Startup Alley At ABA TECHSHOW: Entries Are Now Open

Fifteen startups will be selected to receive space in a special portion of TECHSHOW’s exhibition hall and to participate in an opening night pitch competition, judged by TECHSHOW attendees, to pick the most innovative startup idea.

If you are a legal technology startup looking to raise your profile, here is your chance. Entries are now officially open for the competition to be featured as a presenter and exhibitor in the fourth-annual Startup Alley at ABA TECHSHOW, the American Bar Association’s annual legal technology conference, which takes place in Chicago on Feb. 26-29, 2020.

Today marks the official official call for entries for Startup Alley. Fifteen startups will be selected to receive space in a special portion of TECHSHOW’s exhibition hall and to participate in an opening night pitch competition, judged by TECHSHOW attendees, to pick the most innovative startup idea.

Again this year, I am coordinating the competition, in collaboration with the TECHSHOW board. Read on for full details.

How Does the Competition Work?

The competition starts today. Startups interested in participating should complete this application form. We must receive your application by 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on Oct. 31, 2019.

From all applications received, a panel of five judges will select 25 finalists. This year’s judges are:

  • Heidi Alexander, TECHSHOW 2020 co-chair.
  • Catherine Sanders Reach, TECHSHOW 2020 co-chair.
  • Allan MacKenzie, TECHSHOW 2020 co-vice-chair.
  • Roberta Tepper, TECHSHOW 2020 c0-vice-chair.
  • Me.

Sponsored

On Nov. 18, 2019, brief descriptions of each of the 25 will be posted on the ABA TECHSHOW blog, Above the Law, and LawSites, and readers will be invited to vote for their favorites. The 15 startups with the most votes will be selected for TECHSHOW. Winners will be announced on Dec. 9.

Who is Eligible to Apply?

The competition is limited to startups that meet the following criteria:

  • Your product or service is targeted to lawyers or legal professionals, not to consumers.
  • Your company has never before exhibited at a national legal technology conference.
  • Your company has achieved some demonstrable traction, either in users or financing.
  • You were not one of the prior years’ winners selected to present at TECHSHOW in the 2017, 2018, or 2019 Startup Alley.

In addition, your company should be innovative, meaning that it addresses a need not met by other products or services currently on the market or that it does so in a way not currently done by others.

Sponsored

What Happens If I Am Selected?

The winning startups will be provided space at a discounted cost to exhibit their product or service in a special Startup Alley located within TECHSHOW’s exhibit hall.

  • Each startup will be provided space in a uniform, pre-installed booth. You will not need (or be allowed) to bring a booth of your own.
  • Each startup will be responsible for the booth fee of $1,500. This is a significant reduction off the standard booth cost. You are welcome to seek sponsors to underwrite all or part of this cost.
  • You will be responsible for your own travel and hotel expenses to Chicago.

In addition to exhibit space, each startup will face off in an opening night pitch competition. Each startup will have 2.5 minutes to present its pitch in front of an audience of TECHSHOW attendees. At the conclusion of the pitches, attendees will vote to select the most innovative company as the winner.

What’s In It for My Company?

ABA TECHSHOW is one of the world’s pre-eminent legal technology conferences. Your company will gain exposure to a diverse audience of legal professionals, including practitioners, academics, consultants, and others. In addition, TECHSHOW’s attendees include legal journalists, bloggers, industry analysts, and investors.

In short, your company will get precious time in the spotlight. Along with that will come invaluable opportunities for feedback about your product or service from TECHSHOW attendees, the competition’s judges, and your peers at other startups.

In addition, the winner of the opening night pitch competition will receive:

  • Free 10×10 booth space at the 2020 TECHSHOW.
  • Free 12-month listing on the ABA Legal Technology Resource Center’s Buyer’s Guide.
  • $5,000 credit to use towards advertising in ABA Law Practice Division media.
  • A profile of the company on my LawSites blog.

There is no cost to apply, and the application form is relatively painless. We hope to hear from you and to see you in Chicago in February.


Robert Ambrogi Bob AmbrogiRobert Ambrogi is a Massachusetts lawyer and journalist who has been covering legal technology and the web for more than 20 years, primarily through his blog LawSites.com. Former editor-in-chief of several legal newspapers, he is a fellow of the College of Law Practice Management and an inaugural Fastcase 50 honoree. He can be reached by email at ambrogi@gmail.com, and you can follow him on Twitter (@BobAmbrogi).

CRM Banner