Every year, thousands of founders dream of making it to the Disrupt Stage at the Startup Battlefield 200, the ultimate startup pitch competition at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026. Only 200 early-stage founders will stand a chance at global attention, and even fewer will be able to participate in the live competition in San Francisco from October 13-15. That can change everything in a matter of minutes.
Startup Battlefield 200 has been showcasing the world’s next generation of breakthrough companies for over 15 years. Long before Dropbox, Cloudflare, Discord, and Trello were household names, these founders took to the Disrupt Stage to make their case to a panel of talented founders and investors. To date, Startup Battlefield alumni have collectively raised more than $32 billion, proving this is more than just a pitch contest. TechCrunch is the place to help the startup ecosystem discover what’s next.
Don’t miss your chance to witness one of the most competitive startup competitions and meet all 200 of the next generation of breakthrough companies at Disrupt 2026. Grab your tickets and save up to $200 before prices increase after September 25th.
Introducing the first batch of Startup Battlefield 200 judges
They are not passive observers. They are industry leaders who challenge assumptions, test business models, question product decisions, and ultimately decide which founders will move one step closer to Startup Battlefield 200 glory. Over the next few weeks, we’ll introduce you to the tech industry’s top investors, executives and entrepreneurs who will be joining this year’s judging panel.
Today, we are excited to announce our first group. When you attend Disrupt, you’ll have a front row seat to testing the next generation of startups and determining which founders have what it takes to move forward.
Janelle Teng Wade, Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners
Janelle Teng is a partner at Bessemer Venture Partners, where she invests in early-stage AI infrastructure, data platforms, developer tools, and defense technology. Her current portfolio includes Claroty, Coactive AI, Moonvalley, Render, TurbineOne, and Virtru. Prior to joining Bessemer, Teng was a product manager at Salesforce. She holds degrees in biology and economics from Stanford University.
Puneet Agarwal, Managing Partner, True Ventures
Puneet Agarwal is a Managing Partner at True Ventures and leads the firm’s corporate investment thesis centered around AI-reimagined infrastructure and applications. Throughout his career, he has supported companies such as Peloton, Duo Security, and Fitbit. Mr. Agarwal previously held senior operator roles at BEA Systems and IBM.
Benjamin Narasin, General Partner, Tenacity Venture Capital
Benjamin Narasin is a general partner at Tenacity Venture Capital and one of the original pioneers of pre-seed investing in the United States. Throughout his career, he has invested in consumers, enterprises, hardware, and media, supporting founders with conviction long before there was traction and before most companies were ready to write their first check.
Leah Solivan, Founder and Managing Director, Precedent.vc
Leah Solivan is the Founder and Managing Director of Precedent.vc, a pre-seed and seed fund focused on the future of work, AI-native platforms, consumer technology, health technology, and marketplaces. Her current portfolio includes Boardy.ai, Pacaso, Our Place, and MiSalud. Before founding Precedent, Solivan founded TaskRabbit, which was acquired by IKEA in 2017.
Andrew Brackin, Partner at Gradient
Andrew Brackin is a partner at Gradient, Google’s AI-focused seed fund, investing in vertical AI, healthcare, and application layers. His portfolio includes Enzo Health, Vera Health, Paladin, and Forge. Prior to joining Gradient, Mr. Brackin co-founded Vial, a technology-enabled clinical trial platform that raised more than $100 million in venture capital, and was the founding director of Newfront, a commercial insurance brokerage that was acquired by WTW in 2025 for $1.3 billion. A 2013 Thiel Fellow, he is originally from London and based in San Francisco.
Don’t miss Battlefield 200 of Disrupt and Startups
TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 is just around the corner, bringing together more than 10,000 technology leaders, venture capitalists, and founders to meet the next generation of breakout startups, connect with those who can change the trajectory of startups, and get a front-row seat to where the industry is headed.
Save up to $200 on tickets before the price increase on September 25th. Save even more by registering as a group.
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