TechCrunch Startup Battlefield is a annual media recognizing excellence in Technology. Organized by TechCrunch, it covers the Global region. Established in 2007.
Startup Battlefield is TechCrunch's startup pitch competition, running since its first edition in 2007 (originally TC40, folded into the Disrupt conference in 2010). Applications are reviewed by TechCrunch's Startup Battlefield and editorial teams — working journalists evaluating innovation and market impact rather than a sponsor-picked panel. The alumni record is the program's real credential: over 1,700 companies have competed, collectively raising more than $32 billion with 250+ exits, and the stage launched Dropbox, Trello, Cloudflare, and Discord before they were household names.
There is one competition track with escalating stakes. Two hundred companies are selected annually as the Startup Battlefield 200 and exhibit at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco with funded demo booths and complimentary tickets. Twenty finalists deliver six-minute pitches on the main stage, livestreamed globally; five advance to a final round for the $100,000 equity-free prize and the Disrupt Cup. Even non-winners get investor and press exposure that early-stage companies rarely buy at any price, plus pitch training and masterclass sessions with operators and VCs.
Entry is free — TechCrunch takes no fees and no equity from applicants. Applications typically open in spring and close in late May or early June (the 2026 window closed June 8 after an extension), with selected companies notified roughly two months before Disrupt in the fall. Strong applications are early-stage companies with a genuinely novel product and a clear market story; the editorial judges are screening for startups they would want to write about.