Reimagined TechCrunch Disrupt 2023 Features New Stages and Return of Expanded Startup Battlefield Competition

Basketball Superstar, TV Personality and Entrepreneur Shaquille O’Neal Headlines the 13th Annual Startup Conference

Industry-Specific Programming and Builders Stage to Feature the very best and brightest minds in the startup ecosystem

Startup Battlefield 200 Competition Reveals “What’s Next” From Tech Startups

SAN FRANCISCO – August 15, 2023– TechCrunch announced the return of the expanded Startup Battlefield for the second consecutive year, at this year’s 13th annual TechCrunch Disrupt 2023. Following the success of last year’s large-scale competition, the Startup Battlefield will once again connect 200 early stage companies from around the globe to venture capitalists and funding in the midst of today's challenging economy. Startup Battlefield alumni represent 900+ companies with over 121 successful exits (IPOs or acquisitions) and over $9.7B in funding raised.

TC Disrupt 2023 will be held from Tuesday, September 19 - Thursday, September 21 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. The three-day event brings together the best and brightest entrepreneurs, investors, hackers, and tech fans for on-stage interviews. Headlining TC Disrupt 2023 is NBA Hall of Famer, TV commentator and businessman, Shaquille O’Neal. Other notable speakers this year include Kevin Systrom, Entrepreneur and Co-founder of Instagram; and TC Disrupt alumni Michelle Zatlyn, the Co-founder, President and COO of Cloudflare. TechCrunch readers will also have access to live-streamed content and highlights from the in-person event via techcrunch.com.

TC Disrupt is known for debuting the hottest startups, introducing game-changing technologies and discussing what’s top-of-mind for the tech industry’s key innovators—and this year will be no different. Past companies launched at TC Disrupt include Dropbox, Mint, Cloudflare, Fitbit, Yammer and more. 

For the first time, TC Disrupt will consolidate the popular, stand-alone TechCrunch Sessions events under one big roof. New dedicated stages will feature industry-specific programming tracks on the topics of: AI, SaaS, Fintech, Security, Hardware, Sustainability and Space. In addition, the Builders Stage will cover the nuts and bolts of running a startup, from operations and hiring to fundraising, scaling, and beyond.

New this year and for a limited time, for people caught in the recent tech layoffs, TC Disrupt will offer free Expo+ passes for networking and job seeking. Click here to read the eligibility criteria and apply. TechCrunch also launched the Founder Inclusion program to promote attendee diversity by making events more accessible to minority and non-traditional founders. TC Include founders can book a pass for 75% off the current Founder Pass rate now through August 31, 2023. Click here for more information and eligibility.

Startup Battlefield 200

For the second consecutive year, TC Disrupt will feature TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 200, a curated group of 200 promising and innovative tech startups selected to pitch their companies in front of investors and TechCrunch editors. This select group of 200 companies were selected from a review of thousands of applicants. Each will receive full access to the show, exclusive workshops, training, perks and free exhibition space on the show floor for all three days.

After the initial round of flash-pitch sessions, 20 of the 200 companies will be selected as TC Startup Battlefield Finalists. They’ll pitch their ideas on the Disrupt Stage in front of the entire TC Disrupt audience, receive private pitch coaching and be featured on TechCrunch. The winner takes home a $100,000 no-equity cash prize and joins an elite group of companies that launched on the Disrupt stage, including Yammer, Mint and Dropbox. 

This year’s TechCrunch Startup Battlefield Judges include: Morgan Beller, general partner, NFX; Priti Youssef Choksi, partner, Norwest Venture Partners; Rebecca Liu-Doyle, managing director, Insight Partners; Dana Settle, co-founder and managing partner, Greycroft; Marc Bhargava, managing director, General Catalyst; Miles Grimshaw, general partner, Benchmark; Charles Hudson, founder and managing partner, Precursor Ventures; and Danielle Lay, partner, New Enterprise Associates (NEA).

Headline speakers currently scheduled:

• NBA legend, entrepreneur and philanthropist, Shaquille O’Neal, to discuss his life as a mogul and investing in Edsoma, an AI-powered reading, education and communication platform for children
• Thomas Dohmke, CEO, GitHub
• Asha Sharma, COO, Instacart
• Matthew Prince, Co-founder & CEO, Cloudflare
• Navrina Singh, Founder & CEO, Credo AI
• Naba Banerjee, Director of Trust Product & Operations, Airbnb
• Zach Perret, Co-founder & CEO, Plaid

The agenda for TechCrunch Disrupt 2023 features prominent thought leaders, industry experts, celebrities, top business leaders and more and will be updated with additional programming in the coming weeks.

Sessions include “How to Build a Capital-intensive Startup in a Tough Venture Market,” “Selling your SaaS startup: The VC view,” “How Founders Can Leverage a Soft Labor Market into a Competitive Edge,” “Mixed Reality Finds Its Focus,” and more.

For more information on TechCrunch Disrupt 2023 and Startup Battlefield 200 visit the conference’s website here.

TechCrunch Disrupt passes can be purchased here. Press can register here.

TechCrunch Disrupt 

TechCrunch Disrupt is the world’s leading authority in debuting revolutionary startups, introducing game-changing technologies, and discussing what’s top of mind for the tech industry’s key innovators. This year, TC Disrupt gathers the best and brightest entrepreneurs, investors, hackers, and tech fans virtually and in-person for interviews, demos, Startup Battlefield 200, networking, and more.

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