Key facts
- TechCrunch has announced the first group of judges for the Startup Battlefield 200 competition at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026.
- The competition will take place October 13-15 in San Francisco.
- Startup Battlefield alumni have collectively raised over $32 billion.
- Janelle Teng Wade, a partner at Bessemer Venture Partners, is among the revealed judges.
- Puneet Agarwal, Managing Partner at True Ventures, will also serve as a judge.
- Benjamin Narasin, General Partner at Tenacity Venture Capital, is on the judging panel.
TechCrunch has unveiled the initial lineup of judges for its annual Startup Battlefield 200 competition, a key event at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026. The competition, scheduled for October 13-15 in San Francisco, provides a platform for 200 early-stage startups to pitch their ideas to a panel of industry leaders. Past participants in the Startup Battlefield have collectively secured over $32 billion in funding, highlighting the event's significance in identifying emerging companies.
The judges announced include Janelle Teng Wade, a partner at Bessemer Venture Partners focusing on AI infrastructure and developer tools; Puneet Agarwal, Managing Partner at True Ventures, who leads the firm's enterprise AI investing; Benjamin Narasin, General Partner at Tenacity Venture Capital and a pioneer in pre-seed investing; Leah Solivan, Founder and Managing Director of Precedent.vc, a fund for the future of work and AI-native platforms; and Andrew Brackin, Partner at Gradient, Google's AI-focused seed fund.
These judges are described as active participants who will challenge founders on their business models and strategies. TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 is expected to draw over 10,000 tech leaders, VCs, and founders. Early bird ticket prices, offering savings of up to $200, are available until September 25.