Here’s who will represent the District at SXSW this year

The Washington, DC Economic Partnership (WDCEP) threw a kickoff party for the organization’s yearly SXSW “mission” on Wednesday night.
The partnership’s goal while in Austin will be to “expand the city’s technology sector, promote its innovative startup companies, highlight creative talent, and foster new partnerships among the DC and national business communities,” the org says. This is WDCEP’s fourth consecutive year at SXSW. (The budget for last year’s voyage caused a bit of a stink.)
At an event in Ivy City fueled by doughnuts, barbecue and live music, WDCEP celebrated the #WeDC brand by introducing the nine local “innovators” who will fill the role of brand ambassadors during SXSW.
Here’s who the partnership chose:

• Sage Salvo: Salvo is a Halcyon Incubator fellow and Howard University Ph.D. candidate working on an edtech project called Words Liive.
• Tyrone Grandison: Grandison is the deputy chief data officer at the Commerce Department.
• Beth Flores: Flores is the managing director of Impact Hub DC, a coworking space for social enterprise startups and entrepreneurs.
• Asheru: A local hip-hop artist, educator and youth activist.
• Open Data Nation: A District-based organization that helps clients understand and use open data.
• Equity Eats: A company that allows individuals to invest in local restaurants.
• Erica Schlaikjer: Schlaikjer is a local creative strategist working for Huge, who is also the cofounder of Media Rise.
• Mike Stubbs: Stubbs is the senior director of operations at FiscalNote.
• Marissa Jennings: Jennings is the CEO of SOCIALgrlz, an online community designed for African-American teenage girls.