Hundreds of hours spent evaluating startups from around the world. Now comes the part everyone has been waiting for. Startup Battlefield 200 is almost here, and with today’s announcement, the judging panel is nearly complete.
In just a couple of weeks, 200 carefully selected startups will gather at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 to exhibit, meet investors, and compete for one of the most coveted opportunities in the startup world. Only a select group will advance to the live competition, where they’ll pitch in front of thousands of founders, investors, media, and customers and face questions from some of the sharpest minds in technology. Today’s judges bring decades of experience building companies, backing founders, and spotting transformative ideas before they become obvious.
They’ll help decide which startups continue their journey toward the Startup Battlefield finals and, ultimately, who has a chance to lift this year’s trophy. If you want to see tomorrow’s industry leaders before the rest of the world does, there’s no better place to be than TechCrunch Disrupt. The only way to be front and center at the Disrupt Stage and witness the ultimate pitch competition of the year is to register for TechCrunch Disrupt.
Grab your pass and bring your co-founder, partner, or peer for 50% off. Bringing a community of four or more? Save up to 30% on passes.
Get to know all 20 judges revealed so far by visiting the Disrupt agenda. Stay tuned for the final announcement, where we’ll unveil the five judges who will evaluate the finalists and determine who takes home the $100,000 equity-free prize and coveted Disrupt Cup. Caleb Appleton is a partner at Bison Ventures, where he invests in physical AI across techbio, robotics, and real-world intelligence.
A biomedical engineer by training, his investments include Cobot, Vivodyne, Passkey, Sleuth, Inner Logic, Cosmon, and Grid Aero. Previously, Appleton invested in frontier technologies at Innovation Endeavors and spent several years as an operator at TuneIn, giving him experience spanning early-stage science, venture investing, and scaling a technology business. Sara Deshpande, General Partner, Maven Ventures Sara Deshpande is a general partner at Maven Ventures, where she invests in seed-stage companies built around emerging consumer behaviors and trends.
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