Six founders and clients left their mark at this year’s conference held in Austin, Texas
The South by Southwest (SXSW) conference and festival returned to Austin, Texas earlier this month for nine days of panels, parties, interactive exhibitions and more, spanning multiple industries. We were thrilled to send several of our team members, alumni tech founders and clients to the conference!
Venture 313 — a part of the Gilbert Family Foundation and Rocket Community Fund’s multimillion-dollar commitment to build economic opportunity in Detroit’s neighborhoods — also made waves at SXSW, including co-hosting a daylong event for underrepresented founders. TechTown is a founding partner of Venture 313.
From engaging sessions and networking opportunities to live demonstrations, Detroit definitely left its mark at SXSW. We are proud of our founders and clients — all of whom are shining examples of the amazing work being done in Detroit’s rising tech ecosystem.
Below we share some highlights from the conference.
Photography by 888 Creative
Transparent Collective — a national nonprofit that helps Black, Latinx and women founders access the resources they need to build successful tech companies — partnered with Venture 313 for the TC x V313 @ SXSW: Program for Underrepresented Founders event. Taking place on March 7, the event hosted pre-seed to pre-series A founders who are ready to scale their startups and raise venture funding.
Niles Heron (left), the director of Tech-Based Programs at TechTown, and James Norman, a partner and co-founder of Transparent Collective, speak to attendees at the TC x V313 @ SXSW: Program for Underrepresented Founders event.
Brittany McGee (left), founder and CEO of OptimizeEV, and Farai Gundan, founder of Bhadala, are two of our Michigan founders who traveled with TechTown and Venture 313 for SXSW. Both McGee and Gundan graduated from our Start Studio programming, and Gundan’s startup is a part of our Mobility Acceleration Innovation Network.
David Medina Álvarez, founder and CEO of LIVAQ, an electric off-road vehicle startup, shows a demonstration of the startup’s EQUAD during the Foundation: A Gathering of Hard Tech and Deep Tech Pioneers event on March 8. The EQUAD is an all-electric ATV that LIVAQ promotes as “the symbol of power, sustainability and the ultimate driving experience.” Medina is also a participant in TechTown’s Tech-Based programming.
TechTown and Venture 313 team members and founders attended The Sports, Tech, & Venture Brunch, hosted by The Players Company, Plain Sight and Midwest House on March 9. Sports figures, growth-stage founders and venture capitalists convened for a morning of VC presentations, panels and networking.
From Detroit to the world: Whether a native or transplant to the Motor City, Detroiters will always make waves wherever they go. Pictured here are representatives from TechTown, Venture 313, ID Ventures (the venture capital program of Invest Detroit) and other SXSW attendees and innovators at The Sports, Tech, & Venture Brunch.
Crystal Brown (far right), founder of CircNova and a client of TechTown and Venture 313, spoke on panel during the final day of the SHE Media Co-Lab summit on March 9. Titled “Funding the Future: Investing in Female Founders,” the panel celebrated founders driving innovation in health and innovation and delve into strategies to create a more inclusive landscape. Brown was joined by Sophia Bush and Nia Batts of Union Heritage (far left and second from left), Shizu Okusa (center) of Apothékary and Irene Liu (second from right) of Chiyo.
Michigan Day, hosted by Midwest House, was a day for entrepreneurs, business owners, founders and innovators from across Michigan to come together during SXSW. Pictured here are Dug Song (left) of the Song Foundation, Bilal Hammoud of the American Arab Chamber of Commerce, and Ben Marchionna of the State of Michigan. The three participated in a panel titled “Michigan’s Global Innovation Opportunity” during Michigan Day on March 11.
Crystal Brown of CircNova and a client of TechTown and Venture 313, spoke on the “Unlocking Capital for Early-Stage Startups: Strategies for Success in Michigan’s Evolving Funding Landscape.” Presented by Ann Arbor SPARK, Brown spoke about the fundraising environment, Michigan’s unique ecosystem and more. She was joined by panelists Josef Hjelmaker (far left) of Electric Outdoors, Jim Tenzillo (second from right) of Michigan Outdoor Innovation Fund and VentureNext, and moderator Mike Flanagan of Ann Arbor SPARK.
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