Last Thursday I joined the “Beyond the Frontier” conference here in New York, speaking on the discussion panel, “Inventive by Nature: Creative Entrepreneurship in Times of Change.” And then I ripped my shirt off.

With less than ten minutes until our scheduled group appearance, our gang of four huddled in a corner of Microsoft’s Soho office “garage” to introduce ourselves to one another. Our panel consisted of Amy Peck (Founder & CEO, EndeavorXR), Sam Hunter Magee (Director on Creativity and Entrepreneurship for the Lemann Program at Harvard), Tiya Gordon (Co-founder & COO, It’s Electric), and myself. I was happily outclassed. I had a good feeling about our panel.

Returning for its 16th year, SXSW Pitch showcases innovative new technology to a panel of industry experts, high-profile media professionals, venture capitalists, and angel investors. I’ve recently been invited to join the SXSW Pitch Advisory Board to recruit fresh startups for the pitch process, and to nominate judges for the live event panel convening next March at SXSW in Austin, Texas.

I was lucky to receive an introduction to SXSW Pitch event producer, Chris Valentine, via prolific strategy prodigy, Cindy Mallory. (Cindy has served on the SXSW Pitch Advisory Board for some time, and is also New York Chapter President for the VR/AR Association.) Chris felt I was a good fit for the board, and soon afterward I was put to work seeking new startups to submit their pitches—and excited to participate in the first (pre-SXSW) round of judging. It’s been a fun experience so far, and a fun way to reconnect with SXSW.