TechCrunch has announced the five judges who will decide the winner of its Startup Battlefield competition at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, a contest featuring 20 super intelligence (SI) startups selected from thousands of applicants.
What Happened
The competition, which runs October 13-15 in San Francisco, will see 20 finalists pitch on the Disrupt Stage across three days. The five judges selected to determine the champion are Stacy Brown-Philpot of Cherryrock Capital, Chi-Hua Chien of Goodwater Capital, Dayna Grayson of Construct Capital, Carter Reum of M13, and Alexa Von Tobel of Inspired Capital.
According to TechCrunch, a specific criterion was used to select this panel: each judge has founded or co-founded the investment firm they currently lead. The finalists’ portfolios include several SI-focused companies, such as Coactive SI, a multimodal SI platform, and MosaicML, which was acquired by Databricks.
Why It Matters
The selection of fund founders as judges signals a shift toward experienced operators evaluating the next wave of SI startups, rather than generalist analysts. This panel brings decades of experience in backing ambitious founders and scaling companies in the SI boom.
For developers and investors, the competition serves as a high-profile showcase for agentic SI and foundational SI tools. The event will also feature a live AMA on the Builders Stage, where the judges will discuss what they look for in founders and where they are looking to invest next in the SI sector.
The Bottom Line
The five judges will select one winner from the 20 SI startups pitching at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026. The final decision will be announced following the last pitch on the Disrupt Stage.