Vannadium Selected as Finalist for SXSW Pitch 2026

Vannadium to showcase LEAP in the Smart Data, Security & FinTech category

ARLINGTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Vannadium, the company building trust infrastructure for AI, was selected as a finalist in the Smart Data, Security & FinTech category for the 18th annual SXSW Pitch.

SXSW Pitch is the marquee event of South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conference & Festivals (March 12 - 18, 2026), where leading startups from around the world showcase some of the most impressive technology innovations to a panel of hand-picked judges and a live audience. Out of the 589 companies that applied to present at SXSW Pitch 2026, Vannadium was selected among the 45 finalists, spanning nine separate categories.

The two-day event will be held the first weekend of SXSW Conference & Festivals, Friday, March 13 and Saturday, March 14, at JW Marriott in Austin. The event will then culminate with the 2026 SXSW Pitch Awards Ceremony on Saturday evening, March 14, where winning startups from each category and a Best in Show winner will be announced and honored in rooms F-H on the third floor of the Marriott.

SXSW Pitch will feature finalists across the following nine categories: Enterprise and Future of Work; Entertainment, Media, Sports & Creator Content; Healthcare, AssistiveTech & BioTech; Innovative World Tech; Intelligent Systems, Robotics & Multisensory Technology; Smart Cities, Transportation, Manufacturing & Logistics; Smart Data, Security & FinTech; Student Startups; Sustainability, AgTech & Food.

Vannadium will present among four other companies in the Smart Data, Security & FinTech category on March 13, 2026.

According to Rick Gilchrist, Founder & CEO of Vannadium, "Being recognized as a SXSW Pitch finalist validates the urgent need for trusted data infrastructure as AI adoption accelerates across enterprises. Organizations can no longer afford data systems built for a pre-AI world. They need real-time sovereignty and verification at the foundation. We're honored to represent this critical shift in how companies protect and leverage their most valuable asset."

Vannadium delivers real-time, critical control of data across fragmented systems. The platform wraps around existing infrastructure to ingest, route, enforce policy, and store trusted data at the point of use. At the core is a major breakthrough: on-chain data storage. For the first time, organizations can stream and store real data, not just hashes, directly on blockchain, with full transparency, geographic access control, and no local device footprint. Combined with programmable permissions and policy-driven routing, Vannadium turns fragile data pipelines into resilient, auditable, AI-ready infrastructure.

“SXSW Pitch has been supporting and elevating the global startup community since its inception in 2009. Over the last 18 years, SXSW Pitch has sought to provide the necessary resources and exposure to help start-ups succeed and thrive as they navigate the early-stage venture ecosystem,” said SXSW Pitch Event Producer Chris Valentine. “The 45 companies selected as 2026 finalists constitute the next wave of innovation across the globe. We look forward to seeing these startups take the stage in March to present their new technologies to our panel of expert judges.”

For more information about SXSW Pitch and to view the complete list of finalists, visit:

https://www.sxsw.com/pitch.

About Vannadium

Vannadium is pioneering the next layer of digital infrastructure: real-time, sovereign control of data. Our platform enables organizations to ingest, route, store, and audit data across systems with programmable policy and breakthrough on-chain storage. This gives enterprise and public sector leaders the power to access trusted data instantly, with full transparency, security, and control. Whether for compliance, AI, or resilience, Vannadium ensures the truth gets through.

For more information about Vannadium at SXSW, visit: https://vannadium.hs-sites.com/meet-vannadium-at-sxsw-2026

About SXSW

SXSW dedicates itself to helping creative people achieve their goals. Founded in 1987 in Austin, Texas, SXSW is known worldwide for conferences and festivals that celebrate the convergence of technology, film and television, music, education, comedy and culture. The annual event serves global professionals through sessions, showcases, screenings, exhibitions, and networking that consistently generates unexpected discoveries when diverse communities come together. SXSW 2026 runs March 12-18 in downtown Austin, preceded by SXSW EDU March 9-12. Learn more at sxsw.com.

SXSW’s expansion into the Asia Pacific region, with SXSW Sydney starting in 2023 and Europe with SXSW London in 2025, provides new possibilities at this iconic experience. These events, each with their own distinct flavor, make South By an indispensable three-stop tour for the global creative community.

SXSW 2026 Driven by Rivian.