We asked DC tech companies why they went to SXSW, the popular 10-day music, film, and interactive festival in Austin. Infield Health founder Doug Naegele wanted to learn how large companies are addressing patient care and new payment models. Health tracks at SXSW have never been huge, but Doug says larger, more established firms held court this year. IBM described how Watson can read 2 million cancer studies and recommend treatments to oncologists. The UK National Health Service, which cares for over 60 million patients, talked about process improvement and big data. Doug, whose company builds mobile apps for hospital discharge instructions, says he also heard 23andMe founder Ann Wojcicki outline her company’s genetic research efforts.

Bethesda, Md.-based Brivo Labs debuted its newest social access management product, SAM API, which developers use to create new tools for how people interact with physical spaces. (Read our story on the product.) The company was also magically opening doors, literally, with its OKDoor product, which released in January. Visitors also got to see Randivoo, Brivo Labs’ all-in-one visitor management and experience system, and a custom Scan2Win app, which used lights and a bell to demonstrate machine-to-machine connectivity.

Cooley biz dev guru Katherine Ferguson is flanked by Zoomdata founder Justin Langseth, 10Pearls CEO Imran Aftab, FoundationDB channels VP Tony Surak, and 10Pearls chief architect Ghazanfar Ghori. Katherine says SXSW Interactive is a place where entrepreneurs can come together to spark ideas and learn from each other. They can also do some serious bonding on rooftop networking happy hours, dance parties, and some bull riding. (Bull riding is the new golf.)

RideScout, a 1776 company, went to SXSW to convince Austinites to use the tool to navigate through the city. (The mobile app compares transportation options, including bus, rail, taxi, bike, car services, and walking.) The startup also set the stage for its mid-June expansion into major cities. The RideScout team pitched at Swell’s event and Tech Cocktail’s Hottest Showcasing Startup event. (No trophies to bring home, but the team was excited to pitch to Steve Case.) The company also met with Sen. Mark Warner and got to know lots of other transportation-focused companies.