A few of the most consequential firms in tech historical past didn’t launch with a splashy fundraising announcement. They began with a pitch. Dropbox demoed to a room of skeptics. Cloudflare took the stage earlier than most individuals understood what edge networking meant. Discord was a scrappy recreation developer known as Hammer & Chisel. Mint, Trello, Forethought, N26 — all of them handed by the identical crucible: TechCrunch Startup Battlefield.
That’s not a coincidence. Battlefield isn’t only a competitors. It’s a launchpad, and the numbers again it up. Greater than 1,700 companies have competed on the Battlefield stage. Collectively, they’ve raised $32 billion in complete funding and generated over 250 exits — together with acquisitions by Microsoft, Google, Yahoo, Salesforce, Twitter, Uber, and Amazon. The Startup Battlefield community runs so deep that alumni have even acquired one another: Dropbox acquired fellow Startup Battlefield alum DocSend in 2021. For 1000’s of founders, it’s develop into a defining milestone — not only a pitch competitors, however the second the world began paying consideration.
And also you truly nonetheless have an opportunity to hitch that illustrious alumni neighborhood this yr. On account of intense demand, we’ve pushed the Startup Battlefield 2026 software deadline to June 8, and you can get your application in right here.
Within the meantime, we wished to point out you what occurs after the confetti falls. We checked in with a few of our current alumni, a lot of whom have sat down with us on Build Mode: The Founder Survival GuideTechCrunch’s podcast for founders at each stage. Right here’s what they’ve been constructing, in their very own phrases.
About Construct Mode
Every season goes deep on a distinct chapter of startup life. Season 1 lined go-to-market. Season 2 — out now — is all about constructing your staff. And mark your calendars: Season 3 drops in June, tackling probably the most requested matter we’ve ever gotten: fundraising.
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The champions and runners-up
From army logistics to Startup Battlefield 2025 champion
Kevin Damoa, founding father of Glīd — 2025 winner
Kevin Damoa didn’t come from Sand Hill Street. He got here from army logistics — a background that turned out to be ultimate coaching for constructing beneath stress, with constrained sources and actual stakes. Damoa’s path to the Startup Battlefield 2025 championship is the type of origin story that makes you rethink the place the subsequent era of nice founders is definitely coming from.
→ Listen to Kevin’s Build Mode episode
From the Startup Battlefield stage to the Worldwide Area Station
Capella Kerst, founder and CEO of geCKo Supplies — 2024 runner-up
Capella Kerst didn’t got down to reinvent adhesion. She got down to remedy an issue that has stumped engineers for many years: How do you make issues stick — reliably, repeatedly, and with out residue — in probably the most excessive environments possible? geCKo Supplies, spun out of Stanford, has developed gecko-inspired adhesive know-how with functions starting from manufacturing flooring to, fairly actually, the Worldwide Area Station.
Kerst’s Startup Battlefield second was a sign to the market that the science was prepared for the world. What’s occurred since is proof that runner-up isn’t a comfort prize — it’s a credential. Hear how she bought there:
→ Listen to Capella’s Build Mode episode
How Forethought AI discovered product-market match — earlier than it was apparent
Deon Nicholas, co-founder of Forethought AI — 2018 winner (acquired by Zendesk)
Few Startup Battlefield tales have a extra full arc than Forethought AI. Deon Nicholas took the stage with a conviction that AI might basically remodel buyer help — earlier than that was an apparent wager. Earlier than the time period sheets and the headlines, there was a pitch and a thesis. Forethought was recently acquired by Zendesk — the newest instance of what the Startup Battlefield stage can set in movement. His Construct Mode episode is important listening, and an ideal primer for Season 3’s deep dive on fundraising.
→ Listen to Deon’s Build Mode episode
Prime 20 finalist tales
The hazard of fundraising earlier than discovering product-market match
David Park, founding father of Narada
Elevating earlier than product-market match doesn’t pace issues up — it quickens your errors. Park doesn’t sugarcoat the teachings.
→ Listen to David’s Build Mode episode
Utilizing AI to rent for compatibility, not simply talent
Sarah Lucena, founder and CEO of Mappa
Abilities get folks within the door. Compatibility determines whether or not they keep. Lucena is utilizing AI to repair the a part of hiring no person talks about.
→ Listen to Sarah’s Build Mode episode
These founders competed on the Startup Battlefield and sat down with us on Construct Mode to inform their story. All price a pay attention.
Anna Solar of These days and Hala Jalwan and Alessio Tresanti of Rivio — On what occurs when a startup turns into a household enterprise, and the neighborhood that types round Startup Battlefield. → Listen
Kyle Rudolph and Jon Walburg, co-founders of Alltroo — On why your community is your first go-to-market technique. → Listen
James Schembri-Stothart of Luna and Andre Peart of Untapped Options — On reaching the markets everybody else ignores and constructing for underserved communities with out the standard development playbook. → Listen
The milestone is actual
Each era of Startup Battlefield alumni provides a brand new chapter to the identical story. However behind each a type of information factors is a founder who made a wager on themselves — publicly, in entrance of people that have been paying consideration. The stage issues. The neighborhood lasts. The milestone is actual.
And remember: Applications for Startup Battlefield 2026 are still open. In case you’re constructing one thing that deserves a stage, that is yours.
→ Apply before the June 8 deadline
Know a founder who’s prepared for the highlight? Buyers, operators, and fellow founders can nominate firms straight.
Not prepared to use but? Construct Mode is the place we meet you. Season 2 is stay now. Season 3 — all about fundraising — drops this summer time.
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