Vote for the 41 Philly talks vying for a spot on SXSW’s PanelPicker

Philly tech’s presence at Austin megaconference South by Southwest (SXSW) 2017 was the splashiest yet.

Local startups were joined last spring by local politicians, founders and other community members under the umbrella of Amplify Philly, an effort to carry the message of local tech happenings beyond our borders.

One way to back that push, as Philly Startup Leaders’ Izzy Sarlo put it in this article, is submitting a talk to the conference’s PanelPicker system. By our account, some 30 teams with Philly ties followed Sarlo’s advice. 

Many stand out, but easily the most prominent one is being organized by the City of Philadelphia, which means Mayor Jim Kenney is going to try to make it out to Austin again next year. He’s also up for a panel alongside Drexel University President John Fry, Comcast exec Dalila Wilson-Scott and Saxbys CEO Nick Bayer.

Here’s the lineup of talks in the order in which we caught wind of them:

• Smart Inclusion: Equity in Smart City Initiatives. Speakers: Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, Program Manager for Innovation Management (Smart City) for the City of Philadelphia Ellen Hwang and StratIS CEO Felicite Moorman.
• Building Your Online Musical Persona. Speakers: Ben Rossman, Founder and CEO, M&B Booking; Sam Capolongo, musician, singer-songwriter; Matthew Hubner, cofounder, M&B Booking; Kristen Young, A&R Intern, Lava Records.
• VR + AI + Mapping for Humanity = Tech’s Diversity. Speaker: Tracey Welson-Rossman, Founder, TechGirlz.
• NonTraditional NonProfit: A Primer for Launch. Speakers: Tracey Welson-Rossman, Founder, TechGirlz; Marlene Olshan, CEO, Vetri Community Partnership; Stanford Thompson, Founder, Play on Philly; Bruce Warren, Assistant General Manager, WXPN.
• Why Incumbents Can Win the CX Battle in Healthcare. Speaker: Matt Gillin, CEO at Relay Network.
• The Elephant in the EdTech Classroom: Data Privacy. Speakers: Guido Kovalskys, CEO and co-founder, Nearpod; Barbara “Bobbi” Kurshan, Executive Director of Academic Innovation and Senior Fellow in Education, Graduate School of Education University of Pennsylvania.
• Fostering Ecosystems Beyond Token Innovation Hubs. Speakers: Stephen Tang, President & CEO, University City Science Center; Christopher Laing, Executive Director, Capital City Innovation; Jacques Panis, President, Shinola.
• Creating Citywide STEM Ecosystems: A How-To Guide. Speaker: Sylvester Mobley, CEO, Coded by Kids.
• Google Analytics, It’s On My Website Now What. Speaker: Joshua Silverbauer, CEO, Grue & Bleen.
• Doctor-Patient Relationship: Digitalization’s Role. Speakers: Sandeep Pulim, CIO, Medici; Daniel Sands, cofounder of Society for Participatory Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Michael Mittelman, cofounder, The American Living Organ Donor Fund; Regina Holliday, Founder of the Walking Gallery.
• Incubating product businesses in a service company. Speakers: Alex Urevick-Ackelsberg, CEO, Zivtech / Probo.Ci; Matt Cheney, cofounder, Pantheon.
• Women in Tech: Perceptions vs. Misconceptions. Speakers: Cathy Alper, Director, Industry Relations, CompTIA; Heather Terenzio, CEO and cofounder, Techtonic; Tracey Welson-Rossman, CMO, Chariot Solutions; Michelle Ragusa-McBain, Global Customer Partner Experience Manager, Cisco.
• Staying a Woman in Tech. Speakers: Gloria Bell, cofounder and Operations Director, The Women in Tech Summit; Tracey Welson-Rossman, Chief Marketing Officer , Chariot Solutions; Tia Whit, Sr. Technology Leader, Capital One; Jessica Sant, Sr. Director, Software Development and Engineering, Comcast.
• Coffee & College: Brewing Social Entrepreneurship. Speaker: Dalila Wilson-Scott, Sr. Vice President, Community Investment, Comcast NBCUniversal; Nick Bayer, Founder/CEO, Saxbys; John Fry, President, Drexel University; Jim Kenney, Mayor, City of Philadelphia.
• Learning Entrepreneurship by Playing Ms. Pacman. Speaker: Chuck Sacco, Assistant Dean, Drexel University
• Suicide Prevention App. Speakers: Christopher Munch, Founder, ISD Innovations, Inc.; Polly College, PhD Candidate, Drexel University.
• The Fresh Prince of Basra: Peace & Civic Tech. Speakers: Tim Receveur, Director, PeaceTech Exchanges, PeaceTech Lab; Kara Andrade, Researcher, journalist and teacher, HablaCentro Informatics NFP; Mira Olson, Associate Professor of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering, Drexel University.
• Is a PhD or EdD Right for Me? Speakers: Christopher Laincz, Associate Professor, Director, LeBow PhD Program, Drexel University; Cora MacBeth, Professor, Assistant Dean for Sciences, Emory University; Dianne Le, Executive Director, Stanford University; Jason Silverman, Professor, Drexel University.
• Modernizing Learning Using Experiential Education. Speakers: Jennifer Stanford, Assistant Professor of Biology/Co-Director of CASTLE, Drexel University. Adam Fontecchio, Director, CASTLE; David Delaine, Assistant Professor, Dept of Engineering Education, Ohio State University; Jennifer DeBoer, Assistant Professor, Engineering Education, Purdue University.
• Ten Success Stories of Digital Learning Innovation. Speaker: Marci Powell, Global Director, Virtually Inspired, Drexel University Online and USDLA.
• IoT’s Place In Smart Cities. Speakers: Felicite Moorman, CEO, StratIS; Tommy Deserti, Business Development Manager, Nest; Christopher Deschamp, Director Customer Solutions Development, Vectren.
• Inclusion + Tech: How To Get It Right. Speakers: Maria Arias, Vice President, Diversity & Inclusion, Comcast; Eileen Carey, CEO and founder, Glassbreakers; Maxwell Wessel, General Manager, SAP.io; Yasmine Mustafa, CEO, ROAR for Good.
• Global Access: Soft Landing Program. Speaker: Herman Nyamunga, Director of Entrepreneurial Services, Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians.
• Restructure your Entire Network in 6 Months. Speakers: Tiffanie Stanard, Founder, CEO, Stimulus; Dalila Wilson-Scott, Senior Vice President, Community Investment, Comcast NBCUniversal; Gayle Jennings-O’Byrne, Cofounder/General Partner, Harriet Fund; Archna Sahay, Investor in Residence, J Nowak Strategy.
• Valley Exodus! Talent’s Migration to New Tech Hubs. Speakers: Danielle Cohn, Executive Director, Entrepreneurial Engagement, Comcast NBCUniversal; Allison Scott, PhD, Chief Research Officer, Kapor Center for Social Impact; Erik Mitisek, CIO, State of Colorado; Paul Wolfe, SVP and Head of Human Resources, Indeed.
• Inside Genomics: Your Future, Your Fate. Speakers: Francis deSouza, Chief Executive Officer and President, Illumina; Matt Herper, Senior Editor, Forbes; Nancy Spinner, Division Chief, Genomics Diagnostics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia; Sally Davies, Chief Medical Officer, UK Government.
• Imagining The University Campus of 2050. Speakers: Amber Luther, Associate, Populous; Eve Klein, Architect, The Graduate Center, City University of New York; Arpit Mathur, Principal Engineer, Comcast Innovation Labs.
• Talk to Me: The Power of Voice. Speakers: Rich Cusick, Chief Product Officer, Gracenote; Oliver Messenger, Head of Alexa Video, Amazon; Jonathan Palmatier, Vice President, Product Management, Voice Control, Comcast; Ryan Lawler, Senior Technology Reporter, TechCrunch.
• Bridging the Gap Between Corporates and Startups. Speakers: Amit Bhalla, Managing Director, SoftMatch; Michael Shipman, Vice President, Innovation & Development, ServiceMaster; Fielding Kidd, Director of Business Partnerships for Entrepreneurial Engagement, Comcast; Bryan Thomas, CEO, PopUp Tech.
• Creating a Movement Through User Generated Content. Speakers: Jessica Zetzman, Director of Digital Communications and Marketing, The Case Foundation; Monique Carswell, Director, Corporate Social Responsibility, Comcast NBCUniversal; Kate Coughlin, Director, Audience Development , National Geographic Partners; Meagan Bond, Creative Director, ONE Campaign.
• Identity Politics: Changing Corporate Branding. Speakers: Michael Savage, Director Employer Brand & Culture Transformation, JWT INSIDE; Marshall Lauck, President, JWT INSIDE; LaShonda Rahming, Executive Director, Talent Acquisition Infrastructure, Comcast.
• Smart City Success: Transparency & Storytelling. Speakers: Matthew Ray, Creative Director , ChatterBlast Media; George Karayannis, Vice President CityNOW at Panasonic USA; David Davis, Managing Director, Management Consulting, Accenture; Susan Jin Davis, Chief Sustainability Officer, Comcast.
• Digital Inclusion in Schools: Partnership & Policy. Speakers: Miriam Greenberg, Director of Education and Communications, Center for Education Policy Research, Harvard University; Matt Taylor, Director of Data and Analytics, Fortune Schools; Kate Allison, Senior Researcher, Internet Essentials from Comcast.
• How Home Internet Affects Educational Outcomes. Speakers: David Urbanowicz, Director, Program Strategy & Field Operations, Comcast. Matt Taylor, Director of Data and Analytics, Fortune School of Education; Tonya Wolford, Chief for District Evaluation, Research and Accountability, School District of Philadelphia.
• Internet, Education, and Overlooked Populations. Speakers: Karima Zedan, Vice President, Digital Inclusion and Internet Essentials, Comcast. Tom Kamber, Executive Director, Older Adults Technology Services, OATS; Janeen Comenote, Executive Director, National Urban Indian Family Coalition; Kimberly Jones, Vice President, Public Policy and Communications, Council for Opportunity in Education.
• Unique Veteran Employment Strategies. Speakers: David Gaulin, Director, Military and Veteran Affairs, Comcast NBCUniversal; Felipe Buzaid, Veteran Engagement and Recruiting Program Manager, Facebook; Daniel Savage, Head of Veterans Program, LinkedIn; Raphael Hernandez, Senior Military Program Leader, Amazon.
• Redefining the American Veteran. Speakers: Carol Eggert, Senior Vice President, Military Affairs, Comcast NBCUniversal; Patrick Murphy, CEO, Taking The Hill LLC; Vincent Viola, Owner, Florida Panthers/Sunrise Sports and Entertainment; Florent Groberg, Director of Veterans Outreach, Boeing.
• Xennials: The Generational Shapeshifters. Speakers: Dan Woodman, Head of Discipline for Sociology in the School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Melbourne; Jeanne Meister, Founding Partner, Future Workplace; Rakia Reynolds, Founder & CEO, Skai Blue Media; Tara Galvin, Executive Director, Diversity & Inclusion, Comcast NBCUniversal.
• Return on Inclusion: Investing in Diverse Startups. Speakers: Kai Bond, Investor, Comcast Ventures Catalyst Fund; Sutian Dong, Partner, Female Founders Fund; Charles Hudson, Managing Partner, Precursor Ventures; Arlan Hamilton, Founder & Managing Partner, Backstage Capital.
• From Service to Solutions: The Multiplying Effect. Speakers: Mubarak Lawrence, Cofounder and President, Rising Sons and Ones Up; Emily Cherniak, Founder, Executive Director, New Politics; Jessica Clancy, Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility, Comcast NBCUniversal; Alex Peay, Founder and President, Ones Up and Rising Sons.
• Bridging America’s New Digital Divide. Speakers: Tony Williams, Sr. Director, Government Affairs, Comcast NBCUniversal; Fabian Elliott, CEO, Black Tech Mecca; Kathryn Finney, Founder and Managing Director, digitalundivided; Michelle Brown, Founder, CommonLit. 

Did we miss yours? Tell us in the comments section below.