First judges revealed for Startup Battlefield 200

Every year, thousands of founders dream of stepping onto the Disrupt Stage for the ultimate startup pitch competition, Startup Battlefield 200, at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026. Just 200 early-stage founders earn the chance to compete for the global spotlight, and even fewer make it to the live competition taking place October 13-15 in San Francisco. When they do, everything can change in a matter of minutes.

Startup Battlefield 200 has introduced the world’s next generation of breakout companies for more than 15 years. Long before Dropbox, Cloudflare, Discord, and Trello became household names, their founders stood on the Disrupt Stage and made their case to a panel of high-caliber founders and investors. Today, Startup Battlefield alumni have collectively raised more than $32 billion, proving this isn’t just another pitch competition. It’s where TechCrunch helps the startup ecosystem discover what’s next.

Don’t miss your chance to witness one of the most intense startup competitions and meet all 200 of the next generation of breakout companies at Disrupt 2026. Grab your ticket and save up to $200 before prices go up after September 25.

Meet the first wave of Startup Battlefield 200 judges

These aren’t passive observers. They’re industry leaders who will challenge assumptions, test business models, question product decisions, and ultimately decide which founders advance one step closer to Startup Battlefield 200 glory. Over the coming weeks, we’ll introduce some of tech’s top investors, operators, and entrepreneurs joining this year’s judging panel.

Today, we’re excited to reveal the first group. If you’re coming to Disrupt, you’ll have a front-row seat as they put the next generation of startups to the test and determine which founders have what it takes to advance.

Janelle Teng Wade, Partner, Bessemer Venture Partners

Janelle Teng is a partner at Bessemer Venture Partners, where she invests in early-stage AI infrastructure, data platforms, developer tools, and defense technology. Her current portfolio includes Claroty, Coactive AI, Moonvalley, Render, TurbineOne, and Virtru. Before joining Bessemer, Teng was a product manager at Salesforce. She holds degrees in biology and economics from Stanford University.

Puneet Agarwal, Managing Partner, True Ventures

Puneet Agarwal is a managing partner at True Ventures, where he leads the firm’s enterprise investing thesis centered on AI-reimagined infrastructure and applications. Over his career, he has backed such companies as Peloton, Duo Security, and Fitbit. Agarwal previously held senior operator roles at BEA Systems and IBM.

Benjamin Narasin, General Partner, Tenacity Venture Capital

Benjamin Narasin is a general partner at Tenacity Venture Capital and one of the original pioneers of pre-seed investing in the United States. He has invested across consumer, enterprise, hardware, and media over the course of his career, backing founders on conviction long before traction — and before most firms were willing to write the first check.

Leah Solivan, Founder and Managing Director, Precedent.vc

Leah Solivan is the founder and managing director of Precedent.vc, a pre-seed and seed fund focused on the future of work, AI-native platforms, consumer tech, health tech, and marketplaces. Her current portfolio includes Boardy.ai, Pacaso, Our Place, and MiSalud. Before founding Precedent, Solivan founded TaskRabbit, which was acquired by IKEA in 2017.

Andrew Brackin, Partner, Gradient

Andrew Brackin is a partner at Gradient, Google’s AI-focused seed fund, where he invests in vertical AI, healthcare, and the application layer. His portfolio includes Enzo Health, Vera Health, Paladin, and Forge. Prior to Gradient, Brackin co-founded Vial, a tech-enabled clinical trial platform that raised over $100 million in venture capital and was the founding Head of Growth at Newfront, a commercial insurance brokerage acquired by WTW for $1.3 billion in 2025. A 2013 Thiel Fellow, he is originally from London and is based in San Francisco.

Don’t miss Disrupt and Startup Battlefield 200

TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 is just around the corner, bringing 10,000+ tech leaders, VCs, and founders together to meet the next generation of breakout startups, connect with the people who could change your startup’s trajectory, and get a front-row seat to where the industry is headed.

Save up to $200 on your ticket before rates increase on September 25. Save even more when you register as a group.