CollBox Wins First Place at ABA TECHSHOW 2026 Startup Alley
CollBox Team
CHICAGO, IL — March 26, 2026 — CollBox, the leading accounts receivable management solution built exclusively for law firms, today announced it won first place in the 10th annual Startup Alley competition at ABA TECHSHOW 2026, held at McCormick Place in Chicago. Competing against 14 other legal technology startups, CollBox earned top honors in the prestigious pitch competition sponsored by Clio: with the winner determined by a live audience vote of attorneys and legal professionals in attendance.
Each of the 15 finalists was given three minutes to present their product. CollBox co-founder Matt Darner opened with what he called a controversial idea: that lawyers should get paid for their work.
The joke landed because the reality behind it doesn’t. Citing data from Clio, Darner noted that the average law firm waits 97 days to get paid after completing client work. The root cause, he argued, is structural. “There is no one owning the accounts receivable process inside law firms,” Darner said during the pitch. “There is no one in the market helping law firms chase those bills and get paid for them once they go past due.”
Since the competition, the response from attorneys has reinforced just how deep the pain runs. Feedback from firm owners in the wake of TECHSHOW suggests that following up on unpaid invoices ranks among the worst parts of running a practice. Even worse, some say, than firing an employee. It’s a task that’s uncomfortable, time-consuming, and almost universally avoided. Which is precisely why CollBox was built.
CollBox combines AI-driven automation with a dedicated team of accounts receivable specialists to help law firms get paid faster. The platform integrates seamlessly with leading practice management systems like Clio, MyCase, and Smokeball to automatically identify past-due invoices, prioritize follow-up, and orchestrate outreach workflows.
Behind the technology is a trained team acting as an extension of the firm, engaging clients through thoughtful, professional email and phone communication. This hybrid approach ensures consistency, intelligence, and a human touch at every step. To date, CollBox has helped law firms recover more than $100 million in outstanding revenue.
“Winning Startup Alley is a real honor, but what it means to us is validation that the problem we’re solving matters,” said Darner. “Attorneys went to law school to practice law, not to chase invoices. The fact that a room full of lawyers voted for us tells us we’re talking about the right things, and building the right solution.”
The win follows a strong stretch of recognition for CollBox. The company was named winner of Clio’s 2025 Best Business of Law App Award and was selected as a Startup Alley finalist through a multi-step application and public voting process prior to the competition. CollBox is a founding member of LEX Texas, Austin’s legal innovation community, and serves hundreds of law firms across the country.
Second place went to Candle AI, a legal email assistant for small and midsize firms. Lawdify, which provides AI-native evidence analysis for construction disputes, finished third. The competition was hosted by legal tech journalist and LawNext founder Bob Ambrogi.
Law firms interested in learning how CollBox can help them recover outstanding invoices can schedule time with our team here.
About CollBox
CollBox combines AI-driven automation with a dedicated team of accounts receivable specialists to help law firms get paid faster. The platform integrates seamlessly with leading practice management systems like Clio, MyCase, and Smokeball to automatically identify past-due invoices, prioritize follow-up, and orchestrate outreach workflows.
CollBox operates on a flat-fee model and has recovered more than $140 million for law firm clients. On average, CollBox clients recover approximately $66,000 per month and get paid 40% faster. CollBox is the winner of Clio’s 2025 Best Business of Law App Award and the 2026 ABA TECHSHOW Startup Alley competition. For more information, visit collbox.co.
