Top 5 things I learned from SXSW Interactive

I had the privilege of attending SXSW to pitch Find Your Ditto as part of 8 digital media student startups selected to pitch from across the nation. Here are the top things I learned:

1. The future is VR/AR/AI.
Alright, we knew this. But one lap around the SXSW tradeshow and it’s chilling to see the 70’s sci-fi movie become reality. People just aimlessly spinning around in place with headsets covering their face. Eek.

But the tech is really cool. And, okay, it wasn’t all headsets. Sony had a mixed reality Wow Factory Exhibit where we could go on “trips” around the world using four touch-sensitive screens as walls. And the cool thing was that it was interactive — the walls felt like running your hand across a stream of water as you clicked on the next city to explore. They also had a more collaborative music piece where you could interact with other participants in a room to change the beat of an audio track together. Pretty neat.

“This industry will change every single thing we do today and will see more change in all of our lives than we’ll ever see.” — Robert Scoble, AR/VR tech evangelist

2. Healthcare is innovating fast.

The industry is notoriously slow at adopting tech, but there was surprisingly a strong presence of healthcare companies at SXSW. I was happy to see a lot of companies focused on healthcare interoperability and using technology to continue promoting mental health and well-being.

AR/VR is also grabbing the attention of those interested in improving the lives of patients in everything from pain management to disease detection — Scoble talked about how Isreal is training MRI machines to recognize cancers without the aid of a physician. What will happen to physicians when there’s a faster, cheaper and more efficient solution to their daily tasks?

“The future of humanity — the future of our bodies, will be determined by technology. — Tan Le, Vietnamese-Australian telecommunications entrepreneur, co-Founder of Emotiv.

My favorite health companies at SXSW:

ROAR For Good: creators of Athena, a discrete device that protects women with the touch of a button

PokitDok: cloud-based API for digital health allowing two-way interoperability between devices, apps, hospitals and payers.

Moment Meditation: modernizing meditation

3. When building a team or company, put culture first.

Whitney Wolfe attributed most of Bumble’s growth to the people on her team, the most of which followed the culture shaped by the first 5 people who were hired. Rather than focusing on proficiency, she says to prioritize the people who are taking a chance on your vision as founders.

“Anyone can replicate a product. There are lots of brilliant minds who can code and build. But there is a unique DNA to a brand. And you can’t build a brand without the right people. Our brand is just a representation of our team” —Whitney Wolfe, Co-founder of Bumble App.

4. Female entrepreneurs are rising.
It’s real. More women in attendance and leading panels.

Women@Forbes and Bumble coordinated an event that brought together an incredible panel of inspiring women entrepreneurs innovating across every sector.

Tips from the panel:

• Women tend to not sell the big picture. Sell the big vision first, then show how you’ll get there step-by-step.
• What sets you apart gets you ahead. Use it to your advantage.

“Women do not feel entitled to their successes…don’t undervalue yourself because you don’t think you are deserving of something” — Amani al-Khatahtbeh, Co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of MuslimGirl.net

• Find other women-owned businesses, especially in your field, and find out who their investors were.
• Women are often afraid to ask. If you never ask — be it for capital, advice, or connections — you’ll never receive.

5. Younger entrepreneurs are taking the stage
Find Your Ditto was one of 8 student digital media companies selected from across the nation to pitch at SXSW’s Student Startup Madness.

My favorite student startups from the “Entrepreneurial 8” were 101, changing how students engage with material in the classroom. Parihug, a plush animal that sends the touch of a loved one thousands of miles away, and Reflexion, improving the concussion monitoring system for athletes.

If you read this far, here are some other fun things that happened:

• saw my first snapchat spectacle vending machine
• Tried the infamous Texas breakfast taco
• filmed by an international media group
• received front row tickets to a private TPain concert
• went on a pedicab for the first time (fun fact: uber & lyft are banned in Austin)

Special thanks to Student Startup Madness, University of Michigan Center for Entrepreneurship and Zell Lurie Institute for sponsoring this trip.