On February 6, online pitching took place, where experts chose 8 innovative companies that will represent Ukraine at the SXSW 2023 international conference in Austin, USA. Jonathan Dern from Sabella Dern Entertainment, Andriy Fedoriv from Fedoriv Group, and representatives of the organizers and partners of the initiative decided who would get a chance to present their developments in America.

The list of winners included:

• Esports Charts is the "Google Analytics" for live streaming.

• deep3dstudio is a photogrammetric studio that creates realistic 3D avatars.

• WE/AR is a creative studio of AR/VR solutions for business.

• Mriya production is a production company that creates virtual worlds based on a game engine.

• Zibra AI is a platform for creating realistic 3D content using AI.

• 3DLOOK is a virtual fitting room developer for online stores. Technology increases sales and customer loyalty and reduces returns.

• Aspichi is an audiovisual platform for teleportation. Using 360 video and virtual reality, the technology helps users travel through time and space.

• V-Art is a platform that helps brands license and monetize their digital assets through blockchain.

In total, more than 50 innovative companies participated in the selection, 15 of which were invited to online pitching. The organizers cover the cost of booths at SXSW 2023 for the winners and organize a networking event for them with entrepreneurs and investors of Ukraine & Friends.

SXSW 2023 will be held March 10-19 in Austin, Texas. This is an international conference founded in 1987. Every year, the event gathers leaders from around the world on panels dedicated to achievements in the field of technology, innovation, culture and other areas. The conference also includes music, film and media festivals. In total, the event is attended by more than 70,000 people and about 10,000 companies. SXSW guests include Elon Musk, Barack Obama, Mark Cuban and others.

The Ukrainian delegation to SXSW 2023 will take place thanks to the USAID Program "Competitive Economy of Ukraine" in cooperation with the Innovation Development Fund, Startup Grind Kyiv, and Western NIS Enterprise Fund, with the assistance of the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, the Embassy of Ukraine in the USA and Innovation Bridge Europe.

"Ukraine is a country of startups. We have incredibly talented people creating fantastic projects that the world needs to know about. As the Ministry of Digital Affairs, we support the development of the Ukrainian startup ecosystem in every possible way. International support is needed now more than ever. Such events as SXSW 2023 in Austin are a great opportunity for Ukrainian companies to declare themselves, find partners and scale," said Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine Oleksandr Bornyakov.

"Participation in SXSW is a unique opportunity for Ukrainian startups to loudly announce themselves to the world, present bold solutions and establish contacts with leading market players. That is why, for the second year in a row, the USAID Competitive Economy of Ukraine Program supports the participation of Ukrainian companies in the largest event in the world. So far, the 8 best have been selected, presenting creative developments in the fields of gaming, metauniverse, film and media content production, e-marketing, and data management using AI, VR, and blockchain and will once again prove that, in addition to courage, Ukraine is famous for innovation and creative solutions even in extremely difficult situations conditions", says Olesya Zaluska, head of the USAID Competitive Economy of Ukraine Program.

"The Ukrainian delegation at SXSW 2023 is super powerful. We have chosen strong participants who will get the most out of the trip and secure Ukraine's status as an innovative country. Last year we already established contact with the ecosystem of the conference, so this year, we are waiting for successful presentations of Ukrainian companies and, accordingly, the strengthening of the Ukrainian economy during the war", believes Startup Grind Kyiv Chapter Director Kateryna Degtyar.

"Ukrainian startups that participated in the competition presented interesting and unique innovative solutions and demonstrated convincing presentation skills. Hearty congratulations to the winners and best wishes for successful participation in the SXSW 2023 international conference," Vitaly Bigdai, head of the WNISEF export promotion program.