Sloss.Tech 2025: Spotlighting Alabama’s Promising Tech Future

Douglas Watson’s move from Atlanta to Birmingham in 2018 was the result of a family obligation. A native of Montgomery, he recalls his attitude toward the relocation as “reluctant.”

“I thought I’d be here two years,” said Watson, now founding managing partner of Measured Capital, an early-stage venture capital firm that specializes in high-impact investments outside major tech hubs.

Founded in 2022 and based in Birmingham, Measured Capital focuses on transformative companies across the Southeast. Speaking the week after serving as a judge in the $75,000 Sloss.Tech/Ideas pitch competition — part of the popular annual tech conference held in Birmingham’s historic theatre district June 25-27 — Watson reflected on overcoming his initial reluctance and deciding that Birmingham was the place to start his company. His experience, he said, has given him perspective on opportunities to make transformative impacts throughout Alabama and beyond.

Douglas Watson, founding managing partner of Measured Capital. (contributed)

“I saw Birmingham and the entire state growing within the tech ecosystem,” recalled Watson. “Now, it’s an engine for tech and founders and innovation, supportive of making it happen.

“That’s going to continue,” he added, “because this is not just a place where you can come and be successful. It’s a place where you can build your company, where you want to live, work and retire. Some of my fellow judges and others I talked to were in Alabama for the first time, and they were blown away by what’s going on here.

“Sloss.Tech is a testament to all of that.”

A thriving platform for promoting opportunity

Sloss.Tech has grown steadily into a premier Southeastern tech event, expanding to three days for the first time in 2025. After then-record attendance of 900 last year, the 2025 event attracted 1,700 registrations from across the country, with official final attendance of around 1,500 expected after accounting for duplicates, said Deon Gordon, president and CEO of Sloss.Tech presenter TechBirmingham.

“Last weekend was an affirmation that we have raised the level of expectation around this event,” Gordon declared. “It’s a cool thing to see and exciting to be a part of.”

First held in 2016, Sloss.Tech quickly established itself as a conference worth attending, drawing a total of more than 3,000 people across four successful years. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered the event for three years, until it resumed in 2023. Since then, Gordon noted, the scope and reach of the conference have grown steadily.

TechBirmingham CEO Deon Gordon onstage at Sloss.Tech. (Mason David)

“How do you build community, forge connections and create an economy that truly is for everybody?” Gordon summed up the mission at the heart of Sloss.Tech’s flourishing among founders, innovators and investors. “We’re very intentional about building a model that helps lead us to a better and more equitable future, making educational and economic opportunities accessible in a way that advantages people.

“We’ve always seen Sloss.Tech as a prime opportunity to advance a complete narrative of what this place is all about, what’s happening here and what the future looks like.”

The look of Alabama’s future was on full display at Sloss.Tech. An integral aspect of expanding the conference to a third day was broadening the focus beyond Birmingham to include other established and emerging tech hubs across the length and breadth of the state.

That effort was highlighted by Alabama HQ, which offered programming to supplement the main Sloss.Tech stage at the Lyric Theatre. The programming included panel discussions featuring Alabama entrepreneurs, as well as fireside chats with funders and other supporters and special founder spotlights. Gordon credited Innovate Alabama, the statewide public-private partnership supporting technology, innovation and entrepreneurship, for leading the addition of Alabama HQ.

“The beauty of having other Alabama tech hubs represented at Sloss.Tech is that each community has its own story,” said Gordon. “Birmingham is different than Huntsville and north Alabama, or than Mobile or the I-85 corridor or the other places around the state where innovation is happening. That also means we can play together and not be competitive.

“I’m glad Sloss.Tech is playing that role, providing that platform. But it wouldn’t be possible without Innovate Alabama and the leadership and support they continue to provide.”

Making connections, elevating the ecosystem

A presenting sponsor of Sloss.Tech, along with the City of Birmingham and Jefferson County, Innovate Alabama saw the opportunity to leverage the expected attendance in Birmingham to promote a statewide perspective on Alabama’s advantages. It’s an approach that benefits all players, said Innovate Alabama CEO Cynthia Crutchfield.

Cynthia Crutchfield, CEO of Innovate Alabama. (contributed)

“The growing awareness of Sloss.Tech gives us the ability to showcase what we have on a broader level,” said Crutchfield. “Elevating Sloss.Tech to provide statewide exposure expanded the reach of the conference.

“The variety of programming, the number and stature of the speakers and presenters, the enthusiasm we heard from everybody who attended — all of that reflects the value of activating all of Alabama’s tech regions as part of Sloss.Tech. We’re excited about continuing to elevate this ecosystem.”

Dr. Valencia Belle, founder and CEO of S.C.H.O.O.L.S. and a participant in an Alabama HQ panel at Sloss.Tech. (contributed) 

One of the fruits of that ecosystem is S.C.H.O.O.L.S., a Mobile-based company that works with students to improve their ACT and SAT scores. Beyond enabling hundreds of thousands of students to enroll in college and pursue job opportunities, S.C.H.O.O.L.S. has helped many qualify for merit-based scholarships and grants, with the overall mission of eliminating generational poverty.

The founder and CEO of S.C.H.O.O.L.S., Dr. Valencia Belle, was a panelist for an Alabama HQ discussion. She welcomed the opportunity not just to promote her own company but also extol the advantages of Mobile as part of the emergent Alabama innovation picture.

“I’ve been telling people for a while now that they just need to come and connect with this ecosystem,” said Belle. “Sloss.Tech epitomizes that. It brings national and international talent to Alabama, and as that continues, it will become even more recognized and important.

This was my first Sloss.Tech. It won’t be my last.”

Reviews are coming in

Asked to gauge the success of this year’s event, TechBirmingham’s Gordon hesitated.

“I’m still processing,” he laughed. “I’m not sure I can express it yet.”

Beginning to offer an answer, Gordon hesitated again, then shared (with permission) the text of a long email he received the day after Sloss.Tech ended from an executive with a large West Coast funder who attended. Congratulating Gordon and other Sloss.Tech organizers on “an inspiring, insightful and welcoming” weekend in Birmingham, the funder wrote of being “blown away by the caliber of talent” present and impressed with the “range of the network” the event is building.

I’ve heard about the Birmingham ecosystem for a few years now and it did not disappoint, wrote the funder. I truly felt like I got a sense for the community and all that’s being done to support founders here (and beyond) …. What also left a lasting impression on me is how much everyone loves the city and how proud you all are to be building here.

 I hope you are incredibly proud of your efforts…

“That says a lot about Birmingham and Alabama,” said Gordon. “It speaks to what we’re beginning to accomplish, and it gives us a lot to think about as we move forward in terms of what we can accomplish together.”

The main stage of Sloss.Tech 2025 was at the Lyric Theatre, an anchor of Birmingham’s historic theatre district, built in 1914. (Mason David)