The stake is no higher than that. At TechCrunch Disrupt 2025the Startup Battlefield 200 finalists will take the stage one last time to compete for the $100,000 equity-free prize. Their fate will be decided by a select group of the most respected and influential investors in the industry – our final round judges. These are the leaders at the top of venture capital and will make the ultimate call on who takes the title of Startup Battlefield champion.
Don’t miss a minute of one of the most intense and anticipated startup pitch competitions of the year, live on Disrupt Stage. Sign up now to save up to $444 on your pass — and get 60% off a second pass for a guest. Prices go up when doors open on October 27.
Meet the judges who decide the fate of the Startup Battlefield 200 finalists
Check it out Agenda disruption to meet the other 20 Startup Battlefield judges.
Kirsten Green, Founding Partner, Prodromos
Kirsten Green is its founder and managing partner Precursora consumer-driven venture capital firm that partners with ambitious founders and companies that are redefining industries.
Bringing together an unusual and powerful combination of professional experiences and acquired investment expertise, Green launched San Francisco-based Forerunner in 2012 and has since led the company to raise nearly $3 billion in assets under management. Kirsten’s 25+ years of valuation and investment success stems from a combination of product knowledge, consumer insights, research and a thesis-driven approach that has formed the basis of all her investments — from pre-revenue startups to multi-billion dollar enterprises. Its early investors and board members include Faire, Hims & Hers, Chime, Ritual, Daydream, Decagon, Warby Parker, Wonder and Balance, among others.
She is also a board member of the National Venture Capital Association and has been named to both the Forbes Midas List and Forbes World’s 100 Most Powerful Women for the past nine years.
Kevin Hartz, General Partner, A*
Kevin Hartz is co-founder and general partner at A*an early stage venture capital firm. He co-founded Eventbrite, a publicly traded company, and served as its CEO for the first 11 years. Prior to Eventbrite, Kevin co-founded Xoom, a remittance company that was acquired by PayPal in 2015 for over $1 billion. He is a prolific technology investor who has backed companies such as PayPal, Airbnb, Pinterest, Ramp, Trulia and Anduril at the start-up stage and was an early investor in Uber, Palantir, SpaceX, Square, Gusto, Decagon, Ramp and many others.
Aileen Lee, Founder and Managing Partner, Cowboy Ventures
Eileen Lee is its founder Cowboy Venturesa leading early-stage focused venture capital firm that invests in business and consumer software, including companies such as Dollar Shave Club, Drata Security, Guild and Ironclad Software. Prior to Cowboy, Aileen was a partner at Kleiner Perkins for over a decade, was the founding CEO of early digital media company RMG Networks, and worked at Gap Inc. in functional roles.
Lee is also known for coining the business term “unicorn” and co-founded the All Raisea non-profit organization focused on accelerating the success of women in the tech ecosystem. She has been named to the Forbes Midas List, Fortune’s Most Powerful Women, and Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People. She has degrees from MIT and HBS, is a mom of three, and is married to a startup founder.
Kevin Rose, Partner, True Ventures and Founding CEO, Digg
Kevin Rose is a partner in Real Businesses and the founding CEO of the recently relaunched social platform Diggwhere he now serves as chairman of the board, investor and key advisor. Rose’s business career spans several startups, including the original Digg, Revision3, Zero, Oak and PROOF. He has held leadership roles including CEO of Hodinkee and general partner at Google Ventures, backing companies such as Uber, Slack and Nextdoor. He is a leading angel investor recognized by Bloomberg, with a portfolio that includes Twitter, Facebook, Solana, OpenAI and Magic Spoon. Rose also hosts The Kevin Rose Show and co-hosts The Random Show with Tim Ferriss.
Techcrunch event
San Francisco
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27-29 October 2025
His contributions to technology and media have won praise from Forbes, Time, and MIT. As an innovator with multiple social media patents, Rose remains deeply committed to emerging technology while maintaining a dedicated Zen meditation practice.
That’s it — Startup Battlefield 200 kicks off with Disrupt in 4 days
If you’ve been on the fence about attending TechCrunch Disrupt 2025this is your last chance to grab your pass before prices go up when doors open on October 27th. Save up to $444 on your ticket and get 60% off the second to experience the “World Series” of startup pitches live at Moscone West in San Francisco, October 27–29. Register now.
