Our SXSW recs for diverse and female founders & funders (and allies)
South by Southwest (SXSW) is the destination for founders and funders. This 10-day conference draws entrepreneurs, investors, and organizations from across the globe to Austin, Texas. From incredible food to live music to a thriving startup community, SXSW couldn’t be in a better locale (we might be slightly biased as an Austin-based venture fund).
SXSW offers curated Tech and Startup tracks with extensive programming covering everything from mental health to talent & hiring to building inclusive products. Plus, some of our favorite organizations and colleagues are hosting meetups, panels, and workshops. We’ve compiled the must-attend sessions and events for founders and funders at SXSW 2023. See you there.
Official SXSW Sessions
Badge Required
The Growth Warrior Capital team hand-picked the following SXSW sessions as they align with our thesis of backing diverse and female founders building dangerous companies that change the way we work, earn, and build wealth. As career operators, we believe in the importance of building a solid operating foundation. Great ideas are nothing without great execution.
Friday, March 10th
Scaling Startups: Crash Course in Hiring Your Team
11:30am | JW Marriott, Room 201–202
How to Build the Damn Thing
11:30am | Austin Convention Center, Ballroom EF
Be The One: Unlocking the $28T SHEconomy with AI
2:30pm | Hilton Austin Downtown, Salon J
Solving Real World Problems with Tech Innovation Meet Up
4:00pm | Hilton Austin Downtown, Room 404
Saturday, March 11th
Scaling People: Tactics for Management and Company Building
10:00am | Austin Convention Center, Room 10AB
The Politics of Product Inclusion
10:00am | Hilton Austin Downtown, Salon K
Money In The Mission: How 4 Entrepreneurs Turned Personal Pain Into Multi-Million Dollar Passion Projects
10:00am | Hilton Austin Downtown, Salon G
Fall in Love with the Problem, Not the Solution
11:30am | Hilton Austin Downtown, Salon F
Founders & Funders Meet Up
4:00pm | Hilton Austin Downtown, Room 404
Sunday, March 12th
The Startup Playbook: $1M to $10M ARR in 2 Years
10:00am | Hilton Austin Downtown, Salon F
How to Open Doors for Your Diverse Business
10:00am | JW Marriott, Room 203–204
Getting Real About Mental Health in Startups
2:30pm | Hilton Austin Downtown, Salon F
First Generation Americans Working in Tech Meet Up
10:00am | Hilton Austin Downtown, Room 408
Women Driving Tech Innovation for Good Meet Up
4:00pm | Hilton Austin Downtown, Room 406
Monday, March 13th
LGBTQ + DEI: Queer Representation in STEAM
11:30am | Hilton Austin Downtown, Salon K
Transforming Tech with the Black Tech Ecosystem
2:30pm | Hilton Austin Downtown, Salon K
Wednesday, March 15th
Digital Equity for the Next Gen
2:30pm | Hilton Austin Downtown, Salon K
Gatherings, Houses and Panels we’re checking out
*You can find the GWC team at events marked with an asterisk.
Capital Factory House*
Plus Office Hours with GWC GP Promise — details coming soon!
Mar 10–14 | 701 Brazos St.
Tulsa House at SXSW 2023*
Mar 10–11 | Augustine Cocktail Lounge
Black Future House*
March 10–11 | Riches Art Gallery
Inc Founders House*
Mar 10–13 | Foxy’s Proper Pub
VC Brunch at Capital Factory (invite only)
Mar 10
Equitech Breakfast* (founders and funders)
Mar 10 at 9:00am | Register for address
Slauson @ SXSW*
We’re fans of their investment mission built around economic inclusion!
Mar 10 at 7pm | Gabriela’s Downtown
The Fund & Zendesk Office Hours (underrepresented founders)
Mar 11 at 9am | Check the link for criteria and to sign up
Sunday SVC at SXSW 2023
Check out our friend Marcus Stroud of TXV on the 2pm panel
Mar 12 at 11am | Stubb’s Bar-B-Q
Black Influencer Pop Up by Black Girl Digital
Mar 13 at 8am | The Cathedral
Founded in Texas* from our friends at DWT, Artemis Fund and HearstLab
Investor feedback sessions for female founders
Mar 13 at 9am
THE LIGHT HOUSE presented by The Tech We Want
Mar 13 at 9:30am | The Belmont
Building Wellness and Wealth from our friends at Visible Hands (founders only - by application)
We’re all about protecting founder wellness! Learn how to extend your financial and emotional runway in this half-day event for underrepresented founders.
Mar 13 at 9:30am | WeWork Austin SXSW Center
Impact to Inception Panel* Hosted by Fyli, Powered by Pivotal Ventures (invite only)
Our GP Promise is featured on the panel, discussing Economic Sovereignty as the means to a more equitable society
Mar 13 at 6:00pm
More panels and gatherings will be shared here as SXSW approaches! Bookmark this page and check back soon.
If you’re going to any of these events and want to meet up, or have something to add to our list, DM @GrowthWarriorVC on Twitter and let us know.
