NEWS · STARTUPS · #1141
TechCrunch adds five VCs to Startup Battlefield 200 judging panel for Disrupt 2026
TechCrunch named five additional judges for Startup Battlefield 200 at Disrupt 2026: Caleb Appleton (Bison Ventures), Sara Deshpande (Maven Ventures), Aatish Nayak (Kleiner Perkins), Jason Risch (Greylock), and Mark Xu (Index Ventures). The 200 selected startups will exhibit and compete at Moscone West Oct. 13–15 for a $100,000 equity-free prize and a place in the live finals.
KEY POINTS
- TechCrunch named five additional judges for Startup Battlefield 200 at Disrupt 2026: Caleb Appleton (Bison Ventures), Sara Deshpande (Maven Ventures), Aatish Nayak (Kleiner Perkins), Jason Risch (Greylock), and Mark Xu (Index Ventures).
- The 200 selected startups will exhibit and compete at Moscone West Oct.
- 13–15 for a $100,000 equity-free prize and a place in the live finals.
WHY IT MATTERS
The panel includes investors with explicit AI and ML backgrounds who will influence which startups—particularly AI-native teams—advance toward the finals.