2025 Aerospace and Defense Innovation Events During SXSW
including exclusive, invite-only events
Distinctive Edge has curated a list of aerospace and defense panels, parties, and networking events happening this March during SXSW. In addition to the list below, there are several private invite-only events. Leaders who sign up for SDI may get additional invites. Many events follow a rolling approval process, meaning space fills up as registrations come in. If you are an event organizer, please add your events HERE. Events with an asterisk (*) are official SXSW panels that require a badge.
Distinctive Edge Partners Events
March 8th – 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM
The Space and Defense Innovation Speaker Showcase
Location Provided to Confirmed Guests
Apply to Attend HERE
March 8th – 4:30 PM – 8:30 PM
The Space and Defense Innovation Reception
Location Provided to Confirmed Guests
Apply to Attend HERE
Thursday, March 6th
9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Austin 4 America
Fair Market, 1100 E 5th St., Austin, TX 78702
Reserve your free ticket HERE
Full agenda for Day 1:
9:00 am
Welcome to Austin 4 America:
Time TBD:
The 21st Century’s Silver Jubilee
Strategic Stakes: Funding America’s Tech Frontier
Smart Money, Strong Nation:The VC Path to American Primacy
Winning in the Defense Market – Beyond “the Valley of Death”
Perspective of War
Asymetric Systems on the Battlefield
Micro Scale, Massive Impact: Why Microelectronics Matter
Challenges of Dual Use Space
False Nets, Real Threats: Space-Based Detection of China’s Maritime Deception
Biotech
No Shit There I Was: Objective Reindeer
Beer & Trucks Serving Food American Pantheon
Reserve your free ticket HERE
4:30 pm
SXSW Icebreaker (hosted by AUSA, NSIC, Red Thread X, and Round Rock Chamber)
Texas Association of Business Rooftop, 316 W 12th St
Reserve your free ticket HERE
Friday, March 7th
Capital Factory House:
701 Brazos St
Friday, March 7th – Tuesday, March 11th
You can apply for a Backstage Pass application here.
9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Disruptive Defense
Capital Factory, Apollo, Floor 1
More info HERE
9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Partner activation: Defense SBIR/STTR Program Office
Capital Factory, Captain America, Floor 8
More info HERE
8:30 am – 5:00 pm
Austin 4 America
Fair Market, 1100 E 5th St., Austin, TX 78702
Full agenda for Day 2:
Time TBD:
Rethinking PTSD
Pushing the Limits with Psychedelics
Making the Big Bets on Life
Stretching Beyond the Physical: Intersection of Tech and Quality of Life
Redefining Longevity
Reserve your free ticket HERE
10:00 am – 5:30 pm
Beyond the Battlefield: Building for the Free World (Hosted by SecondFront Systems and SAAB)
Location to be provided at registration.
Reserve your ticket HERE
11:30 am – 12:30 pm
Building and Fixing Things In Space With Robotics *
Austin Marriott Downtown, Waterloo Ballroom 1-2
More info on this SXSW Panel HERE
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Startups at the Starting Gun of the New Space Race *
Hilton Austin Downtown, Salon G
More info on this SXSW Panel HERE
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Space Exploration & Innovation Meet Up *
Hilton Austin Downtown, Room 410
More info on this SXSW Panel HERE
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Startups at the Starting Gun of the New Space Race *
Hilton Austin Downtown, Salon G
More info on this SXSW Panel HERE
4:00 pm – 5:30 pm
Beyond the Battlefield: Building for the Free World (Hosted by SecondFront Systems and SAAB) Happy Hour
Location to be provided at registration.
Reserve your ticket HERE
5:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Backstage @ Startup Crawl
Capital Factory, Floor 16
*Backstage is an exclusive, invite-only - Apply for Backstage here.
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Startup Crawl
Capital Factory, Atrium, Floor 1
More info HERE
Saturday, March 8th
9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Innovation Expo
Capital Factory, Atrium, Floor 1
More info HERE
9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Partner Activation: Defense SBIR/STTR Program Office
Capital Factory, Captain America, Floor 8
More info HERE
9:00 am – 6:00 pm
Harnessing Innovation for National Security
Capital Factory, Antone’s, Floor 16
More info HERE
9:30 am – 4:30 pm
The Space and Defense Innovation Speaker Showcase
Location Provided to Confirmed Guests
Apply to Attend HERE
9:30 am – 10:20 am
The Space and Defense Innovation Speaker Showcase
(Click HERE to request more information)
Location Provided to Confirmed Guests
Apply to Attend HERE
10:00 – 11:00 am
International Innovation Case Studies – Navigating Challenges, Forging Success
Capital Factory, AAL, Floor 8
More info HERE
11:00 am – 11:50 am
The Space and Defense Innovation Speaker Showcase
Location Provided to Confirmed Guests
Apply to Attend HERE
11:30 am – 12:30 pm
AAL Annual Performance Report
Capital Factory, AAL, Floor 8
More info HERE
12:30 pm – 1:20 pm
The Space and Defense Innovation Speaker Showcase
Location Provided to Confirmed Guests
Apply to Attend HERE
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Streamlining International Partnerships for Competitive Advantage
Capital Factory, AAL, Floor 8
More info HERE
2:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Partner Activation: AFWERX
Capital Factory, Voltron, Floor 1
More info HERE
2:30 pm – 3:20 pm
The Space and Defense Innovation Speaker Showcase
Apply to Attend HERE
2:30 pm – 3:30 pm
The Silly Putty Problem: Do International Supply Chains Risk National Security
Capital Factory, AAL, Floor 8
More info HERE
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
AAL’s The State of Defense Innovation
Details coming soon
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm:
SXSW Pitch: Security, GovTech, and Space *
Downtown Austin Hilton Hotel, Salon D-E, 4th Floor
More info on this SXSW Panel HERE
4:30 pm – 8:30 pm
4th Annual SDI Reception:
Location Provided to Confirmed Guests
Apply to Attend HERE
5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Allies in Innovation VIP social
Details coming soon
Sunday, March 9th
9:00 am – 5:15 pm
National Defense AI Summit (Open Teams)
Location Provided to Confirmed Guests
There will be a catered reception from 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm.
Join the interest list HERE
9:00 am – 10:00 am
National Defense AI Summit (Open Teams) Registration & Breakfast
Location Provided to Confirmed Guests
Join the interest list HERE
9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Innovation Expo
Capital Factory, Atrium, Floor 1
More info HERE
9:00 am – 6:00 pm
Harnessing Innovation for National Security
Capital Factory, Antone’s, Floor 16
More info HERE
9:00 am – 6:00 pm
Partner Activation: UTD
Capital Factory, Apollo, Floor 1
More info HERE
10:00 am – 10:45 am
National Defense AI Summit (Open Teams) Panel 1: The Global AI Arms Race
Location Provided to Confirmed Guests
Join the interest list HERE
11:00 am – 11:45 am
National Defense AI Summit (Open Teams) Panel 2: AI and the Future of Warfare: Opportunities and Challenges
Join the interest list HERE
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
National Defense AI Summit (Open Teams) Networking Lunch
Location Provided to Confirmed Guests
Join the interest list HERE
1:00 pm – 1:45 pm
National Defense AI Summit (Open Teams) Panel 3: Preparing the Workforce for AI-Driven National Security
Location Provided to Confirmed Guests
Join the interest list HERE
2:00 pm – 2:45 pm
National Defense AI Summit (Open Teams) Panel 4: AI and Space Defense: The Next Frontier
Location Provided to Confirmed Guests
Join the interest list HERE
2:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Partner Activation: Maxar
Capital Factory, Captain America, Floor 8
Details coming soon!
More info HERE
3:30 pm – 4:15 pm
National Defense AI Summit (Open Teams) Panel 5: Developing the Next Generation of AI for National Defense
Location Provided to Confirmed Guests
Join the interest list HERE
4:30 pm – 5:15 pm
National Defense AI Summit (Open Teams) Panel 6: AI-Powered Intelligence: From Data to Decision-Making
Location Provided to Confirmed Guests
Join the interest list HERE
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
National Defense AI Summit (Open Teams) Networking Dinner
Location Provided to Confirmed Guests
Join the interest list HERE
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
SXSW Pitch Award Ceremony *
Hilton Austin Downtown, Salon H
More info on this SXSW Panel HERE
Monday, March 10th
9:00 am – 6:00 pm
Tectonic Defense Summit: (Payload Space)
1603 S Congress Ave (South Congress Hotel)
Purchase tickets for Payload’s event HERE
9:00 am – 6:00 pm
Partner Activation: EY
Capital Factory, Captain America, Floor 8
Details coming soon
More info HERE
9:00 am – 6:00 pm
Partner Activation: UTD
Capital Factory, Apollo, Floor 1
More info HERE
9:00 am – 7:00 pm
TEXAS EMBASSY: Health & Human Performance
Q-Branch Global Collaboration Center, 200 E 6th St #310
Register for the event HERE
11:30 am – 12:30 pm
So, You Want To Work In Space… *
Hilton Austin Downtown, Salon K
More info on this SXSW Panel HERE
11:30 am – 12:30 pm
Space Tech and Idea Exchange: Pitching the Next Giant Leap *
Hilton Austin Downtown, Room 410
More info on this SXSW Panel HERE
2:30 pm – 3:30 pm
SXSW Pitch Winners Showcase *
Hilton Austin Downtown, Salon G
More info on this SXSW Panel HERE
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
A Fast and Furious Race to the Moon *
Austin Marriott Downtown, Waterloo Ballroom 1 – 2
More info on this SXSW Panel HERE
6:00 pm
Tectonic Defense Summit: (Payload Space)
1603 S Congress Ave (South Congress Hotel)
Tuesday, March 11th
9:00 am – 6:00 pm
Tectonic Defense Summit: (Payload Space)
1603 S Congress Ave (South Congress Hotel)
Purchase tickets for Payload’s event HERE
9:00 am – 7:00 pm
TEXAS EMBASSY: Texas Innovation Ecosystem
Q-Branch Global Collaboration Center, 200 E 6th St #310
Register for this event HERE
10:00 am – 11:00 am
NASA’s Quesst To Change The Supersonic Speed Limit *
Hilton Austin Downtown, Salon G
More info on this SXSW Panel HERE
11:30 am – 12:30 pm
Live, From Space! Visualizing the Future With NASA *
Austin Convention Center, Room 12AB
More info on this SXSW Panel HERE
2:30 pm – 3:30 pm
Messaging the Moon: Collaborative Storytelling in Space Exploration *
JW Marriott, Salon GH
More info on this SXSW Panel HERE
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
3rd Annual SXSW Happy Hour with Scout Ventures, Context Ventures, & The Military Veteran
Zilker Brewing Company and Taproom
1701 E. 6th St.Austin, TX 78702
Register for this event HERE
Wednesday, March 12th
11:30 am – 12:30 pm
What Space Skills and Workforce Do We Need to Go “Out There”? *
Hilton Austin Downtown, Salon K
More info on this SXSW Panel HERE