Your shot at VC access, global visibility, TechCrunch coverage, and $100,000 in equity-free funding is\u00a0gone in a week.<\/p>\n
Startup Battlefield 200 applications<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0close\u00a0May 27. If\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0building a breakout startup \u2014 or know a founder who is \u2014 this is the moment to act.<\/p>\n Apply today<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>for the opportunity to take the stage at\u00a0TechCrunch Disrupt 2026<\/a>, October 13-15, alongside 200 of the world\u2019s most promising early-stage startups.<\/p>\n Pre-Series A\u00a0founders, consider this your final countdown reminder: the strongest startups are already entering the arena, and the\u00a0application window is closing fast<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n If your startup has already been nominated,\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0wait to\u00a0complete your application<\/strong><\/a>. This\u00a0final week moves quickly, and last-minute submissions risk getting buried as applications surge ahead of the deadline.<\/p>\n Know a startup that deserves the spotlight?\u00a0Nominate them now<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0so\u00a0they still have time to apply before May 27.<\/p>\n Some of the most consequential companies in tech history\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0launch with splashy fundraising announcements. They started with a pitch.<\/p>\n Dropbox\u00a0demoed\u00a0to a room full of skeptics. Cloudflare took the stage before most people understood what edge networking meant. Discord was still a scrappy gaming startup called Hammer & Chisel.<\/p>\n They all passed through the same crucible: Startup Battlefield\u00a0200.\u00a0That\u2019s\u00a0not a coincidence \u2014\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0a pattern. And it starts with an application.<\/p>\n Startup Battlefield\u00a0200<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0has never been a competition for the most polished companies.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0a competition for the most promising ones. Pre-launch is fine. No revenue is fine. What matters is whether what\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0building genuinely changes something \u2014 not incrementally, but meaningfully.<\/p>\n If\u00a0you or a founder you know is building something impactful,\u00a0then the application itself becomes\u00a0the\u00a0first pitch.\u00a0Apply before May 27.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Startup Battlefield 200<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0is where breakout companies get discovered.<\/p>\n Selected startups will\u00a0showcase\u00a0live\u00a0on the\u00a0Disrupt\u00a0Stage\u00a0in front of 10,000+ attendees, leading VCs, global media, and the broader TechCrunch audience. This is your opportunity to gain investor exposure, receive direct VC feedback, and prove your company belongs\u00a0among\u00a0the next generation of category-defining startups.<\/p>\n Every one of the 200 selected companies receives:<\/p>\n And every selected company pitches,\u00a0whether on the\u00a0Disrupt Stage or the\u00a0Pitch\u00a0Showcase Stage. Both put founders in front of the investors, media, and partners who attend Disrupt specifically to\u00a0find\u00a0what\u2019s\u00a0next.<\/p>\n You\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0need to make the\u00a0top 20\u00a0for this experience to change your trajectory.\u00a0Get started by nominating and applying here.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n More than 1,700 companies have competed\u00a0in Startup Battlefield 200. Together,\u00a0they\u2019ve\u00a0raised over\u00a0$32 billion\u00a0and generated more than 250 exits, including acquisitions by Microsoft, Google, Salesforce, Uber, and Amazon.<\/p>\n The network runs so deep that alumni have even\u00a0acquired\u00a0each other: Dropbox\u00a0acquired\u00a0fellow Battlefield\u00a0200\u00a0alum\u00a0DocSend\u00a0in 2021.<\/p>\n This is also the same launchpad that helped accelerate companies like Fitbit, Trello, and Mint.<\/p>\n Behind every one of those outcomes was a founder willing to make a bet on themselves publicly, in front of people who were paying attention.\u00a0Apply and learn more here.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n We\u2019re\u00a0looking for ambitious early-stage startups\u00a0building\u00a0innovative, potentially category-defining products.<\/p>\n Applications are open globally across all industries. Most selected companies are pre-Series A, though select Series A startups may qualify on a case-by-case basis.<\/p>\n To apply, startups should have:<\/p>\n Thousands apply every year. Only 200\u00a0are\u00a0selected. Just 20 finalists pitch live on the Disrupt Stage. One startup takes the crown and wins $100,000 in equity-free funding.<\/p>\n The founders who wait until they feel ready often wait too long.\u00a0You do not need to be polished. You need to be promising.<\/p>\n If\u00a0you\u2019ve\u00a0been sitting on this,\u00a0here\u2019s\u00a0the reality: the worst outcome is you\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0get\u00a0selected\u00a0this cycle \u2014 and you come back next year with a stronger application because you went through the process.<\/p>\n The stage matters. The community lasts. The milestone is real.\u00a0But the deadline is now one week away.<\/p>\n If\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0building something category-defining \u2014 or know a startup that deserves the spotlight \u2014\u00a0submit\u00a0your nomination and complete your application before May 27.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission<\/a>. This doesn\u2019t affect our editorial independence.<\/em><\/p>\nThe clock is ticking for early-stage founders<\/h2>\n
The companies that define categories rarely start polished<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"TechCrunch](\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/SB200-2013-Jason-Citron-Discord-1.jpg)
More than a pitch competition<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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The\u00a0Startup\u00a0Battlefield\u00a0200\u00a0track record\u00a0speaks for itself<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Who should apply?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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One week left to make your move<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Startup](\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/SB200-TC26_General_Article_Headers_1920x1080-1.png)