SXSW Sydney Pitch 2024 finalists and grand final judges revealed!

See hello to our incredible startup finalists for SXSW Sydney® Pitch 2024 presented by VentureCrowd! 

This year we saw a 45% increase in submissions compared to 2023, and our advisory panel made up of investors, founders and industry experts have been hard at work assessing startups from across seven categories.

Over the next five weeks, our 2024 finalists will work with the SXSW Sydney Pitch team, together with 25eight, to refine and prepare their pitch.  

What’s more, this year we are thrilled to welcome an all-star grand final judging panel including Co-founder of FPV Ventures Wesley Chan, Managing Director of Google ANZ Melanie Silva, Founding Partner of OneVentures Dr Michelle Deaker, and CEO of VentureCrowd, the presenting partner of SXSW Sydney Pitch, Steve Maarbani, with MCs Holly Ransom and Dan Ilic.

The SXSW Sydney Pitch 2024 finalists are, in alphabetical order: Airee Felt, Bardar, Carbonaught, Chatstat, DermR Health, Empathetic AI, Femmi, Koup Music, NOA the brand, Outread, Ovum AI, Remagine Labs, Securely Group, SpaceDraft, Systems Reef, Tensis, The Leaf Protein Co., Tilli Kids, TimeBoss, Wave X, Woven Optics, Zipline AI.

"One year on and we have had some impressive outcomes from the pitch event in 2023, with several companies getting funding and building new and extraordinary networks. The number and calibre of submissions has advanced to another level and we look forward to seeing the finalists in action. The grand final is shaping up to be a standout event, with our excellent MCs Holly Ransom and Dan Ilic, and all-star judging panel featuring US VC Wesley Chan, Dr Michelle Deaker and Managing Director and VP of Google (ANZ), Melanie Silva.” – SXSW Sydney Head of Tech & Innovation, Caroline Pegram

Now in its second year, SXSW Sydney Pitch presented by VentureCrowd showcases some of the global startup ecosystem’s most exciting, mission-oriented innovations, startups and people creating impactful companies, products and solutions that will change our lives. It offers invaluable exposure for innovators and early-stage founders through attracting recognition from influential figures in their industry, opportunities to meet investors and potential partners, and wide media exposure.

The theme for SXSW Sydney Pitch 2024 is ‘What’s Next’, reflecting the coming wave of technologies and the aspiration to seek solutions to some of the most pressing issues facing our world today. 

The SXSW Sydney Pitch grand final winner receives two Platinum Badges for SXSW Austin 2025 and two economy return airfares to Austin, Texas (terms and conditions apply); a special slot to present a speed pitch during the 2025 SXSW Pitch Awards Ceremony in Austin, Texas; and a tailored mentorship package. Finalists will also receive additional prizes to be announced as the event date approaches.

"The quality of applicants for this year's SXSW Sydney Pitch was outstanding and it is an indication of some of the incredible solutions startups are developing to solve some of our biggest issues globally, across seven category areas. We now look forward to helping support these 22 startups over the next 5 weeks to perfect their pitch in order to take the stage in front of our judging panels and SXSW Sydney audience!" – SXSW Sydney Pitch Lead, Rita Yates

Revisit the progress of some of our SXSW Sydney 2023 finalists here.

The SXSW Sydney Pitch rounds will run from 10am-5pm on Wednesday 16 October, with the grand final on Thursday 17 October set to be a highlight for badgeholders to witness.

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SXSW Sydney Pitch 2024 finalists:

Health, Biotech and Medtech 

• DermR Health (NSW, Australia) | A microneedle device designed to painlessly collect skin cells, offering a new method for screening skin cancer 
• Remagine Labs (VIC, Australia) | A bluetooth connected, wearable electro-pharmaceutical that will provide patient-centred care and consistent dosing of medications 
• Femmi (QLD, Australia) | A smart tech to understand how females are impacted throughout their cycles and generate adaptive training that is made for them  

Future of Work and Education 

• Empathetic AI  (NSW, Australia) | A Generative AI assistant for tax and finance professionals
• Outread (SA, Australia) | An AI-driven platform transforming how professionals access and digest academic research 
• Tilli Kids  (USA) | An AI-powered learning tool that builds and measures 8 foundational cognitive skills

Entertainment, Games and Media 

• Bardar (NSW, Australia) | An an app providing real-time data on venues and events 
• Koup Music (NSW, Australia) | A platform for artists to create, control and exchange their own machine learning (ML) models 
• SpaceDraft (WA, Australia)| The world’s first rehearsal tool for real-world scenarios, allowing users to create interactive visual playbooks 

Innovation in Retail and Commerce 

• Securely Group (QLD, Australia) | “Pay-Ewe” is a digital security platform focused on social media profile verification to tackle online scams 
• TimeBoss (NSW, Australia) | AI-driven technology that powers’ The Laundry Lady’ and manages every stage of the customer’s booking and team of contractors. 
• Zipline AI (QLD, Australia) | enables consumers to co-create products with their favourite brands using text prompts 

Enterprise, Big Data and AI 

• Chatstat (QLD, Australia) | An Al platform that proactively safeguards youth mental health through active monitoring and analysis of public social media content 
• Ovum AI  (VIC, Australia) | The first holistic A.I health assistant for women
• Tensis (NSW, Australia) | A platform for law firms to automate the creation of highly complex legal documents

Climate Tech and Sustainability 

• Carbonaught (QLD, Australia) | Turns mining waste into organic carbon-removing fertiliser 
• The Leaf Protein Co. (VIC, Australia) | Platform technology that allows us to extract edible leaf protein ingredients to make better packaged & processed foods 
• Wave X (WA, Australia) | Wave energy technology based on an already proven oil & gas structure 

Hardware, Manufacturing and Physical Solutions 

• Airee Felt (Mongolia) | 100% biodegradable filters from sheep wool  
• NOA the brand (NSW, Australia) | The next generation of wireless charging technology that delivers more power, more efficiently 
• Systems Reef  (NSW, Australia) | The world’s first 3D printed air diffusion system for the building industry
• Woven Optics (SA, Australia) | Micron testing device to objectively test the quality of wool 

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