TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 will bring its next monumental show with Startup Battlefield 200, the biggest pitch event that has been propelling many of the leaders in tech to success, such as Dropbox, Mint, and Cloudflare. Of the thousands of applicants only 20 startups will have the opportunity to pitch in front of an audience in front of stage and now we have announced the first round of venture capital judges.
These investors are famous to be taking a big bet on AI, infrastructure and developer tools. They will judge every pitch, offer instant feedback and will play a key role in determining who takes away the grand prize of $100,000 no-equity.
First Five VCs -The Judges Panel
Investor at Thrive Capital Philip Clark
Clark has collaborated with innovative software and hardware companies, among which are such names as Anduril, Cursor, Neuralink, and Wiz. He has a computer science background and his training in agents as Bridgewater makes him counsel the Hoover Institution concerning emerging technology.
Madison Faulkner is a Partner at NEA
Faulkner is a leader in early-stage venture capital at NEA across data infrastructure, development tools and AI and leads NEA Data Infrastructure, NEA dev tools and NEA AI. Some of her remarkable investments are World Labs, Metabase, and Datafold among others.
Leslie Feinzaig the Founder & GP at Graham & Walker
Feinzaig lends executive experience with startups and a goal to raise the profile of new founder voices. Supported by her previous work on a disruption theory, she defends the founders who are transforming norms in the public market.
Ilya Kirnos Founding Partner & CTO at SignalFire
Kirnos is co-founder of the SignalFire venture firm, which runs on the AI-driven Beacon data engine, to monitor millions of companies and employees. He also makes wide investments in enterprise infrastructure and developer tools.
Partner at ICONIQ Growth, Doug Pepper
Pepper is a former investor at Shasta Ventures, and InterWest Partners, whose portfolio includes Airtable and Guild Education. His initial wagers and calculation skills have powered high profile exits and chart-topping growth.
The reasons why these Judges matter Why and not why.
These VCs are making an active imprint in the next big technology innovation. They will look beyond investment potential- they will investigate team energy, how defensible the product is, how large the opportunity and whether the vision is genuine. To the startups doing the pitching, it is more than a showcase–it is an audition–high stakes, with the money mongers of tomorrow as spectators.
The Competition The Competition What to Expect The Competition
Phase Description
Startup Battlefield 200 200 start-ups out of thousands apply to the contest.
Live Finalists Only 20 reach the Disrupt stage of live pitches.
Panel of elite VCs offers direct feedback and picks winner.
Cash $100,000 equity-free and unparalleled exposure to international investor.
The finalists do more than just gain visibility, they are coached strategically, exposed in the media and given an opportunity to develop actual investor relationships. Such springboard has been used historically by former winners towards groundbreaking expansion.
Authority to Direct
By the presence of judges such as Kirnos or Faulkner, the start-ups will be put under real-life pressure: they would have to come up with a scalable plan, grasp how data-driven growth happens, and be exposed to project projections. Strategic partnership potentials or initial financing or critical introductions via influential networks can be opened by the buy-in of the judges.
Key Takeaway
The identities of the judges also signify the aspirations of Disrupt itself- an impact point of best and brightest founders and high end investors. Going on the stage is more than being clapped at: it is more about having a chance to win a big prize and attract attention of investors who are capable of comprehending high-growth potential.
