Meet the Startup Battlefield 200 judges who’ll decide the winner at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 — SkimNews
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- Startup Battlefield 200 narrows from thousands of applicants to 200 companies, with 20 finalists pitching on the Disrupt Stage across all three days of TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 (October 13-15).
- Stacy Brown-Philpot (Cherryrock Capital), Chi-Hua Chien (Goodwater Capital), Dayna Grayson (Construct Capital), Carter Reum (M13), and Alexa Von Tobel (Inspired Capital) will decide the winner, and each founded or co-founded the firm they now lead.
- The judges' combined track record spans investments in Spotify, Lyft, Pinterest, Ring, Chime, and TikTok/Musical.ly — with Chien alone backing 17+ unicorns, Reum's M13 managing $1.9 billion across 200+ investments, and 15 unicorns in M13's portfolio.
- After the final pitch, all five judges will reunite on the Builders Stage for a live AMA, taking audience questions on what stood out, what they look for in founders, and where they're investing next.
- Brown-Philpot previously served as CEO of TaskRabbit (acquired by IKEA) and spent over a decade in senior Google roles; Von Tobel co-founded Inspired Capital with former U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker and previously founded LearnVest (acquired by Northwestern Mutual).
- Grayson focuses Construct Capital on tech for foundational American industries — manufacturing, logistics, supply chain, and defense — and previously led NEA's investment in Desktop Metal, which went public on the NYSE.
- The competition caps a conference expected to draw 10,000+ founders, investors, and operators across 200+ sessions with 250+ tech leaders.
Why it matters: For the 20 Startup Battlefield finalists pitching October 13-15, the judge panel's combined portfolio (Spotify, Lyft, Pinterest, Ring, Chime) means a Battlefield win could unlock direct introductions to VCs who have minted dozens of unicorns. The founder-judge bar signals TechCrunch wants operators who built companies evaluating pitches, not just financiers.
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