Five South By Southwest Success Stories

Published Tue, Mar 15 201110:49 AM EDT

Successes From SXSW

While its roots might be in the music industry, the annual South by Southwest has had a number of business success stories as well. Its days as a tech showcase might be waning somewhat, but some of the biggest Internet brands took off at the show - and several notable up and coming sites have the Austin get-together to thank. Here are some of the most notable success stories.Click ahead for success stories that have come out of South By Southwest.

Photo: SXSW

While its roots might be in the music industry, the annual South by Southwest has had a number of business success stories as well.

Some of the biggest Internet brands took off at the show - and several notable up and coming sites have the Austin get-together to thank for their early traction. Here are some of the most notable success stories.

Click ahead for success stories that have come out of South By Southwest.

By Chris Morris, Special to CNBC.com
Posted 14 Mar 2011

Twitter (2007)

Hands down the biggest success story to come out of SXSW is Twitter. While the site didn't launch at the show, as some think (it was three months old when the show started), it gained traction in a big way by spending its marketing money not on a flashy party or some PR stunt, but by heavily marketing the service (and showing what it could do) in the Austin Convention Center hallways – where so much of the business of the show gets done.

Photo: Twitter

Hands-down the biggest success story to come out of SXSW is Twitter.

While the site didn't launch at the show, as some think (it was three months old when the show started), it gained traction in a big way by spending its marketing money not on a flashy party or some PR stunt, but by heavily marketing the service (and showing what it could do) in the Austin Convention Center hallways – where so much of the business of the show gets done.

Foursquare (2009)

The popular location-based social application, which blends in gaming elements, is probably one of the most honest SXSW success stories. After launching at the show, Foursquare picked up its first round of funding six months later. Today, it's one of the most popular features on Twitter - and Facebook has been forced to copy its model, letting people "check in" at locations to let their friends know where the are.

Photo: Foursquare

The popular location-based social application, which blends in gaming elements, is one of the most honest SXSW success stories.

After launching at the show, Foursquare picked up its first round of funding six months later. Today, it's one of the most popular features on Twitter — and Facebook has been forced to copy its model, letting people "check in" at locations to let their friends know where the are.

Foodspotting (2010)

Think of this as a Foursquare for foodies. Users who get a delicious looking dish snap a picture of it and upload it to this social network. The company hit most people's radars when it was a finalist in the 2010 SXSW Accelerator competition. Still in the growth phase, this company has hit a nerve with the online world, in part because it avoids the path of so many other food-related sites, which focus on the bad, and instead encourages users to photograph and celebrate fine cuisine.

Photo: Foodspotting

Think of this as a Foursquare for foodies. Users who get a delicious-looking dish snap a picture of it and upload it to this social network. The company hit most people's radars when it was a finalist in the 2010 SXSW Accelerator competition.

Still in the growth phase, this company has hit a nerve with the online world, in part because it avoids the path of so many other food-related sites, which focus on the bad, and instead encourages users to photograph and celebrate fine cuisine.

Gamesalad (2009)

You may not have heard of the company, but if you own an iPhone, you may have it to thank for one of the apps you've downloaded. Gamesalad picked up over $1 million in funding in the months following 2009's SXSW, as investors loved the company's concept of making it easy for anyone to create an app. At present, it is responsible for over 6,000 titles in the app store – and the number is growing steadily.

Photo: Gamesalad

You may not have heard of the company, but if you own an iPhone, you may have it to thank for one of the apps you've downloaded.

Gamesalad picked up over $1 million in funding in the months following 2009's SXSW, as investors loved the company's concept of making it easy for anyone to create an app. At present, it is responsible for over 1,600 titles in the app store – and the number is growing steadily. In January, some 10 percent of the apps submitted in January were powered by the company's technology.

Gowalla (2010)

The winner of 2010's the mobile category of the SXSW Interactive awards in 2010, Gowalla has a lot in common with Foursquare, as users 'check in' at locations, but it also offers guided tours of areas and lets users create their own. It's unique enough that the company has captured $8.4 million in venture capital. Founders are back at this year's show to add a new layer to Gowalla – with an Android version and a tool to enable its users to act as citizen journalists.

Photo: Gowalla

The winner of 2010's mobile category at the SXSW Interactive awards in 2010, Gowalla has a lot in common with Foursquare, as users 'check in' at locations, but it also offers guided tours of areas and lets users create their own.

It's unique enough that the company has captured $8.4 million in venture capital. Founders are back at this year's show to add a new layer to Gowalla – with an Android version and a tool to enable its users to act as citizen journalists.