Every year, TechCrunch’s Startup Battlefield competition attracts thousands of applicants. We narrow these applications down to the top 200 contenders, and of those, the top 20 compete on the big stage to become the winner, taking home the Startup Battlefield Cup and a $100,000 cash prize. But the remaining 180 startups all blew us away in their respective categories and are competing in their own competition.
Here’s the full list of Space and Defense Technology Startup Battlefield 200 picks, along with a note on why they landed in the competition.
Aviation
What it does: Airbility creates two-seat manned electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
Because it’s remarkable: Its aircraft use a unique fixed-wing based VTOL technology combined with a distributed electric fan-jet propulsion system that makes them light, agile and manoeuvrable.
Astrum Drive Aerospace
What it does: Astrum has developed a propellant-less, electric-only space propulsion system.
Why it’s notable: The company says its patented technology eliminates the need to carry fuel on board, which can extend the life of vessels and reduce costs, and could enable deep space exploration.
Area Map
What it does: It offers a fintech-esq risk analysis platform for spacecraft that allows them to obtain insurance coverage.
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Why it’s notable: The company’s goal is to use insurance as a springboard to fuel new forms of credit for the space industry.
Endox
What it does: Endox offers artificial intelligence systems that help inspect and maintain systems and equipment for the US military.
Why it’s notable: Endox combines its own proprietary data capture systems with robotics technology.
Hans
What it does: Hance builds an artificial intelligence neural network specifically for real-time audio processing and enhancement.
Why it’s notable: Hance’s AI headset is designed to handle the unpredictable nature of live sound with background noises, room reverberation and uncontrolled environments such as those encountered by the military.
Skylark Labs
What it does: Skylark has created a self-learning AI specifically designed for use in machine and security applications.
Why it’s notable: Skylark tries to solve technical issues with naturally built-in artificial intelligence, such as fast information processing at the edge.
Skyline Nav AI
What it does: It has created navigation software that does not depend on GPS.
Why it’s notable: Skyline uses artificial intelligence to quickly recognize a scene without an expensive GPU and is effective in combating GPS interference technology.
