Ultimate Startup Guide to SXSW 2012

Yes, it’s that time of year… SXSW is approaching and I’ve spent hours and hours going cross-eyed as I reviewed every single panel, party, event and meetup at SXSW Interactive. Plus combing through all of the invites to unofficial events. Here it is – cleaned up, compiled, and curated just for you.

One new feature of SXSW that you won’t want to miss is the Startup  Village, organized by Chris Valentine and Hugh Forrest. SXSW has gotten so big that they (probably wisely) have grouped it into multiple smaller sub-conferences. All of the startup-related programming is grouped in the Startup Village and is located at the Hilton. I expect I’ll spend most of my time in that building during the days.

You can browse through this list day by day to see which events you should add to your calendar. Many events require pre-registration or an invitation so be sure to check the links. I also have a list of VIPs from the startup community – prominent entrepreneurs, CEO’s and early stage investors – let me know if you have any special events you want to invite them to.

This list is updated frequently

As new events are announced, they will be added to the list. If you want to suggest an event to add please send it to sxsw@capitalfactory.com

Complete Panel List

For the complete list of startup related panels at SXSW, take a look at this calendar. Below you’ll find my curated list – I’ll never make it to all of them but I’m going to try!

Thursday the 8th

Friday the 9th

Saturday the 10th

Sunday the 11th

Monday the 12th

Tuesday the 13th

All Startup Panels at SXSW

Click here to see the official SXSW Calendar of all the startup-related events where you can add them to your SXSW Social calendar with a single click.

 

More details…

SXSW Startup Crawl

Thursday March 8 @4PM-10PM

If you are in town on Thursday, why not stop by for a quick beer, game, snack or just say hi at one of the many downtown tech companies from 4pm to 10pm? You might even find a drum circle…  Last year we had more than 20 companies and 2,000 party goers – and that was an unofficial event. This year we’re an official SXSW event and it promises to be bigger and better than ever.

Hop on the free shuttle to take you from startup to startup and end up right back at the beginning. Shuttles will run from 4pm to 10pm. It’s just that easy!  Every office will have a unique beverage, activity, t-shirt or all of the above. Stop on by!

If you want to attend, you need the secret map. Add yourself to the Facebook event or follow on Twitter to make sure you see it.

If your startup is downtown, you can host a party at your office!  If you’re interested, email atxstartupcrawl@capitalfactory.com. If you’re not downtown, we will connect you with another startup to host you.

Startup America: A Celebration of American Startups with Reid Hoffman, Steve Case, Steve Blank, Scott Case and many others…
Friday March 9 @7PM-10PM

Showcasing some of the country’s most successful entrepreneurs, an array of corporate and elected leaders and some of the hottest music on the planet, this event will provide a world-wide platform to celebrate entrepreneurship and startup companies throughout the country. Don’t miss the opportunity to be part of such an historical event as Texas is named an official Startup America region before a live audience of over 3,000 people in the Austin City Limits Moody Theatre.

Expect all of the biggest entrepreneurs and investors at SXSW to be there including Reid Hoffman, Steve Case, Steve Blank, Scott Case and others plus musical entertainment too. This will be the entrepreneurial centerpiece of SXSW and you don’t want to miss it!

Just announced: the party is going to end with a performance from Ghostland Observatory!

Office Hours with Capital Factory Mentors
Sunday March 10 @10AM-12PM 

Get some free advice from another entrepreneur who has seen this movie before and knows all the different endings. You can ask questions about your own company or questions about how to improve your chances of being accepted to Capital Factory. We’ll have mentors available and also Capital Factory alumni who can share their own stories.

Use this online calendar to reserve your 20 minute spot (make sure to advance to the right date and check the time zones). If you don’t reserve a spot, you can still stop by.

Find your Startup Co-Founder in the Startup Village
Saturday March 10 @2PM, 3:30PM, 5PM
Sunday March 11 @2PM, 3:30PM, 5PM 

We’re working with DreamIt Ventures and FounderDating to put on 2 days of panels and co-founder speed dating in the Startup Village. What better place to find your co-founder than at SXSW where tens of thousands of like-minded people from around the world are mashed up together? On both Saturday and Sunday afternoon we’ll be running 2 sessions of speed dating and one panel about how to find the right co-founder. We’re currently updating the SXSW listings so they may not be 100% consistent. In just an hour, you meet 10 other people hand-picked for you. It doesn’t get any better than this!

Capital Factory Dinner (invite-only)
Sunday March 11 @7PM 

This was probably my favorite event at SXSW last year. An exclusive opportunity to dine some of the most interesting entrepreneurs and angel investors from Austin and those attending SXSW. No agenda, just great people, food and drink. Last year guests remarked that this dinner was a welcome relief from the hustle and bustle of SXSW. Everyone left with one or two valuable new connections. (invite-only)

3 Secrets to a Killer Elevator Pitch with Naval from AngelList
Tuesday March 13 @9:30AM 

Everyone in a startup should be able to give the “elevator pitch”, even the programmers! Having the right pitch can help you land a big customer, attract investors, and just explain what you do to your mom. Learn about the 3 secrets to a killer pitch from an expert speaker who has pitched at TechCrunch50, SXSW Accelerator and Ignite. Then pitch your startup and get feedback on the spot. Not for beginners! We have seen thousands of pitches and invested in hundreds of companies. Come after you’ve already practiced your pitch a 100 times and are ready to take it to the next level. First we will spend 15 minutes talking about the 3 secrets and show some killer examples. Then YOU get up on stage and give YOUR 90 second pitch, and then one of the panel will give YOUR pitch showing how we would improve it.If you want to pitch your startup, send a link to your 90 second pitch video to sxsw@killerelevator.com

Panel includes Joshua Baer, Jason Cohen and Naval Ravikant

 

This list is updated frequently

As new events are announced, they will be added to the list. If you want to suggest an event to add please send it to sxsw@capitalfactory.com

Other good lists

Austin Ventures Guide to SXSW

Startup America at SXSW

SXSW Interactive Parties by Chris McCann

 

 

This list is brought to you by Joshua Baer, Damon Clinkscales and the Startup Digest

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