According to TechCrunch, the 200 startups pitching at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 (Oct. 13-15) are competing for more than a trophy. The five judges deciding this year's champion are founder-turned-investor powerhouses who've built the firms they now lead.
Stacy Brown-Philpot, founder of Cherryrock Capital, leads the panel. The former TaskRabbit CEO and ex-Google executive spent over a decade in Silicon Valley before launching her fund focused on Black and Latinx founders in software. Her portfolio includes Coactive AI and Vitable Health.
Chi-Hua Chien from Goodwater Capital has backed over 17 unicorns across his career, including Facebook, Spotify, Twitter, Square, and TikTok.
The panel's defining feature is this: TechCrunch selected judges who've personally founded or co-founded their investment firms. These aren't hired guns making safe bets. They are investors who risked their own capital and reputation to build venture funds. That's the perspective evaluating the next breakthrough.
A Startup Battlefield win now means three days of visibility to 10,000+ tech leaders, press coverage, and endorsement from five of the most connected investor-founders in the room. For founders struggling to get meetings, that matters more than the prize itself.
The competition runs October 13-15, with 20 startups pitching across all three days. Later that afternoon, all five judges reconvene on the Builders Stage for a live AMA where attendees can ask them what separates great pitches from great companies and where they're deploying capital next.
TechCrunch is offering passes with early-bird discounts (save up to $100) and group rates for teams of four or more.
