I am in search of diverse founders of legal tech startups and seeking your help in reaching them with this message.

Specifically, I want to encourage them to apply to compete for a spot in the 9th annual Startup Alley at ABA TECHSHOW 2025, which will be April 2-5 in Chicago.

Over the course of the eight previous years of Startup Alley, we have been fortunate to have had pools of applicants who have been diverse in both race and gender.

Likewise over the years, the presenters who made it to the final round have been diverse, as have been the ultimate winners.

However, last year’s Startup Alley was an anomaly. Although the pool of applicants remained fairly diverse, the startups that made it to the final round were less so. In fact, at the actual pitch competition, which is TECHSHOW’s opening-night event, virtually all the presenters were white men.

This is difficult to control, in that the finalists are selected by popular vote. However, in the hope of avoiding a repeat of that scenario, I spent some time this summer canvassing various people for thoughts on how to encourage Startup Alley’s diversity.

Among those I reached out to were women and people of color who had been winners and finalists in past years.

One question I put to them was whether we should set aside a designated spot among the finalists for diverse founders. Almost unanimously, their answer was no.

Rather, their overwhelming consensus was that this is a funnel issue. As one past participant put it: “It’s really about filling the top of the funnel.”

So that is the purpose of this post today. It is to encourage you to help me fill the funnel.

  • If you are part of a startup whose founders or leadership are diverse, please encourage your company to apply.
  • If you know of diverse startups, share this message with them.
  • If you are part of an organization or an incubator with members who are diverse, let them know about this opportunity.
  • If you are willing, please share this among your connections.

The fact is that participating in Startup Alley is a fantastic opportunity for a startup. Many participants from past years have gone on to great success. I’m not saying their success was solely attributable to Startup Alley, but many have told me that it was a real springboard for them.

You can read full details about Startup Alley and find the application form at this post. Deadline for applications is Dec. 13, 2024.

Photo of Bob Ambrogi Bob Ambrogi

Bob is a lawyer, veteran legal journalist, and award-winning blogger and podcaster. In 2011, he was named to the inaugural Fastcase 50, honoring “the law’s smartest, most courageous innovators, techies, visionaries and leaders.” Earlier in his career, he was editor-in-chief of several legal publications, including The National Law Journal, and editorial director of ALM’s Litigation Services Division.