Sustainability, AgTech & Food: Sotira (San Francisco, CA)
The winner of the Best Bootstrap Company (the company who has done the most with least): PLNTmatter (Los Angeles, CA)
The winner of the Best Speed Pitch: Ecosphere Organics (Detroit, MI)
The winner of Best Inclusivity: Rea Diagnostics SA (Lausanne, Switzerland)
And the Best in Show winner: Sotira (San Francisco, CA)
This year’s participating companies represent the most cutting-edge technologies from around the world, with the highest caliber of applicants since 2009. To date, 732 companies have participated in SXSW Pitch. More than 80% have secured funding, collectively raising over $22 billion in venture capital and exits. Of these 647 funded companies, 22% have been acquired by leading global firms such as Google, Apple, Meta, British Telecom, Huffington Post, Live Nation, OpenTable, Michelin, Constant Contact, and Harmon. Notable alumni include Klout, ICON, Hipmunk, Wildfire, Tubemogul, Siri, Foodspotting, and Tango.
If you missed any of the pitches this weekend you can still meet each of the 45 startups at the SXSW Pitch “Meet the Startups” in the Demo Session on Sunday, March 15, at 10:30 a.m. in Rooms F & G & H on the 3rd floor at the JW Marriott, 110 East 2nd Street.
Congratulations to all the winners, participants, and judges from this year’s SXSW Pitch. And we hope to see you tomorrow at the SXSW Pitch Showcase!
For more information about SXSW Pitch, go to our website here.
SXSW Pitch is sponsored by KPMG, which goes far beyond the ordinary and the obvious to develop valuable insights that inform decisions, identify new opportunities and drive better, faster outcomes. Its diverse teams of industry professionals ask the right questions, see different perspectives, and uncover insights to bridge the gap between idea and execution. The result? Inspired innovation that works. KPMG firms operate in 143 countries and territories with more than 273,000 partners and employees working in member firms around the world.
