TechCrunch Picks 5 More Judges for Its Big Startup Contest
TechCrunch has picked five more judges for Startup Battlefield 200 at Disrupt 2026, set for October 13-15 at Moscone West in San Francisco. TechCrunch
The news on September 21 follows 10 judges already named. The first five were named on September 10, and the next group was named on September 16. That September 16 group includes Aditi Maliwal, Michael Palank and Nell Daly. TechCrunch
Two of the new five are Vaibhav ‘Dr.V’ Agrawal, co-founder and general partner of ODDBIRD VC, and Anu Bharadwaj, partner at ICONIQ Growth who focuses on business software and AI companies.
Agrawal is a doctor turned early investor. He holds a medical degree, an MBBS, and a business degree, an MBA, from Stanford. Starting in 2016, he was General Partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners India, backing young startups.
In 2024, he started ODDBIRD VC, a pre-seed fund for very young startups, to back AI companies in health and biology, supply chains, and machines that do real-world work. One company named is Anterior, a health AI firm that has raised $64 million from NEA and Sequoia.
The contest covers 200 young startups picked for Startup Battlefield 200. TechCrunch Each founder gets six minutes to present. All 200 compete for Best in Industry honors, with 20 picked to present live on stage. The winner gets $100,000.
TechCrunch calls Disrupt the meeting place for startup and investment leaders. About 10,000 founders, investors and operators are expected in 2026. Sign-up before September 25 saves up to $200, with bundle passes up to 30% off.
The broader context here helps explain what judges will want. Many invest in business tools, AI, health and factory automation. Like a job interview, clear detail on how the product works, what data it needs, and how it earns money will matter more than broad promises.
In my view, that is a good test. Battlefield rewards founders who explain a hard problem simply and answer direct questions. Six minutes is short. Judges will check if the demo works in real life and if the team can sell and support it. For others attending, feedback and new contacts often matter more than the prize, and early scrutiny tends to make good ideas better.
