Last month, Fledging, a Birmingham-based tech startup, joined nine others from Alabama to exhibit their companies with the Alabama Startup Pavilion at the all-virtual 2021 CES conference.
Hosted by the Consumer Technology Association, CES is the world’s largest and most influential consumer technology event, giving even the smallest startups the opportunity to interact with businesses, thought leaders, policymakers, media and the broader worldwide tech community.
Fledging provides affordable alternatives to manufacturer-provided storage hardware, called Feather SSDs, for Mac products.
“Our mission is to make premium electronics accessible to everyone,” said Fledging CEO Ethan Summers. “We believe you should be able to repair and get the most out of your devices for the long term, and we offer really high-quality, premium performance products at a fair price point.”
Despite the all-virtual conference platform, Fledging took full advantage of the networking and exhibitor opportunities available, taking time to reach out to nearly 300 people in the days leading up to the event.
Their work garnered serious traction with various manufacturing and supplier partners, as well as securing coverage from major publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, C|Net, Wired and Gizmodo, with positive reviews of Fledging’s latest product, Hubble for iPad.
Summers said he was proud to promote Alabama as one of the country’s brightest entrepreneurial hubs during his outreach.
“Any chance I get, I am really committed to bringing up our Alabama storyline and helping our community be more of what it can be,” he said. “In a world where there are so many products, adding that hook will go a long way.”
Summers sees Alabama as having an exceptional edge when it comes to the success of startups.
“The saying is that a rising tide raises all ships,” he said. “Alabama has a highly collaborative landscape when it comes to startups, and I think that’s unique.”
The Alabama Startup Pavilion was sponsored by Made in Alabama, Alabama Power, Economic Development Partnership of Alabama (EDPA), Techstars Alabama Energytech Accelerator, and the University of Alabama.
(Courtesy of Alabama NewsCenter)
