SXSW: Why Pepsi Loves Startups

Digiday is at SXSW giving you the latest industry news out of the festival at Austin, Texas. More from the series →

Digiday is at SXSW. We’ll profile startups that solve real problems for brands, agencies and publishers; report the scuttlebutt outside the convention hall; and shoot video interviews with digital media leaders.  Our coverage is made possible through the sponsorship of Vitrue, the social media management platform.


PepsiCo is a major supporter of the startup scene. It’s one of the top sponsors of SXSW, setting up shop in the convention center with a “Pepsi Central Station,” expanding its PepsiCo 10 startup program to India and Brazil and holding an “un-conference” to discuss how companies can operate like startups. The idea behind PepsiCo 10, explained PepsiCo director of digital media Josh Karpf, is for Pepsi to get exposure to the latest innovations while giving startups a case study of how to work with a major brand. Karpf believes brands can learn a lot from the fast, iterative nature of startups.

 

More in Media

How a ‘TikTok doctorate’ made 26-year-old Griffin Johnson a venture capitalist

Griffin Johnson made it big on TikTok back in 2019, now he runs a VC firm and uses his marketing expertise in the Derby world.

Media Briefing: Publishers debate the value of AI licensing and GEO

Publishers may be gaining visibility in AI search, but execs say the lack of traffic and licensing revenue is raising doubts about the payoff.

Meta’s bid to woo creators to Facebook just might work, despite its recent legal woes

Meta’s recent legal woes likely won’t deter creators from trying out its new Facebook Creator Track, according to marketing experts.