Meet the Winners of the 2026 SXSW Pitch Competition

{
  "id": "PP1149646",
  "track": "Startups",
  "focus_area": null,
  "category": "Panel",
  "event_id": "PP1149646",
  "event_type": "panel",
  "format": "Panel",
  "genre": null,
  "subgenre": null,
  "name": "Meet the Winners of the 2026 SXSW Pitch Competition",
  "presented_by": null,
  "publish_at": "2026-01-27T17:33:00.000-06:00",
  "reservable": true,
  "reservable_id": "PP1149646",
  "reserved": false,
  "date": "2026-03-15",
  "end_time": "2026-03-15T15:30:00.000-05:00",
  "start_time": "2026-03-15T14:30:00.000-05:00",
  "message": null,
  "image": null,
  "credentials": [
    {
      "name": "Platinum Badge",
      "type": "platinum"
    },
    {
      "name": "Innovation Badge",
      "type": "innovation"
    }
  ],
  "contributors": [
    {
      "id": 87056,
      "company": "Tampa Bay Wave",
      "credential_types": [
        "innovation"
      ],
      "entity_id": 2249221,
      "name": "Richard Munassi",
      "speaker_types": [],
      "title": "Accelerator Managing Director",
      "image": {
        "alt_text": "Richard Munassi",
        "credit": null,
        "url": "https://images.sxsw.com/m9oHLrr3EslB-9QqKxo5wNxwOVo=/0x0:794x794/600x600/images.sxsw.com/48/b7674f4e-2a31-476a-be53-e584a8b0f27e/pcid-944340"
      },
      "speaker_type": "Speaker",
      "details": "Dr. Richard Munassi MD MBA is a serial Entrepreneur and investor. As Managing Director, Dr. Munassi leads both the CORE and Accelerator programs for the nationally-recognized Tampa Bay Wave, helping software and hardware startups from throughout the US and abroad build, launch, and grow their technology companies. Startups he has founded, mentored, or advised have raised over $1.5B USD with several dozen exits. \r\rDr. Munassi's background includes time with NASA as part of their iTech program, as Director of Innovation for one of the nation's largest cancer hospitals where he helped to launch a global initiative around cancer innovation with the Biden Administration White House, as Entrepreneur in Residence for Techstars, the University of South Florida (where he was also Adjunct Professor for the Graduate School of Business), and the University of Florida, as well as current EIR roles with the University of East London and Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He is also a mentor for programs such as FedTech, MIT Solve, UCSF's Health Hub, MassChallenge, Founder Institute, and more. \r\rDr. Munassi is an active investor in several dozen early stage technology startups and VC funds, and works closely with multiple large family offices deploying into early and growth stage technology startups and VC funds.  ",
      "links": {},
      "type": "person"
    }
  ],
  "venue": {
    "accessible": false,
    "age_policy": null,
    "floor": "3",
    "id": "V0453",
    "indoor_outdoor": "INDOOR",
    "name": "Salon C",
    "parent_id": "V0403",
    "parent_venue_name": "JW Marriott",
    "venue_entry_info": null,
    "formats": null,
    "location": {
      "address": "110 E 2nd St.",
      "lat_lon": [
        30.2645713,
        -97.743198
      ],
      "city": "Austin",
      "postal_code": "78701",
      "state": "TX",
      "name": "JW Marriott"
    },
    "root": {
      "accessible": null,
      "age_policy": null,
      "floor": null,
      "id": "V0403",
      "indoor_outdoor": null,
      "name": "JW Marriott",
      "parent_id": null,
      "parent_venue_name": null,
      "venue_entry_info": null,
      "formats": null
    },
    "events": "[omitted 5 venue events]"
  },
  "description": "This session gives attendees the opportunity to hear more from the leaders behind the extremely talented startups that won each of the nine categories at SXSW Pitch 2026. Be inspired and amazed by these incredible entrepreneuers from aroud the world, as they showcase their winning ideas and shine a spotlight on the most innovative technologies of tomorrow.",
  "experience_level": "Beginner",
  "accessibility": [],
  "accessible_venue": false,
  "add_bcl_url": false,
  "add_slido": false,
  "age_policy": null,
  "american_sign_language": false,
  "apple_url": null,
  "audio_description": false,
  "caption_url": null,
  "closed_captioned": false,
  "cpe_credit": false,
  "has_subtitles": false,
  "hash_tags": [],
  "high_sensory_experience": false,
  "live": false,
  "long_description": "This session gives attendees the opportunity to hear more from the leaders behind the extremely talented startups that won each of the nine categories at SXSW Pitch 2026. Be inspired and amazed by these incredible entrepreneuers from aroud the world, as they showcase their winning ideas and shine a spotlight on the most innovative technologies of tomorrow.",
  "meeting_url": null,
  "meeting_url_live": false,
  "mentorly_url": null,
  "mobile_audio_url": null,
  "open_captioned": false,
  "playlist_tag": null,
  "rebroadcast": false,
  "recommended_ids": [],
  "search_conversions": null,
  "short_program": false,
  "slido_url": null,
  "sort": "MEET THE WINNERS OF THE 2026 SXSW PITCH COMPETITION",
  "source": "Official",
  "squad_up_url": null,
  "stream_embed": null,
  "stream_id": null,
  "stream_url": null,
  "strobe_warning": false,
  "subdiscipline": null,
  "summit": null,
  "summit_display_name": null,
  "tags": [
    {
      "id": 954,
      "name": "Entrepreneurship",
      "created_at": "2016-11-04T11:44:27.960-05:00",
      "updated_at": "2025-01-21T12:10:03.602-06:00",
      "sort": "ENTREPRENEURSHIP",
      "alpha": "E"
    }
  ],
  "talent_attending": null,
  "title_only": false,
  "track_display_name": "Startups",
  "trailer_id": null,
  "trailer_url": null,
  "video_on_demand": null,
  "vimeo_id": null,
  "vod": false,
  "xr_project_type": null,
  "youtube_id": null,
  "related_sales_client": null
}