Next five VCs judging Startup Battlefield 200 contenders at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026
TechCrunch has announced five additional venture capitalists who will judge Startup Battlefield 200 at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026. The new panelists—Caleb Appleton (Bison Ventures), Sara Deshpande (Maven Ventures), Aatish Nayak (Kleiner Perkins), Jason Risch (Greylock), and Mark Xu (Index Ventures)—join a group of judges evaluating 200 selected startups competing at the October event in San Francisco.
Why It Matters
The judges bring operating and investing experience across AI, robotics, security, developer tools and consumer software, and will help determine which startups advance toward the live finals and the $100,000 equity-free prize. Their sector expertise could shape which early-stage companies gain visibility and investor attention at one of the industry’s largest startup showcases.
Key Facts
- Event: TechCrunch Disrupt 2026
- Dates: October 13-15, 2026
- Location: Moscone West, San Francisco
- Competition: Startup Battlefield 200
- Number of selected startups: 200
TechCrunch added five venture capitalists to the Startup Battlefield judging panel ahead of Disrupt 2026. The newly announced judges are Caleb Appleton of Bison Ventures, Sara Deshpande of Maven Ventures, Aatish Nayak of Kleiner Perkins, Jason Risch of Greylock, and Mark Xu of Index Ventures. They join other previously revealed panelists to assess the field of 200 startups chosen to exhibit and compete at the conference. Each judge brings a different mix of operating and investment experience. Appleton, a biomedical engineer by training, focuses on physical AI, techbio and robotics and has invested in companies such as Cobot and Grid Aero. Deshpande specializes in seed-stage consumer software, digital health and consumer AI and has been at Maven since 2014. Nayak, who joined Kleiner Perkins in May 2026, has product and operations experience from roles at Harvey, Scale AI and Shield AI. Risch invests in enterprise security, AI/ML infrastructure, data platforms and developer tools, and his portfolio includes Onehouse and Baseten. Xu backs companies in cybersecurity, infrastructure and AI and previously worked as a growth investor at Lightspeed. Collectively, the judges will review startups for advancement to the live competition and help decide the finalists. TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 runs October 13–15 at Moscone West in San Francisco, where over 10,000 attendees are expected to gather across stages, roundtables and startup exhibits. Startup Battlefield finalists will pitch live for a $100,000 equity-free prize and the Disrupt Cup; TechCrunch says a final set of five judges who will evaluate the finalists will be announced later.
Keep Reading
Your final chance to grab your exhibit table at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 is October 2
Insurtech Outmarket raises $34.5M just months after prior round
Commonwealth Fusion Systems’ Brandon Sorbom and Helion’s David Kirtley on bringing fusion to the grid at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026
