The best way to get SXSW kicked off right is with Capital Factory’s annual ATX Startup Crawl: http://info.capitalfactory.com/atxstartupcrawl

There are at least 20 great new Austin startups every year that are willing to trade you a couple of free drinks for your eyeballs on their brand. Annually, it runs on Friday night before the Interactive conference begins. Check out the ATX Startup Crawl page to RSVP and get a map of each of the stops on the crawl.

You do not need a SXSW badge for this. However, you will need to sign-up here in advance in order to be on the list and get the Startup Crawl map. This is a great way to see the best that the Austin startup scene has to offer in one quick pass while they feed you free drinks. If you’re a recruiter, make sure you come to this. It’s a great event for meeting great candidates. If you’re a candidate, I just told all the recruiters to come to this, so don’t let me down.

More info on Attending SXSW: Kick off with the ATX Startup Crawl – SXSWtips