Austin, TX, March 7, 2024 – Italian creativity in the arts meets and stimulates technological innovation at South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas. Organized by the Italian Trade Agency (ITA), the Italian pavilion at the SXSW Creative Industries Expo will feature twelve innovative startups, demonstrating the country’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of creativity and entrepreneurship on a global scale.
Italy returns to the Texan event after its inaugural participation last year with a pavilion hosting 12 innovative startups—AR Market, Èlevit, Ganiga, Hòra, MYWAI, Pinpoint, Retail Hub, SLY, The Nemesis, TMP Group, Volumio, Volvero—showcasing solutions such as an AI-powered “digital sentinel” detecting fires preemptively, an app for private car sharing, connecting car owners with spare capacity to those in need, AI platforms for retail and the oil industry, a comprehensive operating system for audiophiles integrating all functions for digital music playback available across various platforms, among others.
Alessandra Rainaldi, Italian Trade Commissioner in Los Angeles, states, “Following the tremendous success of our startups at CES in Las Vegas, we continue to support Italian innovation at major exhibitions in the United States, complementing a rich program of initiatives that this year also includes two cohorts of the Global Startup Program and a new edition of Smau in San Francisco. We return to South by Southwest in Austin drawing on the experience of last year, which confirmed that the synergy between creativity and technological innovation is an added value of the Made in Italy brand and an important opportunity for our young companies.”
SXSW’s Creative Industries Expo, open between March 10 and 13, serves as a nexus for innovative companies worldwide, offering insights into how creativity, powered by technology, will shape future societies. Italy’s participation in this event marks a strategic move to engage with key players in the global creative industry and to showcase Italian ingenuity to an international audience.
Scheduled events include the “Spritz, Tech & Sounds” evening at Parkside in Austin, organized by the ITA on March 12: an opportunity for networking with industrial players and investors, featuring pitches from Italian innovative talents alongside showcases from some Italian music representatives at SXSW: Palermitan singer-songwriter Aurora D’Amico, Daniela Mariti, aka Danxgerous, and Turin-based band Plastic Palms.
The Startups
AR Market | www.armarket.it | Rome
AR Market creates three-dimensional interactive virtual spaces, usable in augmented or virtual reality. These spaces are generated from videos, images, or scans of real indoor or outdoor environments, and can be used for events, museum experiences, or commercial purposes. The company is launching “MasterUp,” a toolkit for live role-playing games, consisting of physical and digital products.
Èlevit | www.elevit-ui.com | Bologna
Èlevit produces user-hardware interfaces with widespread touch technology applicable to any surface. These interfaces are wear-resistant, sanitizable, and customizable. The company’s mission is to transform how consumers interact with everyday products.
Ganiga | www.ganiga.it | Pisa
Ganiga has invented Hoooly, a smart bin that communicates with citizens, automatically differentiating their waste and creating statistics and data using AI, allowing for optimized bin emptying routes. This reduces personnel costs and pollution associated with waste collection. Citizens are always connected to the bins and incentivized with cashback rewards for maintaining sustainable behaviors.
Hòra | www.hora-beverage.com | Verona
Hòra has developed a non-alcoholic, natural, and energetic drink made with 4 ingredients: orange 20%, honey 10%, lemon 3%, and elderberry 1%, with the addition of 7 vitamins and zinc. It is sugar-free, caffeine-free, and taurine-free.
MYWAI | myw.ai | Genoa
Mywai is an Italian startup offering a multimodal artificial intelligence management platform designed for Industry 4.0 and to manage equipment for Oil & Gas. It simplifies AI algorithm training by intelligently analyzing machinery data and extracting useful information to reduce maintenance costs, prevent defects, and improve productivity.
Pinpoint | www.pinpointweb.it | Bastiglia (Modena)
Pinpoint offers solutions to improve the energy efficiency of industrial machinery through real-time adjustments. It uses patented AI and IoT solutions to reduce consumption by 60% without requiring plant upgrades. The Energy-as-a-Service model eliminates upfront costs and offers a plug-and-play solution.
Retail Hub | www.retailhub.ai | Milan
Retail Hub is an AI-based consulting company in the retail sector. Through its platform, the Innovation Explorer, it connects brands and retailers with over 3500 startups. The search system uses AI to interpret customer needs expressed in natural language and identify the best solutions in the startup “catalog”.
SLY | www.sly.eco | Catanzaro
Sly deals with wildfire detection and mitigation. Using an AI platform and an IoT sensor and gas detector system, it detects wildfires in their initial stages and predicts their potential evolution, enabling timely responses and optimizing intervention costs.
The Nemesis | www.thenemesis.io | Milan
The Nemesis is an open-world metaverse accessible on desktop and mobile. Developed by Undo Studios, it hybridizes traditional online gaming experiences and immersiveness, offering a seamless virtual space where users can navigate based on their interests, building virtual worlds. It features a play-to-earn model and integrates with the CorePass identity management system.
TMP Group | www.musanft.io | Milan
Musa is an NFT platform created by TMP Group that increases opportunities for brands to integrate NFTs into their digital strategy. Operating on the carbon-neutralAlgorand blockchain, Musa is a sustainable marketplace that allows brands to customize strategies based on customer profiles and their specific marketing goals.
Volumio | www.volumio.com | Florence
Volumio has developed Volumio OS, an operating system that integrates the best features for digital music playback, and produces the Primo, Rivo, and Integro devices, digital and analog streamers that combine artisanal design, audio quality, and flexibility, allowing for the integration of various sources for music playback at the highest quality standards.
Volvero | www.volvero.com | Milan
Volvero is an app that enables vehicle sharing, connecting car owners with individuals in need for short periods. The system allows both parties to save money in complete safety, providing complete insurance coverage.
The ITA Office in Los Angeles coordinates the SXSW mission with its specialized team in innovation and audiovisual-music sectors. The Innovation Desk supports the Italian startups and SMEs in their access to the US Market, through a soft landing platform of services, connections and programs designed for any fundraising, market validation and talent acquisition needs. The Audiovisual Team promotes Italy as a film making destination and synergy between Italian and American industry players, also through the dedicated platform italymeetshollywood.com.
