TechCrunch Battlefield is a premiere startup competition that encourages new companies from around the world to apply for a shot at $50,000 and the Disrupt Cup. Competing startups will also get to demo in Startup Alley, placing them in front of potential users, partners, investors and the over 200 press outlets on-site.
Applications are open through June 16th for London (October 20-21) and the TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco (September 8-10) deadline has been extended to the 23rd.
Judges last year included big names in tech from companies such as Sequoia, Kleiner Perkins, Founder Collective and SV Angel.
TechCrunch Battlefield has quite the alumni group. Since 2007, 350 Battlefield participants have raised $2.4 billion after appearing on the TechCrunch stage, and that same group has had 50 exits. This spring TrueCar become the first Battlefield company to IPO and more recently Zenefits, launched at Disrupt NY 2013, closed $66.5M from a16z and IVP.
“We are really proud of Battlefield’s success in elevating great startups, and the startup world has definitely caught on,” said Sam O’Keefe from TechCrunch. “Back in 2010-2011, our acceptance rates hovered between 8-10 percent. In 2013, that number ranged from 2 to 5 percent for New York, San Francisco, and Berlin.”
The Battlefield is a startup launch competition, so existing companies launching new feature sets do not qualify as launch companies, nor do companies that have presented at other public launch events. For more eligibility criteria, click here.
In a recent article, O’Keefe wrote, “As with any investment portfolio, there are successes and great lessons to be learned with each new batch of companies. We’re constantly evaluating our selection process and on-site experience to both find the best teams and support their early-stage growth.”
To apply for The Battlefield, visit apply.tcdisrupt.com.