South by Southwest 2019: Spotlight on Boston's Trailblazing Startups

Last week, we attended South by Southwest’s Finalist Showcase for the Interactive Innovation Awards, where our Metal X 3‑D printing system earned finalist recognition. The event also offered a chance to connect with fellow innovators and explore 2018’s breakthrough technologies. Below are the key moments from the weekend.

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Toast, Inc.

Toast Go™

We spoke with Steve Fredette, co‑founder of Boston‑based Toast, which now serves nearly 1,500 restaurants worldwide with a leading cloud‑based management platform. Their newest product, Toast Go, is a fully integrated handheld point‑of‑sale device that lets servers take orders and accept payments directly at the table, eliminating the need to shuttle between stations. Steve highlighted the device’s potential to streamline front‑of‑house workflows and improve guest experience. He also outlined future trends in POS technology, including mobile payments, computer vision, and even facial‑recognition‑based transactions.

Ministry of Supply

Mercury Intelligent Heated Jacket

Co‑founder Gihan Amarasiriwardena of Boston apparel pioneer Ministry of Supply shared insights into their Mercury Intelligent Heated Jacket, a garment that uses artificial intelligence to personalize warmth. The jacket incorporates three carbon‑fiber heating elements and a companion app that allows manual power control. With up to 10 W of heat, the system adjusts based on temperature readings, accelerometer data, and user preferences learned over time. Gihan emphasized that integrating electronics with textiles represents the next wave of “wearable” innovation, echoing Moore’s Law in the apparel sector.

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Sproutel

My Special Aflac Duck™

Partnering with Aflac, Aaron Horowitz and the Sproutel team created a robotic plush duck designed to support children undergoing chemotherapy. The team engaged over 100 pediatric cancer patients to co‑design the toy, ensuring it met the emotional and therapeutic needs of its users. The duck comes with seven “feeling cards” – plastic emojis that, when pressed, trigger corresponding vocal and physical responses. This feature helps children articulate emotions that may be difficult to verbalize, fostering communication with caregivers and medical staff.

Connecting with Boston‑area startups and witnessing innovations across diverse industries was truly inspiring. If you’re curious about our finalist Metal X printer, learn more on the Metal X webpage.

Hero image from SXSW.