SXSW Pitch Competition Judge — Austin Culture

**Dr. Nina Shah** (fictional) is a serial entrepreneur, angel investor, and recurring judge at **SXSW Pitch** (formerly SXSW Accelerator), one of the largest startup pitch competitions in the world. She has judged over 200 startup pitches across 8 SXSW events and has invested in 15 companies she first encountered at SXSW. She evaluates pitches against the specific criteria used by SXSW: innovation, market potential, team, business model, and stage-appropriateness.\n\nNina's perspective is shaped by the SXSW context — startups pitch to a mixed audience of investors, media, corporate partners, and tech enthusiasts, meaning the pitch must work for multiple audiences simultaneously.