Some of the most important companies in tech history didn’t start with an explosive fundraising announcement. They started with a pitch. Dropbox was introduced to a room of skeptics. Cloudflare came on the scene before most people understood what edge networking meant. Discord was a junk game developer called Hammer & Chisel. Mint, Trello, Forethought, N26 — all went through the same crucible: TechCrunch Startup Battlefield.
This is no accident. Battlefield is not just a competition. It’s a starting point and the numbers back it up. More than 1,700 companies have competed on the Battlefield stage. Together, they’ve raised $32 billion in total funding and spawned more than 250 exits — including acquisitions by Microsoft, Google, Yahoo, Salesforce, Twitter, Uber and Amazon. The Startup Battlefield network is so deep that alumni have even acquired each other: Dropbox acquired fellow Startup Battlefield alum DocSend in 2021. For thousands of founders, it’s become a milestone—not just a competition, but the moment people started paying attention.
We wanted to show you what happens after the confetti falls. We checked in with some of our recent graduates, many of whom were sitting with us Build Mode: The Founder Survival GuideTechCrunch’s podcast for founders at every stage. Here’s what they were building, in their own words.
About the build function
Each season goes deep into a different chapter of startup life. Season 1 covered go-to-market. Season 2 — out now — is all about building your team. And mark your calendars: Season 3 drops in June, tackling the most requested topic we’ve ever had: fundraising.
Subscribe now so you don’t miss it.
The champions and runners-up
From Military Logistics to Startup Battlefield 2025 Champion
Kevin Damoa, founder of Glīd — 2025 Winner
Kevin Damois didn’t come from Sand Hill Road. He came from military logistics — a background that proved ideal training for building under pressure, with limited resources and real stakes. Damoa’s path to the 2025 Startup Battlefield championship is the kind of origin story that makes you reconsider where the next generation of great founders actually come from.
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→ Listen to Kevin’s Build Mode episode
From the Startup Battlefield stage to the International Space Station
Capella Kerst, founder and CEO of geCKo Materials — 2024 runner-up
Capella Kerst didn’t set out to reinvent traction. He set out to solve a problem that has baffled engineers for decades: How do you make things stick — reliably, repeatedly, and without residue — in the most extreme environments imaginable? Stanford-based geCKo Materials has developed gecko-inspired adhesive technology with applications ranging from flooring to, quite literally, the International Space Station.
Kerst’s Startup Battlefield moment was a signal to the market that science was ready for the world. What’s happened since then is proof that second isn’t a consolation prize – it’s a credential. Hear how it got there:
→ Listen to Capella’s Build Mode episode
How Forethought AI found its product market fit — before it was obvious
Deon Nicholas, co-founder of Forethought AI — 2018 winner (acquired by Zendesk)
Few Startup Battlefield stories have a more complete arc than Forethought AI. Deon Nicholas took the stage with the belief that AI could fundamentally transform customer support – before that it was an obvious bet. Before term papers and titles, there was a step and a thesis. Forethought was recently acquired by Zendesk – the latest example of what the Startup Battlefield stage can set in motion. The Build Mode episode is essential listening and a perfect primer for Season 3’s deep dive into fundraising.
→ Listen to Deon’s Build Mode episode
The top 20 finalist stories
The risk of raising funds before the product-market fit is found
David Park, founder of Narada
Scaling up before product-market fit doesn’t speed things up — it speeds up your mistakes. The park does not sugarcoat the lessons.
→ Listen to David’s Build Mode episode
Using AI to hire for compatibility, not just skills
Sarah Lucena, founder and CEO of Mappa
Skills get people in the door. Compatibility determines whether they stay. Lucena uses AI to fix the part of recruiting no one talks about.
→ Listen to Sarah’s Build Mode episode
These founders competed in the Startup Battlefield and sat down with us in Build Mode to tell their story. All worth listening to.
Anna Sun of Nowadays and Hala Jalwan and Alessio Tresanti of Rivio — About what happens when a startup becomes a family business and the community that forms around the Startup Battlefield. → Listen
Kyle Rudolph and Jon Walburg, co-founders of Alltroo — On why your network is your first go-to-market strategy. → Listen
Jas Schembri-Stothart of Luna and Andre Peart of Untapped Solutions — To reach the markets everyone else ignores and build for underserved communities without the typical development guide. → Listen
The milestone is real
Each generation of Startup Battlefield graduates adds a new chapter to the same story. But behind each of those data points is a founder who made a bet with himself—in public, in front of people who were paying attention. The scene matters. Community lasts. The milestone is real.
Applications for Startup Battlefield 2026 are open. If you’re building something worthy of a stage, this is yours.
→ Apply now
Know a founder who is ready for the spotlight? Investors, operators and fellow founders can nominate companies directly.
→ Appoint a founder
Not ready to apply yet? Build Mode is where we meet you. Season 2 is live now. Season 3 — all about fundraising — drops this summer.
→ Join Build Mode
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