The month of October is about more than just scary movies and trick or treating. It is also the month that hosts a festival known as SXSW (South by Southwest) Eco, which is located in Austin, TX.
SXSW Eco is, according to their website sxsweco.com, “A uniquely inclusive platform for professionals [that] examines the critical challenges of our times through a kaleidoscopic lens of design innovation, policy tipping points, technological breakthroughs, conservation practice, entrepreneurial spirit and a culture of creativity [that] transform[s] inspiration into action.”
During the 2014 festival, the director of the Coastal Bend Business Innovation Center (Innovation Center), Bill Cone, the Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIR) at the Innovation Center, Joe Adame, and a representative from the research, commercialization and outreach staff of TAMU-CC, Laura Mansilla, attended SXSW Eco Startup Connect.
SXSW Eco Startup Connect is a part of a larger component known as Startup Central.
Startup Central, which launched at SXSW Eco in 2012, “encompasses all of the entrepreneur-related programming and events at the conference,” states the website.
Startup Connect, according to that same website, is “presented by The Austin Chamber of Commerce [and] introduces cleantech and impact startups to investors and customers who can take these businesses to the next level via curated one-on-ones.”
Adame and Mansilla attended several presentations that included sessions on water treatment, specifically municipal and effluent water treatment, land development and conservation in South America.
During the event startups were given the chance to pitch directly to potential investors, accelerators, clients and strategic partners.
Cone attended the event as a participant with which startups could consult with during a one-on-one meeting regarding their business. During the event he interviewed eight start-up companies that were looking for funding and referred two to the CowTown Angel Network (CTAN) located in Ft. Worth, Texas. CTAN is a part of the Alliance of Texas Angel Networks (ATAN).
For more information:
http://sxsweco.com/startup-central