Some of the most important companies in tech history didn’t launch with flashy funding announcements. They started with a pitch. Dropbox was demoed to a room of skeptics. Cloudflare came onto the scene before most people understood what edge networking meant. Discord was the developer of a terrible game called Hammer & Chisel. Mint, Trello, Forethought, N26 — they all passed through the same crucible that is the TechCrunch Startup Battlefield.
That’s no coincidence. Battlefield is more than just a competition. It’s a launch pad and the numbers back it up. More than 1,700 companies competed on the Battlefield stage. Together, they have raised $32 billion in total funding and created more than 250 exits, including acquisitions by Microsoft, Google, Yahoo, Salesforce, Twitter, Uber, and Amazon. The Startup Battlefield network is so deep that graduates have even taken over each other. Dropbox acquired fellow Startup Battlefield alum DocSend in 2021. For thousands of entrepreneurs, this wasn’t just a pitch competition, it became a defining milestone that the world began to take notice of.
We wanted to show what happens after the confetti falls. We checked in with several recent graduates, many of whom sat with us. Build Mode: Founder Survival GuideTechCrunch’s podcast for entrepreneurs at all stages. Here’s what they wrote themselves:
Build mode information
Each season, we dive into a different chapter of startup life. Season 1 was about entering the market. Season 2, out now, is all about team building. Mark your calendar. Season 3 will be released in June. We cover the most requested topic by far: fundraising.
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Champion and Runner-up
From military governor to startup Battlefield 2025 champion
Glīd Founder Kevin Damoa — 2025 Winner
Kevin Damoa is not from Sand Hill Road. He came from a field of military logistics that proved to be ideal training for building buildings under pressure with limited resources and real stakes. Damoa’s path to the Startup Battlefield 2025 championship is the kind of origin story that will make you rethink where the next great founders really come from.
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→ Listen to Kevin’s Build Mode episode
From the startup battlefield stage to the International Space Station
Capella Kerst, founder and CEO of GeCKo Materials — 2024 Runner-up
Capella Kerst didn’t set out to reinvent adhesives. She set out to solve a problem that had puzzled engineers for decades. How do you secure objects reliably, repeatedly, and without residue in the most extreme environments imaginable? Stanford spinoff gecko Materials is developing gecko-inspired adhesive technologies for applications ranging from manufacturing floors to literally the International Space Station.
Kerst’s Startup Battlefield moment was a signal to the market that science was ready for the world. What has happened since is proof that second place is not a consolation prize, but a credential. Hear how she got there:
→ Listen to Capella’s Build Mode episode
How Forthought AI Discovered Product-Market Fit – Before It Was Obvious
Deon Nicholas, co-founder of Forethought AI — 2018 winner (acquired by Zendesk)
Few Startup Battlefield stories have a more complete story than Forthought AI. Deon Nicholas took the stage with the conviction that AI could fundamentally transform customer support. Previously, that was a natural certainty. Before term sheets and headlines, there were presentations and papers. Forthought was recently acquired by Zendesk. This is the latest example of what you can get started with at the Startup Battlefield stage. His Build Mode episode is essential listening and the perfect primer for a deep dive into Season 3’s fundraising.
→ Listen to Deon’s Build Mode episode
20 finalist stories
Raising funding before finding product-market fit is risky.
David Park, founder of Narada
Raising before product-market fit doesn’t speed things up, it speeds up mistakes. Park doesn’t sugarcoat her lessons.
→ Listen to David’s Build Mode episode
Use AI to recruit for compatibility, not just skills
Sarah Lucena, founder and CEO of Mappa
Technology gets people in the door. Compatibility determines whether to keep it or not. Lucena is using AI to solve the part of recruiting that no one is talking about.
→ Listen to Sarah’s Build Mode episode
These founders competed in Startup Battlefield and sat down with us in Build Mode to tell us their stories. They’re all worth a listen.
These days Anna Sun and Rivio’s Hala Jalwan and Alessio Tresanti — Find out what happens when a startup becomes a family business and the community that forms around Startup Battlefield. → listen
Alltroo co-founders Kyle Rudolph and Jon Walburg — Explains why networks are the first go-to-market strategy. → listen
James Schembri-Stothart of Luna and Andre Peart of Untapped Solutions — When going to market, everyone else is ignoring and building underserved communities without a common growth playbook. → listen
Milestones are real
Every generation of Startup Battlefield alumni adds a new chapter to the same story. But behind all these data points is a founder who made a bet about himself publicly in front of anyone paying attention. The stage is important. Community lasts. The milestones are real.
Applications for Startup Battlefield 2026 are now open.. If you’re creating something stage-worthy, this is your thing.
→ Apply now
Do you know a founder who is ready to step into the spotlight? Investors, operators, and fellow founders can directly recommend companies.
→ Founder Designation
Not ready to apply yet? Build mode is where we meet you. Season 2 is currently airing. Season 3, all about fundraising, will be released this summer.
→ Build Mode Subscription
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