TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 Adds Five Startup Battlefield Judges Ahead of Ticket Deadline
publishers 4articles 11first reported 24 Sep, 14:00 UTCdeveloping since 24 Sep · 4 editions
TechCrunch has announced five additional investors who will judge Startup Battlefield 200 contenders at Disrupt 2026, scheduled for October 13-15 at Moscone West in San Francisco.
Among the newly announced judges are Vaibhav “Dr.V” Agrawal, co-founder and general partner of pre-seed firm ODDBIRD VC, and Anu Bharadwaj, a partner at ICONIQ who previously served as Atlassian’s president and chief operating officer. The five investors join 10 judges previously named for the competition.
Startup Battlefield participants will each receive six minutes to pitch their companies before facing questions from the panel. The winning early-stage founder will receive a $100,000 prize. The competition will be held on Disrupt’s main stage as part of an event expected to draw more than 10,000 attendees and over 250 speakers and industry leaders.
The broader three-day program will include sessions on fundraising, hiring, product strategy and growth, as well as discussions covering artificial intelligence, fintech, infrastructure, robotics, energy and security. Interactive roundtables and breakout sessions will allow attendees to question founders, investors and operators directly.
TechCrunch is offering discounts of up to $200 on passes through September 25 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific time. A second guest can be added at a 50% discount.
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