LiveOn Joins Eye-Fi, IBM, Google & Tourism New Zealand in Competition for SXSW Technical Achievement Award

WRITTEN BY ALLISON WAY, SENIOR COPYWRITER & CHIEF EDITOR
LiveOn, a site that enables users to capture memories and share with future generations, has joined Eye-Fi, IBM, Google and Tourism New Zealand as a finalist for technical achievement at the South by Southwest Interactive Awards on March 13, 2012, in Austin, Texas.

South by Southwest (also coined as SXSW) Interactive is an event that features five days of presentations from entrepreneurs in emerging technology and spotlights the best new websites, video games and startup ideas. South by Southwest chose LiveOn among four other Finalists to win the Technical Achievement Award, which recognizes projects that are "re-inventing and re-defining the technical parameters of our online experience". This recognition has arrived three months after LiveOn launched its public beta site and four months after LiveOn was named a Global Entrepreneurship Week 50 company of 2011.

"We are honored to be recognized with these other cool technologies," said Ben Kittrell, LiveOn's Director of Development. "But we are the only ones that really change the way people use the Internet and perceive the Internet as a tool. We are trying to personalize the Internet."

LiveOn launched out of Kansas City, Missouri with the help of KC-based startup accelerator and mentorship-based collaborative workspace, Think Big Partners. According to LiveOn staff, the startup had an advantage going into the running for the South by Southwest awards because it has launched and grown out of Kansas City. Kansas City has become a breeding ground for entrepreneurs, startups and investors due to recent announcements such as Google Fiber, Think Big Partners' Gigabit Challenge, and new developments from The Kauffman Foundation. All initiatives are helping to launch and grow startups like LiveOn in and around Silicon Prairie. LiveOn believes that SXSW wanted more Kansas City-based startups in attendance due to the city's growing impact on the entrepreneurial community.

"We are looking forward to exploring more investment opportunities at South by Southwest," said Kittrell. "We want to get the site out there and make meaningful connections."

Linsey Grams, LiveOn's Director of Media and Communications, added, "It will be a good chance to see first-hand where the competition is heading. Staying abreast is half the battle."

The awards event will take place on March 13, 2012 in Austin, Texas and will coincide with the annual South by Southwest Interactive festival. For more information on South by Southwest, visit http://sxsw.com/.

Follow LiveOn! @LiveOnNow & @LiveOnRewind

Follow me! @AllisonThinkBig