The Startup Battlefield 200 global pitch contest at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 is quickly approaching, taking place October 27–29 at San Francisco’s Moscone West. The competition is more intense than ever, with higher stakes on the line.
Twenty founders will present their startups on the Disrupt Stage, but just one will claim the $100,000 prize with no equity taken, as well as the prestigious Disrupt Cup. Our esteemed panel of judges—including top investors and accomplished operators—will determine who takes home the win. They bring deep experience in building enduring businesses.
Image Credits:Kimberly White / Getty ImagesToday, we’re excited to announce the third set of judges, who will bring their insights and challenging questions to this year’s event. There’s more to come—look out for two additional judge announcements in the coming weeks.
Register now to experience the high-stakes “World Series” of startup pitches and lock in savings of up to $668 on your ticket. Prices will increase after September 26.
Now, introducing our next five Battlefield 200 judges
Explore the Disrupt agenda to see the 10 judges who have already been revealed.
Jon Chu, Partner, Khosla Ventures
Jon Chu serves as a partner at Khosla Ventures, where he focuses on machine learning and its applications in enterprise infrastructure, software, and developer tools. Before joining Khosla Ventures, Jon amassed broad experience in tech—working as a founder, an early-stage employee, and a leader in both engineering and product capacities.
He began his career as one of the first engineers at Palantir, contributing to the company’s expansion from 200 to 1,800 employees. Later, he started KoalityCode, which was acquired by Docker. At Docker, Jon established and managed the enterprise division. While at Opendoor, he led product for growth and spearheaded engineering for Core Machine Learning, playing a key part in the company’s journey to IPO. Most recently, Jon led international engineering teams at Facebook, focusing on VR and machine learning projects.
Eryk Dobrushkin, Partner, Index Ventures
Eryk Dobrushkin is a partner at Index Ventures, where he invests in companies at every stage—from inception to high growth—within artificial intelligence, infrastructure, and robotics sectors. He seeks out driven, inquisitive founders who are eager to solve the world’s most challenging issues.
Before joining Index, Eryk spent several years at Databricks, working closely with Ali Ghodsi as chief of staff. His time there gave him a front-row seat to hypergrowth, as Databricks became one of the fastest-growing enterprise software companies ever. He was involved in everything from product and engineering to sales and operations. Eryk began his professional journey at the Boston Consulting Group, specializing in enterprise software and digital health. He earned a B.A. in Applied Mathematics and Economics from Harvard University.
Cathy Friedman, Executive Venture Partner, GV
Cathy Friedman brings nearly four decades of expertise in finance, tech, and healthcare. As executive venture partner at GV, she advises on the life sciences portfolio and invests across the spectrum of healthcare. Her priorities include adolescent mental health, women’s health at all stages of life, and advancing equitable care for underserved communities.
Jen Hoskins, Startups Head of Cloud and Partnerships, NVIDIA
Jen Hoskins oversees cloud initiatives, partnerships, and go-to-market strategies for Nvidia Inception—a global program supporting over 29,000 startups in accelerating both technology and business development.
Hoskins came to Nvidia after a seven-year tenure at Microsoft, where she worked in business development and partnerships for teams such as Microsoft Outlook, Teams, Graph, and Microsoft for Startups. Before Microsoft, she handled marketing and alliance partnerships at Cisco.
Jon McNeill, Co-Founder and CEO, DVx Ventures
Jon McNeill is the CEO and co-founder of DVx Ventures, a venture studio that has launched a dozen companies targeting major market opportunities. As an entrepreneur, investor, and operator, Jon has started six businesses, generating thousands of jobs and delivering 9x returns for investors.
Jon’s leadership experience spans some of the most influential companies worldwide. As Tesla’s president, he scaled the company from $2 billion to $20 billion in revenue within 18 months, overseeing global sales, delivery, and service. At Lyft, he served as COO during a pivotal period, doubling revenue, increasing market share, and preparing the company for an IPO.
He currently sits on the boards of General Motors, Lululemon, Asurion, CrossFit, and Stash, and played a significant role in Lululemon’s turnaround, contributing to a 5x jump in share value. Jon also serves on the Liquid AI Advisory Council.
Attend in person and learn how to scale your business
The premier global pitch event returns October 27–29. TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 is set to unite over 10,000 startups and venture capital leaders at Moscone West in San Francisco. Watch the Startup Battlefield 200 live, participate in sessions, and make the connections that could drive tomorrow’s breakthroughs—all as TechCrunch celebrates its 20th anniversary. Get your ticket now and save up to $668 before prices increase after September 26.
Image Credits:Kimberly White / Getty Images
