A great pitch doesn’t win Startup Battlefield 200. The best companies will win.
That’s why VCs who sit on the jury are so important. They’re not looking for polished presentations or clever demos, they’re looking for founders who solve real business problems that they can live with. Every question they ask is designed to reveal what slides and rehearsed answers don’t: conviction, clarity, execution, and whether this company has the potential to be the next category leader.
For over 15 years, Startup Battlefield has helped launch companies that have gone on to define entire markets. Every year, a new group of founders gets the opportunity to join that tradition.
Today we’re introducing the next group of judges who will be seated at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, which will be held at Moscone West in San Francisco from October 13th to 15th. They spend their days evaluating ambitious startups across a variety of industries and asking the tough questions founders want – and sometimes fear – to ask. If you want to see how savvy investors actually value early-stage companies, there’s no better place to watch than Startup Battlefield, live on Disrupt Stage.
Get up to $200 off on Disrupt 2026 tickets before prices increase on September 25th at 11:59pm PT. Please register here.
Meet the next five VCs who will judge the Startup Battlefield 200
So without further ado, we’d like to introduce you to the following five judges who will be participating in this year’s Startup Battlefield, the ultimate startup pitch competition.
Aditi Maliwal, General Partner, Upfront Ventures
Aditi Maliwal is a general partner at Upfront Ventures, which invests in pre-seed and seed stages in fintech, enterprise SaaS, AI applications, and developer tools. Her portfolio includes Clair, Writer, Arcade, and General Translation. Maliwal previously held positions at Google and Deutsche Bank, and led the Series A investment in Chime while at his previous company. She is Upfront’s first San Francisco-based partner.
Michael Palank, General Partner, MaC Ventures
Michael Palank is a general partner at MaC Ventures, a majority Black-owned venture firm that backs seed-stage consumer companies and large enterprises through culture-driven investment themes focused on AI, fintech, healthcare, media, entertainment, and aerospace and defense. Before moving into business ventures, Palank worked in Hollywood talent representation at Overbrook Entertainment, the production company of William Morris and Will Smith.
Nell Daly, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Revenge Capital
Nell Daly is co-founder and managing partner of Revenge Capital, a sector-agnostic evergreen fund focused on supporting overlooked founders in the US and UK, including women, BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, disabled, and neurodiverse entrepreneurs. Prior to launching the fund, Daly worked as a psychotherapist, a background that directly informs her founder-first investment approach.
Grace Ge, Partner at Amplify Partners
Grace Ge is a partner at Amplify Partners, where she invests in AI, developer tools, data infrastructure, and modern SaaS, with a particular focus on the layer between foundational models and enterprise applications. Her portfolio includes Pinecone, Eppo, Vivun, Orb, and Avoca. Amplify’s broad portfolio includes Datadog, Fastly, Temporal, dbt, and Modal. Ge was named to the Forbes Venture Capital 30 Under 30 list.
Crystal Huang, General Partner, Google Ventures
Crystal Huang is a general partner at GV with a focus on enterprise SaaS, AI infrastructure, and fintech, with a particular focus on product-led and developer-led go-to-market strategies. Her portfolio companies include Typeface, Pecan AI, Sardine, Cacheflow, PostHog, Roboflow, and Sift. Prior to joining GV, Huang was an investor at NEA and GGV Capital and worked in technology mergers and acquisitions at Blackstone.
Get to know all the VC judges on the Disrupt agenda.
Don’t miss Battlefield 200 of Disrupt and Startups
TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 will take place October 13-15 in San Francisco, bringing together more than 10,000 technology leaders, venture capitalists, and founders to meet the next generation of breakout startups, connect with leaders 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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