Next wave of Startup Battlefield 200 VC judges unveiled at Disrupt 2025 | TechCrunch

Battlefield 200 startup in TechCrunch crashes 2025 Almost here, the pressure has never been higher. with $100,000 on line, Top 20 early stage companies I know they have to give their best effort Crash phase from Oct. 27-29 and San Francisco Moscono West. Meanwhile, our VC judges will ask sharp questions, deep experience, and a discerning eye to distinguish the promising from the truly exceptional.

Founders You can gain invaluable insights into what makes a winning pitch and a sustainable startup from these seasoned VCs. Investors Pitch-ready startups can be discovered, to add to their pipeline. Everyone else can watch the intense Startup Showdown, where the top 20 startups assembled play for the Equity Free Prize and the coveted Disruption Cup.

Register now To watch and save up to $444 on your pass, bring your team or friends and Save up to 30% with bundle passes. Don’t miss this nail-biting “World Series” of live stadium competitions.

Meet the next batch of Battlefield 200 eras

Today, we are excited to introduce The fourth wave of judges Join the competition. There is still only one reveal. Stay tuned Agenda disruption To find out who the final five judges will be.

Alison Baum Gates, General Partner, Sempervirens Venture Capital

Alison Baum Gates He is a general partner in sempervirensa healthcare, Fintech, and Enterprise SaaS venture fund. To date, it has raised hundreds of millions of dollars from LPS in the US, Europe and Asia, and has deployed capital in more than 70 companies, including nine unicorns, 24 directors, and holds 10 board positions.

Gates has been featured in major publications such as The Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and TechCrunch, and they have taught hundreds of school students. She is a lecturer in management at Stanford GSB and the author of her book Break into the project (McGraw-Hill, 2023), a comprehensive guide to navigating the VC industry. Her second book, Beyond the pitch: The psychology of VC fundingwill be released next year. She holds a bachelor’s degree in economics with honors from Harvard University and is fluent in three languages.

Katelyn Holloway, co-founder, 776

Hello He is a founding partner at Alexis Ohanian’s venture capital firm, 776. A seasoned investor with more than 20 years of operating experience at companies like Pixar and Reddit, Holloway supports transformative startups across diverse sectors. It invests in solutions that expand human potential and resilience, advance health, explore new frontiers, drive sustainability, enhance creativity, and enrich the human experience.

At 776, Holloway combines her operational expertise with a deep commitment to supporting founders as they navigate early-stage challenges and scale their visions. It is dedicated to reshaping venture capital by empowering generational entrepreneurs to address humanity’s greatest challenges while delivering exceptional returns.

Melonie Madan Pressler, Partner, Institutional Venture Partners (IVP)

Milton Madan Passionate about partnering with companies that innovate with purpose – companies that solve real problems rather than innovate for the sake of innovation. As a general partner in Institutional Project Partners (IVP)Focused on supporting founders who are building products and solutions that people really need, not just want. It looks for companies that bridge gaps in fragmented ecosystems, automate legacy processes, and deliver data-driven platforms capable of transforming industries. Madan is driven by the belief that these companies – and their impact – will transcend any single investment, and it is this pursuit of lasting change that fuels their commitment and intent in every partnership.

Sarah Itelson, Partner, Accelerator

Sarah Gittleson He joined Accel in 2022 and focuses on consumer, enterprise, and early-stage AI companies. before acceleratorwas head of strategic partnerships at Faire and previously worked in global business development at Uber. Ittelson is from Chico, California, and graduated from Northwestern University and Stanford.

Rinki Sethi, Co-Founder, Lockstep

Rinki Sethi He is the chief security officer at Trend security And founding partner in Lockstep. She previously served as Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer at Twitter and Bill and Rubrik, and has held senior security leadership roles at Palo Alto Networks, IBM, eBay, and Intuit. Sethi brings deep experience to both private sector and councils, shaping security strategy at the highest levels.

It’s time to save your disabling pass

Don’t miss this year’s startup competition, Live. With its electrifying energy, high stakes, and intense questions, Startup Battlefield 200 was the launching pad for early-stage startups. Brands like Discord, Trello, and Mint got a big break on the downtime phase. Register here To join before ticket prices increase.