Visalaw.ai wins $100,000 grand prize at Southeast pitch competition
What's the deal? Visalaw.aiDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a Memphis-based artificial intelligence platform for immigration attorneys, won the $100,000 grand prize at the second annual Sloss.Tech/Ideas Southeast Pitch Competition. The grant came from the Regions Foundation and TechBirminghamDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, awarded during Sloss Tech 2026.
What does it do? The company is a legal technology spinoff of immigration law firm Siskind Susser PC. It combines a proprietary, attorney-validated immigration law database with generative AI to help lawyers research, draft petitions, and prepare filings faster.
The details: The competition awarded $135,000 in total, including three $10,000 category awards and a $5,000 People's Choice Award. Sixteen startups pitched, drawn from 10 Southeastern states. Eligible companies had to have launched commercially after January 2021 and raised no more than $5 million.
What they're saying: Founder and chief executive officer Josh Waddell called the recognition "especially meaningful" as an Alabama native and Samford graduate. He said the award will help "continue building AI solutions that meet the growing needs of the immigration legal community."
Why now? Regions Foundation executive director Marta Self said Visalaw.ai has "already shown promising early traction," and that the competition proceeds "can help accelerate its growth." The platform continuously monitors immigration rulings and case outcomes.
The signal: The win reflects momentum for specialised, vertical AI tools built for narrow professional workflows. TechBirmingham president and chief executive officer Deon Gordon framed it as "exactly the type of transformative technology that can change how professionals work while driving economic growth in our region."
Read more: Alabama Political Reporter
Image credit: Generated with Gemini
