The application window for the Startup Battlefield 200 at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 closes soon, marking the final opportunity for early-stage companies to apply for the competition's pitch event.

TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 will take place from October 13 to 15 at Moscone West in San Francisco, featuring a panel of venture capital judges who will evaluate participating startups. The competition, running for over 15 years, has historically launched companies that later defined new markets.

The newly announced judges include Aditi Maliwal, a general partner at Upfront Ventures who invests in pre-seed and seed-stage fintech, enterprise SaaS, AI applications, and developer tools. Her portfolio includes companies such as Clair, Writer, Arcade, and General Translation, and she previously worked at Google and Deutsche Bank before leading a Series A investment in Chime.

Michael Palank, a general partner at MaC Ventures, will also join the judging panel. MaC Ventures, a majority Black-owned firm, focuses on seed-stage consumer and enterprise companies across AI, fintech, healthcare, media, entertainment, and aerospace and defense. Palank previously worked in Hollywood talent representation at William Morris and Overbrook Entertainment.

Nell Daly, co-founder and managing partner of Revenge Capital, brings a sector-agnostic investment approach to the competition. Revenge Capital prioritizes overlooked founders, including women, BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, disabled, and neurodiverse entrepreneurs, across the United States and United Kingdom. Daly previously worked as a psychotherapist before transitioning to venture capital.

Grace Ge, a partner at Amplify Partners, focuses on AI, developer tooling, data infrastructure, and modern SaaS, particularly at the intersection of foundation models and enterprise applications. Her portfolio includes Pinecone, Eppo, Vivun, Orb, and Avoca, and she was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for Venture Capital.

Crystal Huang, a general partner at Google Ventures (GV), specializes in enterprise SaaS, AI infrastructure, and fintech, with an emphasis on product-led and developer-led go-to-market strategies. Her portfolio includes Typeface, Pecan AI, Sardine, Cacheflow, PostHog, Roboflow, and Sift, and she previously worked at NEA and GGV Capital before joining GV.

The competition provides startups with direct access to experienced investors who assess companies based on conviction, clarity, execution, and potential to become category leaders, rather than presentation polish. TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 will host over 10,000 technology leaders, VCs, and founders, offering networking opportunities and insights into emerging industry trends.

Tickets for the event are available with discounts of up to $200, though rates will increase on September 25 at 11:59 p.m. PT. Registration is open for individuals and groups seeking to attend the conference and Startup Battlefield competition.