The stakes do not get higher than this. At TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, the Startup Battlefield 200 finalists will take the stage one last time to compete for the one hundred thousand dollar equity-free prize. A select group of the most respected and influential investors in the industry will decide their fate as our final round judges. These leaders sit at the very top of venture capital, and they will make the ultimate call on who takes home the title of Startup Battlefield champion.
Do not miss a minute of one of the most intense and anticipated startup pitch competitions of the year, live on the Disrupt Stage. Register now to save up to four hundred forty-four dollars on your pass and get sixty percent off a second pass for a guest. Prices go up when doors open on October 27.
Meet the judges deciding the fate of the Startup Battlefield 200 finalists.
Kirsten Green is the founding partner of Forerunner. She is the founder and managing partner of Forerunner, a consumer-driven capital firm that partners with ambitious founders and companies redefining industries. Combining an unconventional and powerful blend of professional experiences and acquired investment expertise, Green launched San Francisco-based Forerunner in 2012 and has since led the firm to raise nearly three billion dollars in assets under management. Her over twenty-five years of evaluation and investment success stem from a combination of product savvy, consumer insight, research, and a thesis-driven approach. Her early investor and board member roles span Faire, Hims and Hers, Chime, Ritual, Daydream, Decagon, Warby Parker, Wonder, and Balance, among others. She is also on the Board of the National Venture Capital Association and has been part of both the Forbes Midas List and Forbes World’s 100 Most Powerful Women List for the past nine years.
Kevin Hartz is a general partner at A Star. He is a co-founder and general partner at A Star, an early-stage venture capital firm. He co-founded Eventbrite, a publicly traded company, and served as the CEO for the first eleven years. Prior to Eventbrite, Kevin co-founded Xoom, a money remittance company that was acquired by PayPal in 2015 for over one billion dollars. He is a prolific technology investor having backed companies such as PayPal, Airbnb, Pinterest, Ramp, Trulia, and Anduril at the seed stage, and was an early investor in Uber, Palantir, SpaceX, Square, Gusto, Decagon, Ramp, and many others.
Aileen Lee is the founder and managing partner of Cowboy Ventures. She founded Cowboy Ventures, a leading seed-stage focused venture firm investing in enterprise and consumer software, including companies like Dollar Shave Club, Drata Security, Guild, and Ironclad Software. Prior to Cowboy, Aileen was a partner at Kleiner Perkins for over a decade, the founding CEO of early digital media company RMG Networks, and worked at Gap Inc. in operating roles. Lee is also known for coining the business term unicorn and is a co-founder of All Raise, a non-profit focused on accelerating success for women in the tech ecosystem. She has been included on the Forbes Midas List, Fortune’s Most Powerful Women, and Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people. She has degrees from MIT and HBS, is a mom of three, and is married to a startup founder.
Kevin Rose is a partner at True Ventures and the founding CEO of Digg. He is a partner at True Ventures and the founding CEO of the newly rebooted social platform Digg, where he now serves as Board Chair, investor, and key advisor. Rose’s entrepreneurial career spans multiple startups, including the original Digg, Revision3, Zero, Oak, and PROOF. He has held leadership roles such as CEO of HODINKEE and General Partner at Google Ventures, backing companies like Uber, Slack, and Nextdoor. A top angel investor recognized by Bloomberg, his portfolio includes Twitter, Facebook, Solana, OpenAI, and Magic Spoon. Rose also hosts The Kevin Rose Show and co-hosts The Random Show with Tim Ferriss. His contributions to tech and media have earned accolades from Forbes, Time, and MIT. As an innovator with multiple social media patents, Rose remains deeply engaged in emerging tech.
Bring a guest and save sixty percent on their pass, or get your pass by October 27 to save up to four hundred forty-four dollars. You will hear from over two hundred fifty heavy hitters leading more than two hundred sessions designed to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. These speakers include leaders from Google Cloud, Netflix, Microsoft, Box, Phia, Andreessen Horowitz, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Hugging Face, Elad Gil, and Vinod Khosla. Do not miss over three hundred showcasing startups in all sectors.
This is it. Startup Battlefield 200 kicks off with Disrupt in just four days. If you have been on the fence about attending TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, this is your last chance to grab your pass before prices rise when doors open on October 27. Save up to four hundred forty-four dollars on your ticket and get sixty percent off a second pass so you can experience the World Series of startup pitches live at Moscone West in San Francisco from October 27 to 29.