Our Sponsors 2011
Thanks to all of our wonderful sponsors who help make this official SXSW Interactive event happen!
ABOUT SXSW INTERACTIVE
The 18th annual SXSW Interactive festival will take place March 11-15, 2011 in Austin, Texas. An incubator of cutting-edge technologies, the event features five days of compelling presentations from the brightest minds in emerging technology, scores of exciting networking events hosted by industry leaders and an unbeatable line up of special programs showcasing the best new websites, video games and startup ideas the community has to offer. From hands-on training to big-picture analysis of the future, SXSW Interactive has become the place to experience a preview of what is unfolding in the world of technology. Join us March 2011 for the panels, the parties, the 14th Annual Interactive Awards, ScreenBurn at SXSW, the SXSW Expo, Accelerator at SXSW and, of course, the inspirational experience that only SXSW can deliver. SXSW Interactive 2011 is sponsored by Miller Lite, Chevrolet, AOL, IFC, Pepsi, PepsiMax, Freecreditscore.com, Monster Energy, Microsoft, Samsung, AT&T and The Austin Chronicle.
For more information, visit www.sxsw.com.
SXSW is a trademark of SXSW, Inc. and is used under license.
Silver Sponsors
PARADIGM NOUVEAU ENTERPRISES
Synergistic Emergence in the 21st Century
Paradigm Nouveau Enterprises is a transformational organization meeting the challenges of climate change. We use grassroots, community-based approaches to develop models that can be replicated in the rest of the country and around the world.
As 6-year members, Paradigm Nouveau is the charter Colorado participant of the prestigious Clinton Global Initiative. By gathering world leaders from a variety of backgrounds, CGI creates a unique opportunity to channel the capacities of individuals and organizations to realize change. To fulfill the action-oriented mission of CGI, all members devise practical solutions to global issues through the development of specific and measurable Commitments to Action.
http://www.paradigmnouveau.com
SPHERO
Sphero is an innovative robotic ball, changing the interactive experience by turning your smartphone into a robot controller. It is an entirely new gaming concept, open to developers, offering an opportunity to change the way we use our smartphone with devices. The ball is now the object in the game on your iOS or Android device – imagine racing through a maze using the Sphero on your floor or bowling down your hallway – Sphero is combining game play in the virtual and physical world.
Sphero will be demoing on The Playground at Plutopia 2011.
Click here for info.
XCHOX (echo) PROJECT
On March 14, Project Creator Xavior of Xavior FX Creative Arts, will introduce the XCHOX (echo) Project to the world.
Project XCHOX is researching and developing content and applications in the new field of interactive 3D Music. Attendees will go down in history as participants in this milestone debut of musical innovation many years in the making. DJ’s, Musicians and Artists, will lead attendees through an intense demonstration of this uncharted musical frontier.
This premier will take place during Plutopia 2011, with the event’s “Immersion Chamber” setting the stage for this mind-expanding musical experience. Using a large clear see-through 6 point multi-touch HD interface from Austin based Music Computing, Attendees will interact with applications of this 3D musical genre.
While all of the details of this project have not been released, there is some information available to fuel anticipating imaginations.
XCHOX unites musicians, engineers, mathematicians, poets, singers and more into an exploratory collective of precision artisans. XCHOX then invites the listeners to interact with the resulting creations in a way that pushes the boundaries of linear cognition.
XaviorFX Creative Arts website
Music Computing website
Glaze Studio website
XCHOX will be demoing in the Immersion Chamber at Plutopia 2011.
Click here for info.
Special Sponsor
CONVERSE
We are proud to have Converse on board as a special sponsor, who for the past two years have enabled Plutopia to extend our global artist reach, by making it possible to expose our audiences to leading cutting edge artists from China. In 2010, they supported White and Xiao He and in 2011, Shouwang from Carsick Cars.
Friends of Plutopia
THINKGEEK
ThinkGeek is the premier retailer for the global geek community. A wholly owned subsidiary of Geeknet, Inc. (NASDAQ: GKNTD), ThinkGeek was founded in 1999 to serve the distinct needs and interests of technology professionals and enthusiasts. Today, ThinkGeek has grown to become the first choice for innovative and imaginative gifts that appeal to the geek in everyone. For more information, please visit thinkgeek.com or call 1-888-GEEKSTUFF.
I CAN MAKE IT BETTER
Ideas change everything. iCanMakeItBetter is changing ideas.
Social innovation and market research platform that enables companies and communities to create, share, and act upon ideas to drive innovation and make everything, and every day better.
http://www.icanmakeitbetter.com
CLARITY VENTURES
Clarity Ventures is an Austin, TX based consulting company committed to building innovative technology for our clients. Our software developers design powerful web-based tools to compliment your business processes. We start by understanding your particular industry through extensive interviewing and requirements analysis to ensure you always receive a completely dynamic, user-friendly, cost effective product to your exact specifications. Our strength is in our project management process, which ensures quality, consistency, and timely delivery for your website design, SEO, E-commerce, or Great Plains, CRM, or custom software solution.
http://www.clarity-ventures.com
INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEMS
Richard has designed and installed lighting and AV systems for over 20 years. He is known for his innovative designs and ability to get the job done on time / within budget.
On Richards creative side he is a light artist. Some of his work has been exhibited at First Night Austin 2009 & 2010 and SXSW 2010. He is also the creator / producer of Light Wizards which is an interative musical stage experience for all ages.
Additionally Richard is the developer of Synth-A-Beams® which is an interactive system that triggers sound and lighting effects as beams of light are interrupted. These systems have been used by performers and installed in entertainment venues and science centers all over the world.
http://www.interactiveesystems.com
THE FUTURES LAB
According to our clients, what makes us different, is our powerful ability to generate the unexpected. This arises from a combination of provocative, innovative thinking, that takes us far beyond our own proprietary processes, and our ability to really find future opportunities that lead to category leadership. Our work is beyond strategic planning, taking a preferred futures approach rather than traditional baseline projections.
We offer effective strategies for implementing the concepts and scenarios that we develop based on our process of “Rolling Back the Future”.
TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF INSURANCE
TEXAS HEALTH CONSUMER PROGRAM
We are the Texas Department of Insurance, a state agency that helps consumers with their insurance questions. A creative professional can contact the Texas Consumer Health Assistance Program at our toll-free number 1-855-839-2427 or website www.texashealthoptions.com. We help consumers find health insurance, answer questions about enrollment, and share information about the federal Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan (the federal high-risk pool). We don’t sell insurance. We are the state agency that regulates the insurance industry. We welcome the opportunity to help creative professionals with their health insurance questions or concerns.
EDIBLE AUSTIN
Edible Austin is a community-based quarterly publication that promotes the abundance of local foods, season by season. Our mission is to transform the way our community shops for, cooks, eats and relates to the food that is grown and produced in and around Austin and the Central Texas Hill Country. We celebrate local, sustainable, seasonal, authentic foods and culinary traditions.
Through our publication, website, and events, we connect consumers with local growers, retailers, chefs and food artisans-enabling those relationships to grow and thrive in a mutually beneficial, healthful and economically viable way. The fruits, vegetables, fish, poultry, cheese and other artisanally produced foods they bring to the table are what make our community an interesting and healthy place to live.
GREEN FERN EVENTS and WANDERING RIVER RECYCLING
Green Fern Events, LLC is an Austin-based environmentally friendly event planning firm whose capabilities range from corporate events and conferences, to weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs, and private events. Green Fern Events seeks to minimize the negative environmental impact of each event while considering overall costs by applying the best green practices to site 
selection, energy use, food and beverage, waste management, lodging, transportation, and purchasing decisions. In an industry that is by nature, transient and wasteful, Green Fern Events aims to evoke positive change regarding greener standards for events.
http://www.greenfernevents.com
Wandering River Recycling is the first SINGLE STREAM recycling pickup service for multi-family homes, businesses and events in the Austin area. The days of sorting are OVER.
http://wanderingriverrecycling.com/
Media Partners
WOMEN’S ONLINE MEDIA AND EDUCATION NETWORK
Women’s Online Media and Education Network’s (W.O.M.E.N.) mission is to give women and minorities a larger voice over a wide geographic area. Today, W.O.M.E.N. publishes www.WomensRadio.com, a rich streaming content site; www.WomensCalendar.org, the largest listing of women’s events internationally and nationally; the WR Channel; www.WRMusicReview.com, and www.AudioAcrobat.com, a sensational tool anyone can use to produce and/or publish streaming audio, video and podcasts anywhere on the web.
bOING bOING
A Directory of Wonderful Things
Boing Boing functions as a proxy for the entire aesthetic of the Web. It’s a deliberately eclectic mix of tech commentary, sci-fiction nerd-outs, fringe culture, gadget porn and serious news items. It is, according to its own description, a “directory of wonderful things.” The four editors and writers behind Boing Boing will fiercely dispute this, but the site’s dirty secret is that it’s about as mainstream as it gets – for the mainstream of the Web, that is. If you want to understand what online culture is all about, stop by Boing Boing. When you find yourself anticipating the wacky and wonderful items the editors regularly churn up, you’ll know you’ve gone native.
LAUGHING SQUID
Art, culture and technology from San Francisco and beyond.
Laughing Squid was founded on November 16th, 1995 in San Francisco by Scott Beale as a film and video production company, producing documentaries on the surrealist painter Alonso Smith and The Cacophony Society’s Portland Santacon ’96 event. In 1996 Laughing Squid launched The Squid List and for a while Laughing Squid offered publicity and web design services, but then started focusing on web hosting in 1998. In December 1999 John Law joined as a partner in Laughing Squid as head of “special projects”, followed by David Klass, joining as evangelist-at-large.
POP17
Pop17.com presents programs that engage, educate, and inspire viewers to take part in the advancement of Internet culture. The International Academy of Internet Studies of Pop17 creates the stars of tomorrow. The programs produced provide a unique perspective on international news, events and Internet culture often not covered in traditional news outlets and media.
WHRRL
Whrrl is a location-based social application designed to help you discover places to go and things to do. But instead of searching for the right ideas, the right ideas find you. Users join Societies and exchange relevant recommendations, and Whrrl’s personalized algorithms ensure that the best recommendations are presented to the right users. Whrrl is available on Android, iPhone, Blackberry and other phones with Internet browsers.
For more information, visit www.whrrl.com and www.pelago.com
Fans of Plutopia
INTELLITOYS
Intellitoys LLC is an innovative technology company focused on providing top quality educational and entertaining experiences to children.
Intellitoys is the first to bring you Playtime Plus – the playtime of the future.
Inside each lovable, soft smart-e-bear, smart-e-dog, or smart-e-cat is state-of-the-art technology that lets you customize Intellitoys unlike any toy before. We will continually create new features and downloads to surprise and delight you and your child for years to come.
The company was founded after winning Semifinalist honors in both the MIT 50K Business Plan and Wharton Business Plan Competitions.
We have over 25 years of experience at blue chip companies like Microsoft, Time Warner and government organizations like the New York City Department of Education.
Intellitoys is actively partnering with award-winning musicians, educators, publishers, and toy manufacturers to bring the best possible products to your family.
TEXAS MUSIC WATER
Texas Music Water is a premium product borne of a simple concept: combining the goodness of water with the goodness of giving to causes we believe in. That’s why a portion of the proceeds from Texas Music Water sold goes to charities supporting health care for working musicians. Our purified, oxygen-enriched water is offered in a biodegradable bottle. We are located in the health-conscious,music- loving city of Austin, Texas, and distribute it in restaurants, entertainment venues, retail outlets.
Our slogan is simple, too; You Hydrate. We Donate. So remember, always drink lots of water. And when you do, make it Texas Music Water. Together we can make a difference in the lives of today’s – and tomorrow’s – musicians.
Visit us at texasmusicwater.com and on facebook, and follow us on Twitter @texasmusicwater.
BLASTRO
Blastro provides music video fans with a high quality experience to watch their favorite videos and discover new artists.
Born in the music and technology capitol of Texas, Austin-based Blastro Networks runs the Internet’s leading music video network for today’s hottest unsigned, indie, and major-label artists. Through three genre-specific music entertainment sites, we serve the active music consumer whenever and wherever they want a fix of their favorite artists’ videos. We enhance our catalog of 10,000+ music videos with culture- and genre-relevant original shows, industry news and artist profiles (bios, pictures and ringtones).