Equipment Finance Connect 2026: Aloan in Houston

Aloan in Houston for the Tech Demos showcase at the equipment finance and leasing industry's annual gathering.

Aloan on stage

Monday, May 18 · 3:45–5:00pm CT

Tech Demos: New Technologies for Equipment Finance (Session 3). · Seven to eight minutes, no slides, off our own device. We ran a real equipment-finance deal packet through Aloan end to end, from document intake to underwriter-ready credit memo. Companies presented in alphabetical order, so Aloan was first up in the lineup.

Dates: May 18–19, 2026
Venue: C. Baldwin Hotel Houston; Houston, TX
Aloan presence: Live 7–8 minute Tech Demo on stage
Organizer: Equipment Finance Connect; Exclusive hotel: C. Baldwin

About the event

What was Equipment Finance Connect 2026?

Equipment Finance Connect is the equipment finance and leasing industry's annual gathering. It pulls together executives, technology buyers, and product leaders from banks with equipment finance divisions, captive finance companies, independent lessors, and the vendors that serve them.

EFC 2026 took place May 18–19 at the C. Baldwin Hotel in Houston. The conference included the Tech Demos showcase, a curated session where selected companies present live, working software in front of the room. Aloan was one of the confirmed demo companies for 2026 and presented in Session 3 on Monday, May 18.

Our team was on-site both days for private 1:1 working sessions. If you run credit, underwriting, or operations at an equipment finance company, the next event is the place to bring a real deal packet (financials, tax returns, bank statements) and watch Aloan run on your own files.

Hotel: The C. Baldwin Hotel Houston served as the exclusive hotel for EFC 2026.

Aloan at EFC 2026

How we showed up at the show

01

Live Tech Demo on Stage

We ran our seven-to-eight-minute live demo during the Tech Demos showcase on Monday afternoon. The walk-through covered a real commercial deal packet from document intake to underwriter-ready credit memo, in front of the EFC audience.
02

1:1 Working Sessions

Private working sessions with the team across both days. Attendees brought real deal packets (financials, tax returns, bank statements) and we ran them through Aloan live so they could see the platform on their actual files, not a canned demo.

Agenda

Sessions, speakers, and topics

Drawn from the official EFC 2026 program. All times Central Time at the C. Baldwin Hotel Houston. The highlighted slot is where Aloan demoed on stage.

Day 1 · Monday, May 18

Opening day. Market outlook, lot perspectives panel, Tech Demos showcase, cocktail reception.

11:00am

Registration opens
1:15pm

Opening remarks
1:30–2:15pm

Session 1: 2026 Market & Funding Outlook

Martin Lavelle, Senior Business Economist, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago · Sponsored by National General

Analyzing current interest rates, business credit health, and the overall equipment sector; forecasting equipment finance performance and volume amid industrywide bankruptcies; assessing credit performance and financing profit margins. Moderated by Johnnie Martinez, Deputy Editor, Equipment Finance News.
2:15–3:15pm

Session 2 Panel: Lot Perspectives. Current Equipment and Financing Demand, Strategies and Growth Opportunities

How real-time lot data improves visibility, tracking, and risk management; current credit conditions and interest-rate trends and how they help or harm dealers and lender margins; inventory level shifts, aging, and OEM production. Panelists: Heidi Brooks (DLL), D.J. Jackson (Oakmont Capital Services), Skip Owen (Hills Machinery), Bob Rinaldi (Rinaldi Advisory Services). Moderated by Quinn Donoghue, Associate Editor, Equipment Finance News.
3:15–3:45pm

Networking coffee break
Aloan
3:45–5:00pm

Session 3: Tech Demos. New Technologies for Equipment Finance

Live tech demonstrations from cutting-edge fintech companies, with each company on the clock to impress in seven to eight minutes of working product. Participating companies (alphabetical order): Aloan, Cosmos AI, DataCRaiM, Ekho, Sharpei AI, The Origination API. Moderated by Quinn Donoghue, Equipment Finance News. Aloan presents first.
5:00pm

Cocktail reception

Day 2 · Tuesday, May 19

Fireside chats, dealer-lender roundtables, compliance, technology innovation, and the rental revolution.

8:00–9:00am

Registration & networking breakfast

Start Day 2 by networking with fellow attendees.
9:00–9:10am

Welcoming remarks
9:10–9:40am

Session 4 Fireside Chat: Kirk Mann, EVP & Head of Transportation, Vendor Solutions, Mitsubishi HC Capital America

Kirk Mann, Mitsubishi HC Capital America

Mitsubishi HC Capital America executive Kirk Mann shares perspective from his 37-year career: market outlook and customer demand shifts, transportation and vendor strategy, and technology and leadership development in equipment finance. Moderated by JJ Hornblass, Founder & CEO, Royal Media.
9:40–10:25am

Session 5 Panel: Enhancing Dealer-Lender Finance Operations for Better Results

Developing and communicating deal-by-deal finance strategies; helping customers navigate approval and funding; creating value through finance, insurance, and aftermarket product offerings. Panelists: John Boy (Anderson Equipment Company), Ritzon Fernandez (Equify Financial), Jody Ray (BMO Bank North America), Troy Vosberg (Finance Scope). Moderated by Johnnie Martinez, Equipment Finance News.
10:25–10:55am

Networking coffee break
10:55am–12:00pm

Session 6: Dealer-Lender Roundtables

Small-group sessions focused on funding speed, digital customer experience, and workflow optimization. Roundtable leaders: JJ Hornblass (Royal Media) and Bob Rinaldi (Rinaldi Advisory Services).
12:00–1:15pm

Networking lunch
1:15–1:45pm

Session 7 Fireside Chat: Andy Suhy, CEO, Premier Equipment Solutions

Andy Suhy, Premier Equipment Solutions

A frank discussion on industry trends, originations, and strategic imperatives. Topics include market outlook covering growth in investment and AI infrastructure, Premier's approach to growth and relationship management, and technology innovation around bundled services, digital platforms, and faster decisioning. Moderated by Johnnie Martinez, Equipment Finance News.
1:45–2:25pm

Session 8: Navigating the Compliance Landscape for Lenders and Dealers

Mehul Madia, Special Counsel, Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton

Implications of new dealer regulatory requirements; practical tips for better compliance workflows, staffing, and technology; what the industrywide bankruptcy wave means for contract law. Moderated by Quinn Donoghue, Equipment Finance News.
2:25–2:55pm

Networking break
2:55–3:35pm

Session 9 Panel: Technology Innovations Shaping Operational Success

Reshaping credit and asset management strategies amid tech innovations; transforming the dealer-lender workflow and customer expectations; operational efficiency improvements across dealer and lender networks. Panelists: Brian Antonellis (Fleet Advantage), Josh Arnall (H&R Agri-Power), Eduardo Cruz (Commercial Equipment Finance), Tawnya Stone (GreatAmerica Financial Services). Moderated by Quinn Donoghue, Equipment Finance News.
3:35–4:15pm

Session 10 Panel: Rental Revolution. How Financing, Fleets & Technology are Redefining Equipment Utilization

Assessing rental utilization trends as more dealers and lenders enter the industry; funding fleet growth amid dealer-rental growth; maintenance planning, risk controls, uptime, and disposition strategies for rentals. Panelists: Ritzon Fernandez (Equify Financial), Josh Nickell (Northside Tool Rental). Moderated by Johnnie Martinez, Equipment Finance News.
4:15pm

Conference concludes

Source: equipmentfinanceconnect.com/agenda. Session titles, times, and speakers are subject to change. Verify on the official site.

What Aloan showed on stage

End-to-end AI commercial underwriting in seven minutes

EFC's Tech Demos format was seven to eight minutes, no slides, off our own device. That is exactly how long it took Aloan to run a real commercial deal packet from analyst inbox to underwriter-ready credit memo. The on-stage walk-through covered:

01

Document intake and classification

Tax returns, bank statements, financials, equipment quotes, K-1s. Aloan tagged each by type, year, and entity.
02

Spreading with source citations

Every number clicked back to the exact page — the audit trail credit committees and examiners now expect.
03

Multi-entity consolidation, global cash flow

K-1 tracing, Schedule E reconciliation, entity graph and global cash flow rollup. No Excel handoff.
04

Risk flags and policy checks

Revenue trend inversions, NSFs, UCC liens, covenant breaches, concentration risks, policy exceptions.
05

Underwriter-ready credit memo

Borrower overview, financial analysis, risk factors, mitigants, recommendation. Every figure cited back to source. Hand-off to the origination system, not re-keying.

FAQ

Equipment Finance Connect 2026, answered

Where was Aloan at Equipment Finance Connect 2026?

Aloan was one of the confirmed demo companies for the EFC 2026 Tech Demos showcase. We presented live during Session 3 on Monday, May 18, 2026 from 3:45–5:00pm CT, and our team was on-site both days (May 18–19) at the C. Baldwin Hotel in Houston for private 1:1 working sessions.

When did Aloan demo on the EFC stage?

Aloan presented live during the Tech Demos showcase (Session 3) on Monday, May 18, 2026 from 3:45–5:00pm CT. Each company demoed for seven to eight minutes in alphabetical order, and Aloan was first up in the lineup.

Can I book a meeting with Aloan at a future event?

Yes. Our events page lists the next conferences where the Aloan team will be on-site. Conference calendars fill up fast, so we recommend booking ahead. Bring a real commercial deal packet (financials, tax returns, bank statements) and we will run it through Aloan on-site so you see exactly how our AI commercial underwriting platform handles your file mix.

What did Aloan show on stage at EFC 2026?

We demoed AI commercial underwriting end to end: document intake and classification, automated financial spreading with source-document citations on every number, risk flagging, multi-entity consolidation and global cash flow, and underwriter-ready credit memo generation. All on a real deal packet.

Go deeper on AI commercial underwriting

Catch us at the next event

EFC 2026 is in the books. See where the Aloan team is heading next, or grab a working session with a founder remotely.

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