SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Socialtrait, the world’s first audience behavior simulation engine, has been selected as one of the top five finalists in the Intelligent Systems & Robotics category at SXSW Pitch 2026, part of the annual SXSW Conference & Festivals.

SXSW Pitch is the marquee event of South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conference & Festivals (March 12 – 18, 2026), where leading startups from around the world showcase some of the most impressive technology innovations to a panel of hand-picked judges and a live audience. Out of the 589 companies that applied to present at SXSW Pitch 2026, Socialtrait was selected among the 45 finalists, spanning nine separate categories.

Socialtrait uses an audience behavioral simulation engine to model AI-driven communities, helping teams understand how people are likely to perceive, react and respond before ideas, messages, or products are launched.

“Being selected as an SXSW Pitch finalist is strong validation of the problem we’re working on,” said Vivek Kumar, founder and CEO of Socialtrait. “Socialtrait makes audience behavioral simulation accessible, enabling teams to simulate and predict how ideas, messages and products are likely to perform before launch. AI can optimize decisions at scale, but without early insight into human reaction, teams risk making choices that miss the social, cultural and emotional reality of their audience.”

As enterprises increasingly seek AI systems that move beyond content generation into decision optimization, Socialtrait positions predictive behavioral simulation as a new infrastructure layer within the AI stack. By enabling organizations to model audience response before capital is deployed, the platform supports more disciplined resource allocation, reduced risk exposure and scalable enterprise integration.

“SXSW Pitch has been supporting and elevating the global startup community since its inception in 2009. Over the last 18 years, SXSW Pitch has sought to provide the necessary resources and exposure to help startups succeed and thrive as they navigate the early-stage venture ecosystem,” said SXSW Pitch Event Producer Chris Valentine. “The 45 companies selected as 2026 finalists constitute the next wave of innovation across the globe. We look forward to seeing these startups take the stage in March to present their new technologies to our panel of expert judges.”

SXSW Pitch finalists present live on stage March 13–14, 2026, in Austin, Texas, as part of the official Pitch program.

For more information about SXSW Pitch and to view the complete list of finalists, visit: https://www.sxsw.com/pitch.

About Socialtrait

Socialtrait is the world’s first audience behavior simulation engine, an AI platform that creates lifelike digital populations to test ideas, concepts, and campaigns before they hit the market at scale. It helps enterprises replace guesswork with predictive clarity, transforming how global brands understand, anticipate, and influence human behavior. 

Media contact

Ksenia Kulik, Interdependence
(919)349-3786

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