Author: Neesha A. Tambe

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Meet the startups competing at TC Sessions: Crypto

We’re thrilled to announce the three early-stage startups that will take the stage and go head-to-head in the pitch competition at TC Sessions: Crypto — this Thursday, November 17, in Miami. There’s still time to be in the room.

Buy your pass right now to watch these founders square off in front of a live audience.

They’ll have to work hard to impress our expert VC judges — Wen-Wen Lam, partner, Gradient Ventures and Will Nuelle, general partner, Galaxy Ventures. While all three startups will receive invaluable exposure to investors and media, only one will win the glory and earn an automatic place in the Startup Battlefield 200 at Disrupt 2023. TechCrunch handpicks a cohort of 200 early-stage startups to receive a VIP experience that includes, for starters, exhibiting all three days of the show — for free — plus a shot at winning $100,000.

Al right, let’s get to it. Here are the three startup contenders who are prepped and ready to compete in the TC Sessions: Crypto pitch-off.

As if a pitch competition isn’t enough of a draw, consider this. At a time when convulsions in the cryptoverse have created serious uncertainty, there’s no better time or place to tap into the latest thinking and analysis from the leaders across blockchain, cryptocurrency, DeFi, NFT and web3. Just for starters, you’ll hear from:

  • Brian Armstrong, co-founder and CEO, Coinbase
  • Devin Finzer, co-founder and CEO, OpenSea
  • Changpeng (CZ) Zhao, founder and CEO, Binance

And you do not want to miss the TechCrunch Chain Reaction podcast — recorded live onstage. You can bet our hosts will have plenty to say about the fallout of recent events and thoughts on what comes next.

TC Sessions: Crypto takes place on November 17 in Miami. Don’t miss your chance to witness a crypto pitch-off, hear the current thinking from the industry’s top leaders, gain analytical insight, and network for opportunities to grow your business.  Buy your pass today, and we’ll see you in Miami.

Is your company interested in sponsoring or exhibiting at TC Sessions: Crypto? Contact our sponsorship sales team by filling out this form.

Meet the startups competing at TC Sessions: Crypto by Neesha A. Tambe originally published on TechCrunch

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Announcing the TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 20 companies on the Disrupt Stage

We’re positively thrilled that Startup Battlefield is live and in person at TechCrunch Disrupt 2022. In a new era of the legendary startup competition, TechCrunch editorial hand selected 200 startups, out of thousands of applicants, to comprise the Startup Battlefield 200. The top  20 companies will pitch on the Disrupt Stage. Startup Battlefield Finalists are famous for their success. Come watch these companies compete for the Disrupt Cup and $100,000 equity-free grand prize.

Disrupt runs Tuesday through Thursday, October 18-20 in San Francisco.. The agenda is packed full of the heavyweights of the industry hashing it out on stage stage with TechCrunch Editors. Newsmakers, luminaries and founders will take the stage to share insights and breaking news.

For 2022, TechCrunch reworked Startup Battlefield, and we’re thrilled with the response. For the first time, TechCrunch hosted this curated cohort of founders at TechCrunch Disrupt, providing special programming and trainings in advance of and during the event. The top companies will follow in the footsteps of Startup Battlefield legends on the Disrupt Stage. With over 900 alumni participating in the program, Startup Battlefield Alumni companies raised over $13B in funding with 124 successful exits (IPOs or acquisitions).

Starting today, the top 20 companies will pitch on the Disrupt Stage for six minutes followed by a six minute Q&A with our expert panel of judges.  These all-star VCs include folks like Peter A Boyce ll (Stellation Capital), Aileen Lee (Cowboy Ventures), Ulili Onovakpuri (Kapor Capital), Lo Toney (Plexo Capital) and Milo Werner (The Engine) to name just a few.

TechCrunch Disrupt Stage Schedule for Startup Battlefield 

Tuesday, Oct 18, Disrupt Stage

  • Semi-Finals (Session 1): 10:50 am – 12:00 pm
  • Semi-Finals (Session 2): 2:30 pm – 3:40 pm

Wednesday, Oct 19, Disrupt Stage

  • Semi-Finals (Session 3): 10:55 am -12: 00 pm
  • Semi-Finals (Session 4): 2:40 pm – 3:45 pm

Thursday, October 20, Disrupt Stage

  • Finals: 1:00 pm – 2:15 pm
  • Winner Announced: 4:10 pm

Without further ado, let’s check out the companies and their respective sessions:

Advanced Ionics (Session 4): Advanced Ionics has developed a new class of electrolyzer that enables green hydrogen production that’s cost competitive with cheaper fossil-fuel based hydrogen production.

Ally Robotics (Session 3): Starting with a low cost, reliable, easy to teach and smart robotic arm, we develop and manufacture robotic systems that are designed to work alongside people.

Anthill (Session 1): Anthill, a machine learning-enabled HR service center that builds solutions for the desk-less workforce, formed in 2020 to disrupt the internal communication stumbling blocks most companies experience when providing information to the 80% of global employees who don’t sit at a desk — all through text messaging.

AppMap (Session 1): AppMap elevates the developer experience by providing continuous observability mapping and runtime quality feedback in the code editor to improve software performance, stability and security.

Betterdata (Session 4): BetterData technology makes data sharing instant for data/AI teams by converting real data into synthetic data that looks, feels and behaves the same. As synthetic data belongs to no real individual, privacy laws do not apply, and it can be shared globally with 100% compliance while also unlocking data licensing/monetization opportunities.

Circular Genomics (Session 1): Circular Genomics is a venture-backed startup company developing precision diagnostics utilizing circular RNAs as biomarkers to provide personalized care for patients with psychiatric and neurological disorders.

Digest.ai (Session 2): Digest.ai is building an experience around a collaborative knowledge database to accelerate discovery and education.

Hormona (Session 2): Hormona is building an end-to-end solution targeting hormonal health with our innovative hormone test that allows women to quantitatively measure their hormone levels from the comfort of the home without the need for a lab.

Incooling (Session 3): With a mission to cool down the planet one server at a time, Incooling has adapted the unique properties of phase change cooling and created next-generation 2 phase cooling servers dedicated to achieving the data center industry’s full potential.

Intropic Materials (Session 4): Intropic Materials addresses the plastic waste problem, making self-degrading products that can be composted or perfectly recycled.

Kayhan Space Corp (Session 4): A coordinated and autonomous satellite collision detection and avoidance solution for satellite operators.

Labby (Session 4): Labby is a hardware and optical AI startup born out of MIT, building next-generation mobile sensing technology for the dairy industry to provide fast, accurate and affordable milk-testing solutions and deliver instant results on milk composition and quality information.

Minerva Lithium (Session 3): Direct Lithium extraction technology.

Mother Honestly (Session 2): Mother Honestly is building a community-powered care infrastructure for employers and employee caregivers to flourish at home and in the workplace.

Nat4bio (Session 3): Nat4Bio develops naturally-sourced and clean-labeled coatings that protect fruit and vegetables from spoilage.

NxGen Port (Session 1): NXgenPort is addressing an unmet need in cancer care by remotely managing patients between chemotherapy visits with a Digital Health Platform and an implanted Smart Port with intravascular cytometry sensors.

Omneky (Session 1): Omneky utilizes state-of-the-art deep learning to personalize experiences across all digital channels.

Reverion Gmbh (Session 3): Reverion manufactures highly efficient power plants for carbon negative electricity generation and energy storage.

Staax (Session 2): Staax enables peer-to-peer payments via fractional shares of stock, creating transparency and a social network around investing.

Swap Robotics (Session 2): One hundred percent electric robots for grass cutting on solar sites (1,000+ acres) and snow plowing on sidewalks.

Announcing the TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 20 companies on the Disrupt Stage by Neesha A. Tambe originally published on TechCrunch

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The Startup Battlefield 200: Climate tech and health tech edition

We think you’ll be as amazed as we are by the collective creativity, ingenuity and technical prowess of the Startup Battlefield 200. Out of thousands of applications, only 200 early-stage startups made the final cut, and you’ll find all of them — and only them — exhibiting on the TechCrunch Disrupt show floor on October 18–20 in San Francisco.

That’s a whole lotta noteworthy startups, so we’re highlighting them by vertical. Today we focus on climate tech and health tech. But don’t stop there. You’ll find all of these up-and-coming companies listed in the Exhibitor Directory.

Startup Battlefield 200: Climate tech and health tech edition

TC Disrupt takes place on October 18–20. It’s where startups go to grow, so buy your pass today and come prepared to network with these great startups!

Is your company interested in sponsoring or exhibiting at TechCrunch Disrupt 2022? Contact our sponsorship sales team by filling out this form.

 

The Startup Battlefield 200: Climate tech and health tech edition by Neesha A. Tambe originally published on TechCrunch

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Apply to pitch your startup at TC Sessions: Crypto

Crypto has evolved from a niche product into a critical piece of the infrastructure underpinning an entirely new vision for the internet — web3. Startups are at the core of this innovation, and despite volatility in the crypto markets, builders in the space have remained steady in their efforts to leverage blockchain technology to reshape online spaces and interactions.

In November, TechCrunch is hosting TC Sessions: Crypto — a special event dedicated to the crypto and web3 space. The stage is filled with top VCs, industry experts – FTX’s Amy Wu, CEO of OpenSea, Devin Finzer and more!  Pitch on the live stage in person, in Miami, Florida.

Pitch your Web3 or crypto tech startup

TechCrunch is on the lookout for founders building web3 or crypto companies to pitch in-person at TC Sessions: Crypto. We know that web3 cuts across all industries and verticals – new protocols, finance, infrastructure, gaming, recruiting and more. Startups applying to pitch should have web3 or crypto as the central pillar of their product, regardless of industry application.

Founders will have four minutes to pitch followed by a Q&A with our panel of judges. Selected companies will be announced on TechCrunch. Apply here.

What are the qualifications to participate in web3 & crypto Startup Pitch-Off? It’s simple:

  • Be an early-stage startup.
  • Have at least a minimally viable product.
  • Have a core element of their product powered by or utilizing web3 infrastructure
  • Incorporated anywhere but must attend in person

In addition to the opportunity to pitch, you’ll get training with TC’s Startup Battlefield Editor and two complimentary passes to the entire TC Sessions: Crypto event. The deadline to apply is October 3rd.

Apply to pitch your startup at TC Sessions: Crypto by Neesha A. Tambe originally published on TechCrunch

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Announcing the Startup Battlefield 200 at TechCrunch Disrupt 2022

TechCrunch Disrupt 2022 is weeks away, and today I’m thrilled to announce the 200 startups selected to participate in the first ever Startup Battlefield 200 cohort. These companies were selected by TechCrunch editorial staff out of thousands of applications, and receive free exhibition space at Disrupt, special workshops, receptions and masterclasses on building and running a startup. From across the globe, these 200 companies are the top in their respective industries.

Of the 200 companies, 20 will be selected to pitch their company on the huge Disrupt stage in front of thousands of attendees for a chance to win $100,000 and the Disrupt Cup. Tickets are still available to the show. Register here the October event!

The highlighted showcase categories

Literally months in the making, TechCrunch editorial staff read, vetted and debated every application. Winnowing the group to 200 companies was a challenging, exhausting thrill ride, and we could not be more excited by the results. These rising-star startups represent the innovation taking place across these tech categories:

  • Hardware, Robotics, AI + ML
  • HealthTech + BioTech
  • Space + Security
  • SaaS, Enterprise + Retail
  • Education, HR + Future of Work
  • Climate + CleanTech
  • FinTech + Blockchain
  • Mobility + Transportation

The Startup Battlefield 200 featured companies

Want to see the companies? Head on over to the Startup Battlefield 200 Listing Page to learn more about these incredible companies.

Going through the vetting process reminded us, yet again, just how much creativity, innovation and talent exists within the startup community. It never fails to amaze and inspire us. After reading through the Startup Battlefield 200 listings, we know you’ll feel the same.

The Startup Battlefield 200 Benefits

The Startup Battlefield 200 (SB 200) companies each receive a free, VIP experience – master classes, pitch deck teardowns, curated receptions, access to investors and international media and more. They’re the only startups allowed to exhibit at Disrupt, and you’ll find them on the expo floor for all three days of the show! 

What’s more, the SB 200 companies join an illustrious community of more than 900+ Startup Battlefield alumni including CloudFlare, Dropbox, GetAround, Mint.com and Scoutible. 

TechCrunch Disrupt takes place in San Francisco on October 18-20 with an online day on October 21. Buy your Disrupt pass today and come meet the Startup Battlefield 200 live and in person.

Announcing the Startup Battlefield 200 at TechCrunch Disrupt 2022 by Neesha A. Tambe originally published on TechCrunch

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Announcing the startups pitching onstage at TC Sessions: Robotics 2022

TechCrunch is thrilled to announce the four companies pitching in person and onstage at TC Sessions Robotics 2022. These four startups stood out from the crowd with innovative hardware or software robotics solutions. You can tune in for free to watch the pitch-off and other incredible panels and fireside chats, here.

Founders will be pitching on the virtual stage for four minutes followed by a four minute Q&A. The judges are Ayanna Howard, Ohio State University, Ayah Bdeir, littleBits (acquired by Sphero) and Kelly Chen, DCVC. You can read more about their impressive expert backgrounds here.

Now to what you’ve been waiting for…the list of top four pitching startups. Join us on Wednesday, May 18 and Thursday, May 19 to watch these incredible founders take the stage.

Startups pitching on the virtual stage

July 21 at 12:35pm PT

Endiatx – Torrey Smith (Hayward, USA)

“Robot pills for hardcore telemedicine, initially for upper endoscopies.”

Gather AI – Charlie Reverte (Pittsburgh, USA)
“The world’s first autonomous inventory monitoring platform for the supply chain using off-the-shelf drones.”

Touchlab – Dr. Vladimir Ivan (Scotland, UK)

“A compliant “e-skin” sensor technology to give machines a sense of touch. Our latest e-skin, Triaxial, senses normal and shear forces, enabling novel functionalities such as slip detection (with autonomous compensation) and even object identification through touch alone.”

Mobilio – Arjun Tambe (San Francisco, USA)

“A single sensor package that enables safe movement for 400M users of canes, walkers, crutches, and wheelchairs. The device senses the user’s environment to avoid hazards and the user’s movements to ensure proper device use.”

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Announcing the Judges for the TC Sessions: Robotics Pitch Off

On June 21st, TechCrunch will host TC Sessions: Robotics 2022 – virtually. No TechCrunch event is complete without a pitch-off showcasing early stage startups from around the globe. If you’re a founder in the robotics space – hardware or software side 0 you can apply here. Who will you be pitching to? The glitterati of the robotics ecosystem.

The pitch-off will consist of three startup companies presenting for four seconds on the virtual stage, in front of the entire TC Sessions audience and our expert panel of judges.

The winning team will receive a coveted spot in TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 200, free exhibition space at TechCrunch Disrupt 2022 and the chance to win $100,000 in equity-free prize money.

Bummed you missed your chance to apply for the pitch-off? Fear not! TechCrunch has your back – You have until the end of day today to apply – here.

And now for our fantastic judges:

Ayanna Howard, Ohio State University

“Accomplished roboticist, entrepreneur and educator Ayanna Howard, PhD, became dean of The Ohio State University College of Engineering on March 1, 2021. Previously she was chair of the Georgia Institute of Technology School of Interactive Computing in the College of Computing, as well as founder and director of the Human-Automation Systems Lab.

Her career spans higher education, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the private sector. Dr. Howard is the founder and president of the board of directors of Zyrobotics, a Georgia Tech spin-off company that develops mobile therapy and educational products for children with special needs. Zyrobotics products are based on Dr. Howard’s research.

Among many accolades, Forbes named Dr. Howard to its America’s Top 50 Women In Tech list. In May 2021, the Association for Computing Machinery named her the ACM Athena Lecturer in recognition of fundamental contributions to the development of accessible human-robotic systems and artificial intelligence, along with forging new paths to broaden participation in computing.

Dr. Howard earned her bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from Brown University, her master’s degree and PhD in electrical engineering from the University of Southern California, and her MBA from Claremont Graduate University.”

Ayah Bdeir, littleBits (acquired by Sphero)

“Ayah Bdeir is an entrepreneur, engineer and social activist. She is the inventor of littleBits, the electronic building block that has transformed STEM education for millions of kids around the world. For over a decade, Bdeir’s work has centered around empowering everyone to be an inventor — by modularizing and democratizing electronics, by pioneering new ways of learning through play, and by reimagining the relationship between technology and creativity. Bdeir has been particularly focused on empowering underrepresented communities, especially girls, with the tools to become tomorrow’s changemakers. In recognition of her work, Bdeir has received numerous awards, including: BBC 100 Most Influential Women (2019), a TED fellowship and she has appeared on the cover of The New York Times Magazine (2011). Her inventions are included in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and she holds over a dozen patents.
Bdeir graduated from the MIT Media Lab and the American University of Beirut. She is from Beirut, Lebanon, and lives and works in New York.”

Kelly Chen, DCVC

“Kelly is a Partner at DCVC, an early-stage deep tech VC with $3B AUM. An engineer at heart, she invests in teams solving some of the world’s most complex problems in industrials, automation, supply chain, and sustainability. At DCVC, she led investments including Agility Robotics, Fulfil.ai, SafelyYou, SmarTex, and Brimstone.

Kelly’s interest has always been how to use data and optimization to push boundaries, faster. From her former career as a quantitative fixed income trader to building out a new product line for a global investment bank, she has focused closely on building the best models, structures, and sales teams to optimize outcomes. Kelly received a BS and MS from Columbia Engineering and an MBA from Wharton, where she was President of the Entrepreneurship Club. In her spare time, Kelly can be found traversing the chilly Bay Area waters on her electric hydrofoil.”

 

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Pitch your startup at TC Sessions: Robotics

One of TechCrunch’s favorite events – TC Sessions: Robotics 2022 – is coming back virtually July 21. It’s slated to be one of the best programming lineups in the robotics industry with luminaries like U.S. secretary of labor, Marty Walsh; inventor Dean Kamen; and Amazon’s VP of Global Robotics, Joseph Quinlivan and more.

As you well know, a TechCrunch event wouldn’t be complete without highlighting early stage founders inventing groundbreaking technologies. Pitch on the digital stage alongside industry heavy hitters, at TC Sessions: Robotics virtual day.

Pitch your robotics startup

TechCrunch is searching for founders building startups in the robotics sector. Robotics reaches everything from enterprise to consumer, with both software and hardware solutions, from across the globe. If your startup impacts the robotics ecosystem, we want to see it! TechCrunch’s audience of investors, builders, corporate partners and tech enthusiasts are keen to find the next best robotics startup.

Founders will have four minutes to pitch followed by a five-minute Q&A with our virtual panel of judges (stay tuned for a special announcement on the amazing judging panel)! Selected companies will be announced on TechCrunch. The pitches themselves will be streamed to TC Sessions: Robotics attendees and on TechCrunch.com. Apply here.

What are the qualifications to participate in Climate Startup Pitch-Off? It’s simple:

  • Be an early-stage startup.
  • Have at least a minimally viable product.
  • Focus on tech connected to various aspect of robotics: AI, agtech, manufacturing, logistics, medical device, food tech, transportation, data processing, material science, SaaS, more.
  • Incorporated anywhere (recording will take place virtually).

In addition to the opportunity to pitch, you’ll get training with TC’s Startup Battlefield Editor, two complimentary passes to the entire TC Sessions: Robotics event and an invitation to showcase on the Disrupt San Francisco 2022 show floor for the winning team. The deadline to apply is July 7.

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AELER wins the TC Sessions: Climate Virtual Pitch-Off

TechCrunch is pleased to announce the winner of the TechCrunch Sessions: Climate virtual pitch-off — AELER. As a part of the prize, AELER gets free exhibition space at TechCrunch Disrupt, a spot in the TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 200 and bragging rights. You can watch the pitches from last week at the end of this post.

Climate tech pitch-off companies

AELER aims to reimagine the logistics industry with insulated, connected shipping containers. The container is made of lightweight composite material, providing thermal insulation during transport. Presenting for AELER was David Baur — co-founder and CTO.

The UNIT ONE container is IOT connected, allowing clients to monitor and track everything from temperature, location, door open/close, etc. AELER owns the containers and licenses the units to clients. AELER manages all maintenance of the unit. According to Baur, the structure and connectivity allow for greater payloads, fewer shipments, decreased emissions and transparency around impact data. During his presentation, Baur hinted that the connected container is just the start — with additional products in the pipeline based on the data collected throughout the shipping lifecycle.

Two additional startups pitched on stage along AELER. Based out of Canada, Pulsenics provides monitoring for electrochemical systems. The hardware based solution also provides a data platform for clients to track and optimize performance. Nat4Bio, a biotech company, created an edible coating for fruits and vegetables that prevents produce from spoiling. The coating extends the life of the produce by preventing the impacts of bacteria and pathogens.

Each company had four minutes to pitch followed by a five-minute Q&A with our fantastic judges — Rajesh Swaminathan, partner at Khosla Ventures and Kamil Saeid, partner and Creation Lead at Defy.vc.

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Apply to pitch your startup at TC Sessions: Climate

The climate crisis is here. As the stakes rise with the temperature, a wide range of startups are striving to help humanity slash emissions and adapt to extreme weather. If you’re an early-stage founder focused on such efforts, then we want to feature you!

For the first time ever, TechCrunch is hosting TC Sessions: Climate — a special event dedicated to the climate. While we have leading scientists, investors, and luminaries like Bill Gates taking the stage, no TechCrunch event would be complete without the founders with their heads down shaping the future of climate tech. Pitch on the digital stage at TC Sessions: Climate virtual day.

Pitch your climate-tech startup

TechCrunch is on the hunt for founders building climate or clean-tech companies to pitch at the TC Sessions: Climate virtual day. We know that this is a broad category. Climate tech spans numerous verticals — healthcare, agriculture, finance, mobility, space and more. Startups applying to pitch should have clean-tech, climate or sustainability as a core pillar of their product, regardless of industry application.

Founders will have four minutes to pitch followed by a five-minute Q&A with our virtual panel of judges. Selected companies will be announced on TechCrunch. The pitches themselves will be streamed to TC Sessions: Climate attendees and on TechCrunch.com. Apply here.

What are the qualifications to participate in Climate Startup Pitch-Off? It’s simple:

  • Be an early-stage startup
  • Have at least a minimally viable product
  • Focus on tech connected to various aspect of climate: AI, agtech, energy, manufacturing, carbon capture, carbon mitigation, financing, logistics, biotech, foodtech, transportation, data processing, material science, consumer goods, SaaS, waste, water, air, and more
  • Incorporated anywhere (recording will take place virtually)

In addition to the opportunity to pitch, you’ll get training with TC’s Startup Battlefield Editor, two complimentary passes to the entire TC Sessions: Climate event and an invitation to showcase on the Disrupt San Francisco 2022 show floor. The deadline to apply is June 12.