Startup Battlefield 200ย atย TechCrunch Disrupt 2025ย isย almost here, and the pressure has never been higher. Withย $100,000ย on the line, theย top 20 early-stage startupsย know they must deliver theirย very bestย on theย Disrupt stageย fromย October 27-29 at San Franciscoโs Moscone West. Meanwhile, our VC judges will bring sharp questions, deep experience, and a discerning eye to distinguish the promising from the truly exceptional.
Foundersย can gain invaluable insights into what makes a winning pitch and a sustainable startup from these seasoned VCs.ย Investorsย can discover pitch-ready, impactful startups to add to their pipeline. Everyone else canย witnessย the intense startup showdown, where the top 20 TechCrunch-vetted startups pitch for the equity-free prize and the coveted Disrupt Cup.
Register nowย to watch and save up to $444 on yourย pass, orย bring your team or friends andย save up to 30% with bundle passes.ย Donโtย miss this nail-biting โWorld Seriesโ of pitch competitions live.
Meet the next batch ofย Battlefieldย 200 judges
Today,ย weโreย excited to introduce theย fourth wave of judgesย joining the competition. Only one more revealย remains. Stay tunedย to theย Disrupt agendaย to seeย who the last five judges willย be.
Allison Baum Gates, General Partner,ย SemperVirensย Venture Capitalย
Allison Baum Gatesย is a general partner atย SemperVirens, a venture fund investing in healthcare, fintech, and enterprise SaaS. To date, she has raised hundreds of millions of dollars from LPs in the US, Europe, and Asia, and has deployed capital into more than 70 companies, including nine unicorns, 24 exits, and holds 10 board positions.ย
Gates has been featured in major publications such as the Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and TechCrunch, and has taught hundreds of business school students. She is a lecturer in management at Stanford GSB and the author ofย Breaking into Ventureย (McGraw-Hill, 2023), a comprehensive guide for navigating the VC industry. Her second book,ย Beyond the Pitch: The Psychology of Raising VC Funding, will be released next year. She holds a B.A. in Economics with Honors from Harvard University and is proficient in three languages.
Katelin Holloway,ย Founding Partner, 776ย
Katelin Hollowayย is a founding partner at Alexis Ohanianโs early-stage venture capital firm,ย 776. A seasoned investor with more than 20 years of operational experience at companies like Pixar and Reddit, Holloway backs transformative startups across diverse sectors. She invests in solutions that expand human potential and resilience, advancing health, exploring new frontiers, driving sustainability, fostering creativity, and enriching the human experience.ย
Techcrunch event
San Francisco
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October 27-29, 2025
At 776, Holloway combines her operationalย expertiseย with a deep commitment to supporting founders as they navigate early-stage challenges and scale their visions. She is dedicated to reshaping venture capital by empowering generational entrepreneurs to tackle humanityโs biggest challenges while delivering exceptional returns.ย
Miloni Madan Presler, Partner,ย Institutional Venture Partners (IVP)ย
Miloni Madanย is passionate about partnering with businesses that innovate with purpose โ companies that solve real problems rather than innovate for innovationโs sake. As a general partner atย Institutional Venture Partners (IVP), she focuses on supporting founders who build products and solutions that people truly need, not just want. She seeks out companies that bridge gaps in fragmented ecosystems, automate outdated processes, and deliver data-driven platforms capable of transforming industries. Madanย is driven by the belief that these companies โ and their impact โ will endure long beyond any single investment, andย itโsย this pursuit of lasting change that fuels her commitment and intentionality in every partnership.
Saraย Ittelson, Partner, Accelย
Saraย Ittelsonย joinedย Accelย in 2022 and focuses on early-stage consumer, enterprise, and AI companies.ย Beforeย Accel, she wasย head ofย strategicย partnerships at Faire and previously worked in Global Business Development at Uber.ย Ittelsonย is from Chico, California, and graduated from Northwestern University and Stanford.ย
Rinki Sethi, Founding Partner, Lockstepย
Rinki Sethiย isย chiefย securityย officer atย Upwind Securityย andย foundingย partner atย Lockstep. She previously served asย viceย president andย chiefย informationย securityย officer at Twitter, BILL, and Rubrik and held senior security leadership rolesย atย Palo Alto Networks, IBM,ย eBay,ย and Intuit. Sethi brings deepย expertiseย to both the private sector and corporate boards, shaping security strategy at the highest levels.
Nowโs the time to save on your Disrupt passย
Donโtย miss the startup pitch competition of the year, live. Withย electrifyingย energy, high stakes, and sharp questions, Startup Battlefield 200 has long been the launchpad for early-stage startups. Brands like Discord, Trello, and Mint got their big break on the Disrupt stage.ย Register hereย to join before ticketย pricesย increase.
