Startup Battlefield 200 has showcased the world's next generation of breakout companies for over 15 years. Long before household names like Dropbox, Cloudflare, Discord, and Trello rose to prominence, their founders presented their visions on the Disrupt Stage to a panel of distinguished founders and investors. Today, Startup Battlefield alumni have collectively secured more than $32 billion in funding, demonstrating that this is far more than a simple pitch competition; it is the premier platform where TechCrunch identifies the future of the tech ecosystem.
These judges are not passive observers; they are industry leaders who will challenge assumptions, scrutinize business models, question product decisions, and ultimately determine which founders progress toward glory in Startup Battlefield 200. Over the upcoming weeks, TechCrunch will introduce additional titans of tech, including investors, operators, and entrepreneurs joining this year's judging panel.
Today, we are thrilled to unveil the initial roster. Attendees of Disrupt will have a front-row seat as these experts test the next generation of startups and assess which founders possess the talent to advance further.
Janelle Tengi is a partner at Bessemer Venture Partners, focusing on early-stage AI infrastructure, data platforms, developer tools, and defense technology. Her portfolio includes Claroty, Coactive AI, Moonvalley, Render, TurbineOne, and Virtru. Before joining Bessemer, Tengi served as a product manager at Salesforce. She holds degrees in biology and economics from Stanford University.
Puneet Agarwal is a managing partner at True Ventures, leading the firm's enterprise investing strategy centered on AI-reimagined infrastructure and applications. Throughout his career, he has supported companies such as Peloton, Duo Security, and Fitbit. Prior to this, Agarwal held senior operational roles at BEA Systems and IBM.
Benjamin Narasin is a general partner at Tenacity Venture Capital and a pioneer of pre-seed investing in the United States. He has backed founders across consumer, enterprise, hardware, and media sectors, providing support based on conviction long before traction and often before other firms were willing to issue a first check.
Leah Solivan is the founder and managing director of Precedent.vc, a pre-seed and seed fund dedicated to the future of work, AI-native platforms, consumer tech, health tech, and marketplaces. Her portfolio includes Boardy.ai, Pacaso, Our Place, and MiSalud. Prior to founding Precedent, Solivan established TaskRabbit, which was acquired by IKEA in 2017.
Andrew Brackin is a partner at Gradient, Google’s AI-focused seed fund, where he invests in vertical AI, healthcare, and the application layer. His investments include Enzo Health, Vera Health, Paladin, and Forge. Before joining Gradient, Brackin co-founded Vial, a clinical trial platform that raised over $100 million, and served as the founding Head of Growth at Newfront, an insurance brokerage acquired by WTW in 2025. Originally from London and based in San Francisco, he is a 2013 Thiel Fellow.
The Editorial Staff at AIChief is a team of professional content writers with extensive experience in AI and marketing. Founded in 2025, AIChief has quickly grown into the largest free AI resource hub in the industry.