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GeezerVison is showing techcrunch.com — Startup Battlefield | TechCrunch

Congrats to 2026 champion Intero Biosystems!

Intero and runner-up Apate led a competitive cohort of 20 finalists at Disrupt. Your startup could be next.

Learn More

Startup Battlefield

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The world’s most promising early-stage startups. Selected by TechCrunch. Trained, tested, and put on a global stage. Startup Battlefield brings together 200 standout companies to showcase at Disrupt and compete for a $100K equity-free prize, investor attention, and the kind of media exposure that can change the trajectory of a company overnight.

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SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 15: (L-R) Madeline Eiken, CTO/COO & co-founder, Intero Biosystems, and Charlie Childs, CEO & co-founder, Intero Biosystems, accept the Startup Battlefield 2026 award from Isabelle Johannessen, Head of the Startup Battlefield Program, TechCrunch, during TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 at Moscone Center on October 15, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Kimberly White/Getty Images for TechCrunch)
  • 1,700+ Companies
  • $32B Total Funds Raised
  • 250+ Total Exits

What is Startup Battlefield?

Startup Battlefield is the original startup pitch competition. The program that found Dropbox, Trello, Cloudflare, and Discord before the world knew their names. For over 15 years, TechCrunch has used Startup Battlefield to surface the most promising early-stage companies on earth. Not the ones already famous. The ones about to be. 

 Being named to the Startup Battlefield 200 is itself an honor. It lives on your LinkedIn, your press page, your pitch deck — permanently. And it’s open to any early-stage founder with the conviction to apply. 

Applications have closed for 2026, and our winner has been revealed, but please consider applying next year!

Why founders should apply

Startup Battlefield is TechCrunch’s central pipeline for identifying and elevating early-stage startups. While selection does not guarantee editorial coverage, it places companies in front of our editorial team and creates multiple opportunities for visibility around Disrupt and beyond. The most compelling companies will present in front of thousands at Disrupt. 

As part of the Startup Battlefield process, you get to participate in everything from pitch training to masterclass sessions with top operators and VCs, and you become a part of an alumni community of thousands whose expertise is limitless. 

Here is a detailed list of tips and recommendations for what to include in your application and potential pitch.

Applications have closed for 2026, but we’ll be letting the community know when 2027 applications open.

Some of the biggest names in tech are Startup Battlefield alumni

Image Credits:TechCrunch /

Come see Startup Battlefield at Disrupt

Don’t miss a moment of this intense pitch competition across all three days!

Register NOW

Why investors love Startup Battlefield

Startup Battlefield is where investors look to identify the next wave of innovation. Each year, it surfaces a concentrated set of early-stage companies across industries — many of which go on to define new categories.

For VCs, it’s a high-signal environment to evaluate founders, see ideas take shape in real time, and get ahead of emerging trends before they’re widely. 

Selected companies present onstage at Disrupt and connect directly with investors throughout the event, creating a rare opportunity to engage early and build relationships that can lead to future investments. 

TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 200 2023

For investors, Startup Battlefield also serves as a powerful platform to elevate portfolio companies. VCs actively seek to position their companies for global visibility across potential partners, hires, investors, and media — you can submit a nomination to put a company on that stage. 

For those attending Disrupt, the experience extends well beyond the stage — offering a curated pipeline of founders, direct access to teams, and the opportunity to meet one-on-one with the innovators shaping what comes next. You can get your ticket to be part of the audience identifying what’s next alongside some of the most respected investors in the industry. 

Startup Battlefield attracts the top investors in the world

A list of VC firms that have taken part in Startup Battlefield
Image Credits:TechCrunch /

What if I get into Startup Battlefield?

Congrats! You’ve made it into a wildly competitive and qualified cohort. Our team will be in touch about all of the specifics and logistics that ensue. We will guide you through the process of getting expert prep in advance of the public reveal of the Startup Battlefield 200 in late August, the ramp-up to Disrupt, the grand showcase of the 20 finalists during the event, and the eventual crowning of the Startup Battlefield champion.

And if you didn’t get in, don’t worry. There are many participating companies and founders who have tried multiple times before succeeding. Applying also gives you a special set of perks for if you go to Disrupt!

The journey for the final 200 participants in each year’s Startup Battlefield and for those who didn’t make the cut doesn’t end when the winner is given their trophy.

Throughout the year, we keep our alumni network activated on Discord. Our newsletter shares insights and updates on what our team is up to and what’s in store for the next competition. And we even have a new podcast, Build Mode, hosted by the Head of Startup Battlefield, Isabelle Johannessen. You can subscribe right here.

If you have other questions that are not addressed by our extensive FAQ or if you have feedback, you can reach the team here.


Featured

Featured

The 2026 Startup Battlefield 200 is here — see who made the cut

  • Isabelle Johannessen
  • Michael Schick
Aug 20, 2026
Startups

From the stage to the future: Where are Startup Battlefield’s alumni now?

  • Isabelle Johannessen
Jun 1, 2026
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And the winner of Startup Battlefield at Disrupt 2025 is: Glīd

  • Sean O'Kane
Oct 29, 2025
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FDA approval, fundraising, and the reality of building in healthcare according to BioticsAI founder

  • Maggie Nye
  • Isabelle Johannessen
Apr 30, 2026
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Build Mode starts at the beginning: How Forethought AI found product-market fit

  • Isabelle Johannessen
  • Maggie Nye
Nov 13, 2025


Startup Battlefield News

  • TechCrunch Disrupt 2026

    TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 Startup Battlefield 200: Celebrating outstanding achievements

    • Michael Schick
    • Isabelle Johannessen
    Oct 22, 2026
  • Robotics

    Laplace Intelligence red-teams robots and self-driving cars before they hit the real world

    • Rebecca Bellan
    Oct 19, 2026
  • Startups

    Tressfecta wants to make hair braiding a less arduous task for hairstylists

    • Dominic-Madori Davis
    Oct 16, 2026
  • SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 15: (L-R) Madeline Eiken, CTO/COO & co-founder, Intero Biosystems, and Charlie Childs, CEO & co-founder, Intero Biosystems, accept the Startup Battlefield 2026 award from Isabelle Johannessen, Head of the Startup Battlefield Program, TechCrunch, during TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 at Moscone Center on October 15, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Kimberly White/Getty Images for TechCrunch)
    Startups

    And the winner of Startup Battlefield at Disrupt 2026 is: Intero Biosystems

    • Sean O'Kane
    Oct 15, 2026
  • Render of a hand gripping a smartphone as flames consume the device.
    TechCrunch Disrupt 2026

    Gudea leverages AI to help organizations prevent social media crises before they erupt

    • Lauren Forristal
    Oct 14, 2026
  • 2DOrganoidSlice_greynuclei_pinksmoothmuslce_blueepithelium_
    TechCrunch Disrupt 2026

    Intero Biosystems wants drugmakers to test on mini human intestines, not animals

    • Kate Park
    Oct 14, 2026
  • CedarDB Founders Moritz Sichert, Lukas Vogel, Philipp Fent, Dominik Durner and Christian Winter
    TechCrunch Disrupt 2026

    CedarDB wants one database to handle both transactions and analytics, as AI agents raise the stakes

    • Anna Heim
    Oct 14, 2026
  • Benjamin Dose and Angela Relógio - TimeTeller
    TechCrunch Disrupt 2026

    TimeTeller puts our internal clocks at the center of personalized medicine

    • Anna Heim
    Oct 14, 2026
  • TechCrunch Disrupt 2026

    Hiyd is a health tracker that attaches to the watch you already wear

    • Amanda Silberling
    Oct 14, 2026
  • TechCrunch Disrupt 2026

    Apate sends AI agents undercover to get scammed so they can gather fraud intelligence

    • Ram Iyer
    Oct 14, 2026
  • Cropped shot of a senior couple meeting with a consultant to discuss paperwork at home
    TechCrunch Disrupt 2026

    Prismm helps banks keep inherited money in-house

    • Aisha Malik
    Oct 14, 2026
  • Floqer founders
    TechCrunch Disrupt 2026

    Floqer’s AI agents research sales prospects so teams don’t have to

    • Lauren Forristal
    Oct 14, 2026

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Startup Battlefield 200

Startup Battlefield news and updates, for new companies and alumni alike.

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Come see Startup Battlefield at Disrupt

Don’t miss a moment of this intense pitch competition across all three days!

Register NOW

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