St. Clair joins SXSW Pitch Advisory Board, invites other startups to apply
Joining a small group of ecosystem builders from across the country, Tara St. Clair, director of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Ecosystem in the Office of Innovation and Commercialization, has been selected to serve as a member of the 2027 SXSW Pitch Advisory Board.
The startup competition will be held March 15-21 in Austin, Texas, offering selected companies the opportunity to present their ideas to investors and industry experts.
As a board member, St. Clair will help recruit startups, recommend judges, and review applications ahead of the event.
“West Virginia has no shortage of bold ideas,” St. Clair said. “This is a chance to make sure our state’s innovators get seen on a national stage.”
She is also inviting faculty, staff, students, and West Virginians working on new ventures to reach out to her if their work fits one of the following categories:
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Emerging and frontier technologies
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Entertainment, media, sports, and digital platforms
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Life sciences, healthcare, and assistive tech
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Mobility, manufacturing, and industrial systems
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SaaS, enterprise, and developer platforms
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Smart data, security, and fintech
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Sustainability, energy, and agtech
Anyone with a startup or innovation that might be a good fit is encouraged to contact St. Clair at Tara.StClair@mail.wvu.edu.
