Next five VCs judging Startup Battlefield 200 contenders at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026
Thousands of applications. Multiple rounds of review. Hundreds of hours spent evaluating startups from around the world. Now comes the part everyone has been waiting for. Startup Battlefield 200 is almost here, and with today’s announcement, the judging panel is nearly complete. In just a couple of weeks, 200 carefully selected startups will gather at […]
The judging panel for Startup Battlefield 200, a competition where 200 startups from around the world will compete at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, is nearly finalized. Six veteran venture capitalists have been selected to evaluate the finalists and determine the winner who will receive a $100,000 equity-free prize and the coveted Disrupt Cup.
The judges bring decades of experience in building companies, backing founders, and identifying transformative ideas. Caleb Appleton, a partner at Bison Ventures, specializes in physical AI across techbio, robotics, and real-world intelligence. Sara Deshpande, General Partner at Maven Ventures, invests in seed-stage companies focused on emerging consumer behaviors and trends in digital health and AI applications.
Aatish Nayak, who recently joined Kleiner Perkins, focuses on partnering with AI native founders with deep vertical expertise. Jason Risch, Partner at Greylock, invests in enterprise security, AI and ML infrastructure, data platforms, and developer tools. Mark Xu, a partner at Index Ventures, invests across stages in cybersecurity, infrastructure, and AI, particularly looking for deeply technical founders who combine domain expertise with customer obsession.
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