MCDONALD’S IS BACK AT SXSW, AND SERVING UP ANOTHER STARTUP PITCH COMPETITION

McDonald’s is heading back to Austin as a Super Sponsor of SXSW, and we’ve got some exciting things planned.

As a first time sponsor at last year’s SXSW, it was important for us to connect with attendees in a meaningful way. We set out to provide an added layer of convenience to the SXSW experience for anyone in attendance by providing places to relax and recharge. Just as importantly, we came to showcase and discuss the innovative thinking taking place behind the Golden Arches as we become a more modern and progressive burger company. We were delighted to share our digital ambition with media and convene conversations around leveraging the huge opportunity between digital and physical and how we plan to introduce entirely new levels of everyday convenience and fun for our customers.

As part of that SXSW 2015 experience, we hosted an inaugural Startup Pitch Competition celebrating some of the best innovations reimagining the consumer experience in meaningful and fun ways. We were able to see a number of cutting-edge ideas to enhance the customer experience, which inspired us to push our thinking on what the future of convenience in our restaurants could mean.

It was such a great experience, and we’re happy to announce that we’ll again host the McDonald’s SXSW Startup Pitch Competition this year. We are inviting startups to pitch their business solutions to a panel of visionary industry leaders and influencers. We are looking for pitches in the following three categories:

• On-Demand: startups who are further ushering us into the next wave of mobility on-demand by solving some of the logistical and economical obstacles.
• The Internet of Things: startups focused on IoT enabling real-time access and insights into consumer behavior.
• Retail Innovation: startups pioneering new innovations that are improving the consumer experience in the retail industry.

Winners will earn a trip to meet with the McDonald’s Business Development team and other VIPs in person for mentoring and potential partnership opportunities.

Working with McDonald’s will offer the opportunity to scale alongside our company and on top of that, you will also receive mentoring and guidance from members of our experienced global digital team. We believe that you will find our willingness to work with young companies surprisingly refreshing for a company of our size.

If your startup aspires to be a change agent in the next wave of the consumer experience, get those pitches ready, and apply here by February 14th!

Follow @AtifAtif and @McDonaldsCorp on Twitter, and stay tuned for more updates on McDonald’s presence at SXSW 2016.