Arkive at SXSW 2023
We hit the road to Austin with anticipation of a revived, post-pandemic SXSW. It was a great week which provided a platform for innovation, collaboration, and networking across the startup and creative ecosystems.
But as with everything these days, there was a twist - the looming banking crisis colored the typically vibrant exuberance of founders and VCs and left many of us seeking the comfort of community.
Luckily, we had that in store as we rebooted the infamous Dinner at the Mill for 300 guests on Saturday night. It was just what we needed and was a true reunion as a result of the incredible host committee and partners we assembled for the occasion.
Arkive’s cofounder, Tom McLeod, first hosted the dinner back in 2013 and it quickly became THE event folks looked forward to each year at SXSW. After a few years off, we brought it back with Arkive, and added some fun surprises including….
✨an eclectic and energizing set by members of Austin based Golden Dawn Arkestra…
🍻2 bars with craft cocktails hosted by Komos and Zacapa…beer from Calidad, the local Jester King Brewery, cider from 101 Cider, Pulp Culture, and non-alcoholic cocktails from Magic Mind and Optimist…
🪚creatively producing the working lumber mill with some lumberjack vibes by Slaack Productions…
🍽and dinner was served by the heralded Lucy’s Fried Chicken
The real highlight was seeing so many amazing friends from divergent circles, and making lots of new ones. The event couldn’t have been possible without the support of our presenting sponsors: Human Ventures, Redeem, and Upgraded.
Guests got a chance to learn about Upgraded through the Swag Wallet accessible via QR code onsite, containing some awesome perks and discounts that were curated by our host committee and featured awesome brands including:
Magic Mind, Too Far Media, Upgraded, Optimist, Jiggy, Loop & Tie, Komos, Vitruvi, Simply Framed, & Huron
Everyone also received a physical gift bag with goodies from:
Magic Mind, We Don't Have Time, Optimist, Jiggy, Super Mush, & Huron
It was a fantastic night, grateful to all of you who participated and look forward to bringing it back again next year.
Shout out to Carter Blackwell for the photos, David Douglass for the footage, & Eric Locko for the edit🎥
We also had our panel pitch selected to be featured during the official SXSW festival on 3/15 at the convention center. The panel included Arkive CoFounder, Tom McLeod; Arkive’s Chief Curator, Kelly Huang; Investor at TCG Crypto (and investor in Arkive), Gaby Goldberg; and was moderated by Alex Scull, Director of Gift Planning and Principal Gifts for Arts, Culture, and Collections at the University of Texas at Austin.
The discussion was focused on “The Decentralization of Art as we Know it” and was an inspiring and expansive conversation illuminating some of the paths the art world and museums may take in the future. You can listen to the full panel here.
Overall, SXSW 2023 was a powerful reminder of the importance of building and reconnecting with networks, as well as the value of collaboration and innovation in driving success for startups and the creative community.
If you're not a member of Arkive yet and want to be part of events like this in the future, and be part of building the most expansive, diverse collection of culturally significant art and artifacts in the world, join us at www.arkive.net/apply
