During the period from March 14-16, forty finalists competed for the grand prize in five tech categories in the SXSW Accelerator event. Winners were selected from the following tech categories: news related, innovative web, entertainment, social media & social networking, and music related. Two finalists were also awarded the Bootstrap Award, given to the company that does the most with the fewest resources. And the winners are:
News Related: Storify
Storify turns social media into news. With simple drag-and-drop features, Storify allows users to create news stories using content from a diverse array of social media platforms.
Innovative Web: Hipmunk
Hipmunk is the flight-search site that creates a user-friendly chart based on the information travelers want. Users can easily sort through and filter the results to discover their best options. Hipmunk has also recently added hotel search to their site, making it an all-in-one travel planner.
Entertainment: Tango
Need more face time? Tango has become the most accessible mobile video calling app out there for the iPhone and Android.
Social Media & Social Networking: PopVox
PopVox bridges the gap between the views of the general public and the Congress. More specifically, the site allows users to express their opinions to Congressional staff and lawmakers about specific bills.
Music Related: Roqbot
Roqbot places the music-choosing power of the DJ into the hands of the user. Users can use Roqbot to check-in at participating venues and choose the songs they want heard. Make careful selections though; others can vote on your selections, which can decrease or increase your DJ rating.
Bootstrap Award – Interactive: NeighborGoods
NeighborGoods brings the neighborhood together in an online goods-sharing community. Users can post items they need to borrow from others or items they wish to share with others on the site.
Bootstrap Award – Music: Air Guitar
Air Guitar scores and records users on their air guitar performances using a webcam and a printable guitar or t-shirt guitar. Users can share their recorded performances with their friends or view others’ performances on the video wall.
Contributed by Steven Lee
