Startup Battlefield 200, a prominent competition at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, will run from October 13 to 15 at San Francisco’s Moscone West. This event is a highlight for startups seeking visibility and investment, as founders will have six minutes each to pitch their companies. The most insightful moments often come afterward, when judges ask probing questions. These exchanges are seen as crucial for both the startups and the thousands of attendees—founders, tech leaders, and investors—who gather to learn and connect. The judging panel for Startup Battlefield 200 is being assembled to be one of the strongest in the competition's history. Among the newly announced judges is Vaibhav 'Dr.V' Agrawal, co-founder and general partner at ODDBIRD VC, a pre-seed fund focused on AI companies aiming to boost Western industries. Agrawal has an MBBS and an MBA from Stanford and previously worked at Lightspeed Venture Partners India. His portfolio includes Anterior, a healthcare AI startup that has raised $64 million from NEA and Sequoia. Anu Bharadwaj, a partner at ICONIQ Growth, focuses on enterprise software and AI companies. She previously spent nearly 12 years as President and COO of Atlassian and held leadership roles at Microsoft. Bharadwaj holds a B.Eng. in Computer Science from R.V. College of Engineering. Sho Sho Leigha Ho, a partner on General Catalyst's seed team, is the firm’s youngest partner, having joined in 2024. She is a board observer at Together AI and has invested in startups like Graylark and Autoscience. Ho holds an A.B. from Harvard and is based in San Francisco. TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 is expected to attract over 10,000 attendees, including tech leaders, venture capitalists, and startup founders. Tickets are available at a discounted rate, with savings of up to $200 before September 25 at 11:59 p.m. PT. Group registrations can also receive an additional 30% discount.