Startup World Cup
A global pitch competition run through more than 100 regional events; regional champions pitch at a grand finale in San Francisco for a US$1M investment prize.
US$1m invested · equity not published
Status unknown
Pitch competition · San Francisco, California, United States
TechCrunch Startup Battlefield
TechCrunch's pitch competition at Disrupt in San Francisco. The Battlefield 200 exhibit free and finalists pitch on stage for a US$100,000 equity-free prize.
Closed Run by TechCrunch
Verified 18 October 2026 · From the programme's own pages
Terms
- Funding
- US$100,000 US$100,000 equity-free prize and the Disrupt Cup for the winner
- Instrument
- Prize
- Equity taken
- None (equity-free)
- Programme fee
- No fee No fees or equity taken for applying or taking part
- Duration
- not published
- Cohort size
- not published
- Cohorts
- not published
- Delivery
- Hybrid
- Stages
- Pre-seed, seed
- Sectors
- Sector-agnostic
- Open to founders from
- Anywhere
- Perks
-
- Free exhibit booth at Disrupt for the Battlefield 200
- Complimentary Disrupt tickets
- Optional virtual prep programme with weekly masterclasses
Application dates
ClosedDisrupt 2026
Disrupt 2026: applications closed 8 June 2026; the programme started 13 October 2026.
Usual timing: 2027 applications not yet announced; the 2026 round closed 8 June 2026 and Disrupt ran 13-15 October 2026, with Battlefield 200 notifications in late August.
Who can apply
- Early-stage startups from any country and industry
- Most selected companies are pre-Series A; Series A considered case by case
- A working minimum viable product at the time of application
- One application per company
- Stage: pre-seed, seed
What founders should check
- The programme says it takes no equity. Still read the agreement for warrants, revenue shares or rights in a later round.
- It charges no programme fee.
- It mixes remote and in-person sessions in San Francisco. Ask how much time on site it expects.
- The last window we track closed on 8 June 2026. 2027 applications not yet announced; the 2026 round closed 8 June 2026 and Disrupt ran 13-15 October 2026, with Battlefield 200 notifications in late August.
Similar pitch competitions
Other pitch competitions that share a sector with TechCrunch Startup Battlefield or run in the United States.
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US$1m invested · 5% equity
Status unknown
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Funding not published · equity not published
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