From Dropbox to Cloudflare, Startup Battlefield alumni have redefined industries. Who will win $100,000 and the spotlight this year?
Startup Battlefield 200 is the crown jewel of TechCrunch Disrupt — and this year’s competition promises to be unforgettable. From thousands of applicants, only the top 20 will take the Stage at Disrupt 2025 (October 27–29, San Francisco) to pitch their vision to panels of top-tier VCs in front of a live audience. Every contender is chasing game-changing impact — and we’re here for the drama, the breakthroughs, and the big reveals.
We’re thrilled to announce our first wave of judges who will put these startups to the test with rigorous, no-holds-barred Q&A. Their candid feedback offers a rare window into how world-class investors size up a company — what excites them, what concerns them, and what makes them want to take the next meeting.
Winning Startup Battlefield has launched companies like Dropbox, Mint, Vurb, and Cloudflare into the spotlight — and with a $100,000 equity-free prize on the line, the next big name could be born on the Disrupt Stage this October.
Don’t miss this high-stakes startup pitch-off on a global stage. Learn from emerging founders what it takes to deliver a winning pitch, and hear directly from the investors judging the contenders. Register now for Regular Bird savings.
First look: Meet the VCs taking the judges’ seats
Here are the first five VCs ready to help crown the Startup Battlefield 2025 champion — with more top investors to come soon.
Philip Clark, Investor, Thrive Capital
Philip Clark is an investor at Thrive Capital, where he has partnered with leading software and hardware companies that are engineering breakthrough advancements in AI and robotics, including Anduril, Cursor, Neuralink, Physical Intelligence, and Wiz. He previously invested at Bridgewater. Philip graduated from Stanford with degrees in Computer Science and Management Science and Engineering. He continues to advise the Hoover Institution on various topics in emerging technologies.
Techcrunch event
San Francisco
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October 27-29, 2025
Madison Faulkner, Partner, NEA
Madison Faulkner is a partner at NEA investing in early-stage data, infrastructure, developer tools, data science, and AI, and she also leads the data and AI platform internally for improved investment decision-making. Across her investing career …