GenAI startup NeuralGarage becomes first Indian startup to win SXSW Pitch competition

GenAI startup NeuralGarage has become the first Indian startup to win the SXSW Pitch competition at the SXSW Conference & Festival. Held annually in Austin, Texas, SXSW is one of the most prestigious global events celebrating the convergence of technology, film, music, education, and culture.

Selected from a global shortlist of thousands of startups, NeuralGarage won in the "Entertainment, Media, Sports & Content" category for its groundbreaking technology, VisualDub. This innovation addresses the challenge of visual discord in dubbed content by syncing actors' expressions and lip movements with dubbed audio, ensuring an authentic and immersive viewing experience.

For over 17 years, SXSW Pitch competition winners have collectively raised more than $23 billion in investments. The jury, consisting of leading figures from the venture capital, entertainment, and content industries, made this win even more significant, as VisualDub provides a long-awaited solution for content localization—an issue the entertainment industry has grappled with for years.


As a premier destination for creative professionals in entertainment and content, the SXSW Festival features film and television screenings, world-class exhibitions, and award ceremonies. It has become a key platform for showcasing the best in the industry.

This year’s event featured some of Hollywood’s biggest names, including Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon, Matthew McConaughey, Ben Affleck, Nicole Kidman, Nicolas Cage, Blake Lively, Paul Rudd, Jenna Ortega, Aaron Paul, Pedro Pascal, Kevin Bacon, and many others, who came to showcase their latest work.

The festival’s highlight was a special fireside session by Michelle Obama and the screening of Michael Bay’s latest documentary, We Are Storror.

Speaking on the win, Mandar Natekar, cofounder and CEO of NeuralGarage, said: "This win is special because winning at SXSW validates our technology, VisualDub, which has been built for the global entertainment industry. Pitching our tech on such an influential platform in front of the brightest minds in entertainment and content was a thrilling experience. This is a stepping stone for us to bring this technology to the world."