Fixing a ‘broken’ industry

A great entrepreneur is able to diagnose a need or market gap and fill it. That’s precisely what Birmingham tech entrepreneur Weida Tan, the CEO and co-founder of computer hardware maker Fledging, is trying to do.

“We believe that the hardware industry is broken, that the consumers face polarizing choices,” he told Iron City Ink. “We either get premium products that come with a premium price tag … like the iPhone, or people have to settle for knock-offs that break the second day.”

There lies the market gap that Fledging — known for its innovative, high-performance computer drives and external storage devices — seeks to fill, according to Tan.

“We want to make premium electronics for everyone and offer great quality at good prices,” he said.

Tan and his team members must be doing something right. The company, formed in 2018, has already served more than 6,000 customers in more than 90 countries, according to a company news release.

Not only that, but Fledging announced in May it had raised $1.1 million from a group of investors based in Birmingham.

The success of the young company stems from its commitment to its original vision of offering good products at fair prices, according to Tan. “That value is what is driving customers to us,” he said.

Tan is from China but came to Pell City through a student exchange program. He earned an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering and a master’s degree in computer science at UAB. He is currently pursuing a doctorate in computer science. 

He founded Fledging with Steven Robbins, who earned a degree in computer science at UAB and now serves as the company’s chief strategy officer. 

Fledging got started by building adapters that offered MacBook users a cheaper way to upgrade their storage capabilities aside from Apple’s solid-state drives. 

In July 2018, Fledging — one of seven student-led startup ventures that took part in the UAB Commercialization Accelerator — moved into Innovation Depot.

There are currently 10 employees at Fledging, including Tan, who said the company plans to add two more employees by the end of the summer.

Recently, Fledging launched its seventh product, Shell Thunder, an external storage device that uses the thunderbolt three port found on newer laptops and is well-suited for gaming, video-editing and other activities requiring high-speed storage. The company will roll out four more products by the end of the year, according to Tan, who said Fledging is comfortable with this aggressive strategy.

“We launch new products because we stay close to customers,” he said. “We listen and serve their needs.”

The company’s recent capital raise was led by McKinney Capital with the participation of other investors, including members of the Alabama Capital Network and Bronze Valley. Proceeds of the financing will support talent acquisition, sales and marketing, and research and design of new products, according to the company’s news release.

Area investors wanted to put money into Fledging because “they recognize and echo with the vision the company and the team is working towards” and because they like “the traction that we have and the growth,” Tan said.

“We need more high-growth companies like Fledging, which holds long-term potential to success, to create jobs and opportunities in Birmingham,” said Danny McKinney of McKinney Capital.

Is it a good sign for start-ups in Birmingham that the area is developing sources of venture capital, according to Tan. 

“I think Birmingham is really known for steel and coal and railroads,” he said. “It is transitioning into a city of health care and technology, and venture capitalists play a pivotal role to catalyze this transition.”

He praises the other resources available locally. “The Birmingham…entrepreneurial community is a very tight-knit group that provides all the essential help that an entrepreneur needs,” Tan said. “It has been a phenomenal experience to raise from local investors.”

Innovation Depot, which Tan calls “the best concentration of startups in Birmingham,” is a great home base or Fledgling.

“The resources are phenomenal,” said Tan, who also praises the efforts of Alabama Capital Network, Birmingham Business Alliance and the Alabama Small Business Development Center.

Alabama is a good place for Fledging to grow its business, according to Tan. For a hardware company, “a low cost of living and affordable scope of business is crucial,” he said. “We could hardly grow this fast if we were located in a more expensive area.”

The company also seeks to take good care of its employees, according to Tan. 

“We put our people first and really care about them and invest in them,” he said. “We want to make the team a fun place to be. Whenever out team members are happy and growing individually our team will be inevitably be successful.”

For more information, go to fledging.net.