Everything you need to know about SXSW’s anticipated in-person return to Austin

know before you go

Make your SXSW plan — SXSW starts today. SXSW/Instagram

SXSW starts this week, and it’s the first in-person event since 2019, which had more than 400,000 people attend.

The Austin Convention Center will play host to SXSW EDU through Thursday, March 10; SXSW Film Fest runs from Friday, March 11-Saturday, March 19; SXSW Music Fest runs from Monday, March 14-Sunday, March 20, Interactive runs from Friday, March 11-Saturday, March 19, and Flatstock 77 runs from Thursday, March 17- Saturday, March 19. At the Palmer Events Center, the SXSW Wellness Expo will be held from Saturday, March 12-Sunday, March 13.

Click here for your guide to connecting with Houston innovators this year at SXSW.

If you’re one of the many people attending, here are some things you should know before you go.

First things first: COVID-19 protocols. Austin is now in Stage 2 of its COVID-19 risk-based guidelines, and SXSW has made the decision to keep its existing guidelines in place. That means anyone who is attending needs to provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19 or a negative COVID-19 test in order to pick up credentials.

Speaking of credentials, they can only be issued to, picked up by, and used by the participant named in the registration. All badge types can be picked up at Exhibit Hall 1 of the Austin Convention Center through March 19. For a list of the SXSW credential pickup dates and times, click here. Don’t forget to bring a government-issued photo ID and verification of vaccination or recent negative COVID-19 test.

As for getting around, you can catch a free ride on one of the circulating festival shuttles. You can also use pedicabs or public transit, or you can park close by and do some walking. Most of the venues are walkable and within a few minutes of the Austin Convention Center. For a look at road closures and commuting options, click here.

One way to help organize your time is by downloading the SXSW GO app. From the app, you can link your badge, RSVP for events, build your schedule, and sign up for notifications so you don’t miss those things you really want to see.

SXSW is a huge festival featuring events for many different genres, including music, film, television, gaming, and more. It will be difficult to attend everything you want.

Here’s some advice from Jim Kolmar, consulting film programmer for SXSW, and long-time attendee.

“I always tell people pick out three things you really want to do and make sure you do those,” he says. “Everything else, just have a plan, but leave it open to serendipity because your plan is going to fall apart at some point. There’s just no way to do everything exactly the way you want to. And I think that’s the best way to experience it, too. Just be in the moment.”

For those who don’t want to spend money but still want a SXSW experience, you can subscribe to free events here.

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Rice leads Texas colleges on LinkedIn's first-ever career success ranking

honor roll

Houston’s Rice University leads the Texas schools in LinkedIn’s first-ever ranking of the 50 best U.S. colleges for long-term career success.

Rice appears at No. 31 in the ranking. Southern Methodist University, located in the Dallas suburb of University Park, lands at No. 37 and the University of Texas at Austin shows up at No. 46.

LinkedIn, a career networking site, says the ranking is based on exclusive data about alumni, such as job placement rates, advancement into senior-level jobs, post-graduate formation of startups, and pre-graduation internships.

“A four-year bachelor’s degree is a significant investment of time and money, especially as tuition costs rise and the job market shifts,” the LinkedIn report says. “For millions of Americans, the return on investment is worth it. Those who earn the degree can see an enduring impact on their earning potential and overall career trajectory.”

Where someone earns a degree can have an even bigger impact, according to LinkedIn, as graduates of top programs often land jobs more rapidly, build strong professional networks, and rise to leadership roles more quickly.

“Long-term success isn’t just about landing a great first job; it’s about sustained career growth and opportunity years after graduation,” Andrew Seaman, senior editor-at-large for jobs and career development at LinkedIn News, told Fortune. “For this list, that means looking at how well a school sets alumni up for the long haul.”

Here’s a breakdown of some of the data about the three Texas schools on the LinkedIn list:

Rice University

  • Top industries of graduates: Technology, business consulting, higher education
  • Top post-graduation destinations: Houston, San Francisco Bay Area, New York City
  • Notable skills: MATLAB programming language, engineering design, data science

Southern Methodist University

  • Top industries of graduates: Financial services, business consulting
  • Top post-graduation destinations: Dallas, New York City, Los Angeles
  • Most notable skills: AMPL programming language, Avid iNews content creation system, data science

University of Texas at Austin

  • Top industries of graduates: Technology, medical practices, advertising
  • Top post-graduation destinations: Austin, Dallas, Houston
  • Most notable skills: SOLIDWORKS computer-aided design software, architecture, Avid Media Composer video editing software

TMC lands $3M grant to launch cancer device accelerator

cancer funding

A new business accelerator at Houston’s Texas Medical Center has received a nearly $3 million grant from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas.

The CPRIT grant, awarded to the Texas Medical Center Foundation, will help launch the Accelerator for Cancer Medical Devices. The accelerator will support emerging innovators in developing prototypes for cancer-related medical devices and advancing them from prototype to clinical trials.

“The translation of new cancer-focused precision medical devices, often the width of a human hair, creates the opportunity to develop novel treatments for cancer patients,” the accelerator posted on the CPRIT website.

Scientist, consultant, and entrepreneur Jason Sakamoto, associate director of the TMC Center for Device Innovation, will oversee the accelerator. TMC officials say the accelerator builds on the success of TMC Innovation’s Accelerator for Cancer Therapeutics.

Each participant in the Accelerator for Cancer Medical Devices program will graduate with a device prototype, a business plan, and a “solid foundation” in preclinical and clinical strategies, TMC says. Participants will benefit from “robust support” provided by the TMC ecosystem, according to the medical center, and “will foster innovation into impactful and life-changing cancer patient solutions in Texas and beyond.”

In all, CPRIT recently awarded $27 million in grants for cancer research. That includes $18 million to attract top cancer researchers to Texas. Houston institutions received $4 million for recruitment:

  • $2 million to the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to recruit Rodrigo Romero from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City
  • $2 million to MD Anderson to recruit Eric Gardner from Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City

A $1 million grant also went to Baylor College of Medicine researcher Dr. Akiva Diamond. He is an assistant professor at the medical college and is affiliated with Baylor’s Dan L. Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Musk’s SpaceX spends $17B to acquire spectrum licenses from EchoStar

SpaceX Update

Elon Musk’s SpaceX has reached a deal worth about $17 billion with EchoStar for spectrum licenses that it will use to beef up its Starlink satellite network.

The deal for EchoStar’s AWS-4 and H-block spectrum licenses includes up to $8.5 billion in cash and up to $8.5 billion in SpaceX stock. SpaceX will make approximately $2 billion in cash interest payments on EchoStar debt through November 2027.

SpaceX and EchoStar will enter into a long-term commercial agreement which will allow EchoStar’s Boost Mobile subscribers to access SpaceX’s next generation Starlink Direct to Cell service.

Shares of EchoStar surged 19% before the market opened Monday.

Last month AT&T said that it will spend $23 billion to acquire wireless spectrum licenses from EchoStar, a significant expansion of its low- and mid-band coverage networks.

EchoStar said that it anticipates that the AT&T deal and the SpaceX transaction will resolve recent inquiries from the Federal Communications Commission about the rollout of 5G technology in the U.S. The FCC had been calling for hearings on whether Echostar was properly using the spectrum that it is now selling, and its efforts to make 5G more available to communities.

EchoStar said Monday that it will use the proceeds from the sale partly to pay down debt. Current operations of Dish TV, Sling and Hughes will not be impacted, the company said.

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