We're thrilled to share that Candle AI was named Runner-Up in the 10th Annual Startup Alley pitch competition at ABA TECHSHOW 2026 in Chicago — and we couldn't be more grateful for the journey that brought us there.

Startup Alley is the opening event of TECHSHOW, the American Bar Association's annual legal technology conference, where 15 legal tech startups competed for the top prize, with the winner selected by a live audience vote. Out of that field, Candle AI earned second place — a milestone that means the world to our team and to everyone who has supported us along the way.

What This Moment Means to Us

For co-founders Sujith Jose and Carl Davidson, stepping onto that stage represented far more than a competition result — it was a reflection of every attorney, paralegal, and firm administrator who believed in what Candle is building.

"Standing in that room, knowing that legal professionals across the country had voted for us, was one of the most humbling moments of my career. This recognition isn't really ours — it belongs to every user who gave us candid feedback, filed a bug report, or recommended Candle to a colleague. They built this with us."

— Sujith Jose, Co-Founder & CEO, Candle AI

"ABA TECHSHOW reminded us why we started Candle in the first place. The energy from attorneys who are genuinely frustrated with email overload — who are spending hours every week just managing their inbox instead of serving clients — it lights a fire in you. We left Chicago more motivated than ever."

— Carl Davidson, Co-Founder, Candle AI

The Problem We're Solving

Candle AI is an email intelligence layer built specifically for small and mid-sized law firms, embedded directly inside Gmail and Outlook. We connect a firm's existing tech stack — including practice management systems like Clio, Filevine, and MyCase — and surface the right context at the right moment, right inside the inbox attorneys already live in.

Email is still the center of gravity for most law firms. Attorneys spend an enormous amount of time triaging, searching, and manually logging communications that should be automatic. Candle changes that.

A Community-Powered Milestone

The Startup Alley competition relies on public voting to advance finalists, which means our placement was a direct reflection of the community's support. To every user who cast a vote, shared our page, or sent an encouraging note during the competition: thank you.

"Every bug report, every feature request, every time someone recommended Candle to a fellow attorney — it all brought us to this moment. You've been more than users. You've been partners."

— Sujith Jose, Co-Founder & CEO, Candle AI

What's Next

The energy from TECHSHOW has Candle AI firing on all cylinders. We're heads-down on new features, deeper integrations, and continuing to earn the trust of the legal professionals who rely on us every day.

Congratulations also to CollBox, this year's Startup Alley winner, and to Lawdify, who took third place — it was an incredible group of companies competing this year.

We're just getting started. If you're ready to take back control of your firm's inbox, get started with Candle today.

Candle AI is an email intelligence platform built for law firms, embedded inside Gmail and Outlook. Learn more at trycandle.ai.