The 20 best Startup Battlefield games of 2025 are here. Let the competition begin.

The startup battlefield is the stage where legends are made, and the next 20 contenders have arrived. These are the startups that have risen to the top of the highly competitive global applicant pool, and they’re heading to the main stage at TechCrunch Disrupt to compete for a $100,000 prize and the coveted Disrupt Cup.

This year’s top 20 finalists are building a full range of groundbreaking innovations, from life sciences and climate technology that sustain human health and the planet’s survival; to defence, robotics and mobility to support the next industrial revolution and enhance our resilience at the national and global level; To the compliance, cybersecurity and fintech infrastructure that enables companies to scale responsibly in an increasingly complex world. And, of course, tools that reshape the way we live, work, learn, and build in a hybrid-first future.

These 20 companies are more than just early-stage startups — they are the architects of what’s next. And they’ll only have six minutes on the Disrupt Stage to prove it.

Never miss a beat in the world’s leading startup competition. This is your last chance to Book your ticket and get 60% discount on the second So you can capture every moment of the event.

Here is the list of the top 20 finalists for the 2025 Startup Battlefield competition:

Monday, October 27, disruption phase

Semi-Finals (Session 1): 10:05 AM – 11:15 AM PT

MacroCycle Technologies: Recycle waste plastics and textiles into first-class resins at an equal price, all through a zero-carbon, low-energy process developed by world-class polymer scientists.

Miraqules: Developing life-saving wound care using nano-biomaterials designed to stop bleeding within one minute, regardless of size, shape or severity.

Nephrogen: Building an AI-powered platform to discover next-generation gene delivery vectors for otherwise incurable diseases, starting with the kidney.

COI Energy: Empowering commercial and industrial companies to eliminate energy waste and monetize or donate excess capacity through our patented AI platform and kW For Good initiative.

RADiCAIT: A leader in medical imaging by applying foundational AI that creates synthetic PET images from CT scans, making radiology 10 times easier, more efficient, and more sustainable.

Semi-Finals (Session 2): 1:30 PM – 2:45 PM PT

Mbodi: Teach bots new skills via natural language and enable production-ready autonomous deployment in minutes.

Skyline Nav AI: Provides GPS-independent navigation for drones, vehicles, aircraft and ships, using computer vision and geospatial data to determine location within 10-100 cm, even without GPS, cellular or Wi-Fi.

Strong in form: Replacing steel and concrete with ultra-light, high-performance wood composites, unlocking the full potential of wood for sustainable construction and mobility.

Pytho AI: Providing defense and military planners with AI-powered tools to improve mission planning and strategic decision making.

Glīd: Transforming freight logistics through autonomous and electrified road-to-rail transportation, redefining first-mile delivery to set new standards in efficiency, safety and sustainability.

Tuesday, October 28, disruption phase

Semi-Finals (Session 3): 10:00 AM – 11:05 AM PT

ID: Empowering banks and credit unions to acquire, serve, and grow customers through a modular AI platform that unifies insights, workflow, and relationship management.

CyDeploy: Elevate cybersecurity resilience by enabling uninterrupted business operations, powered by proactive AI defense.

Space Charter: Fueling the future of space finance through a unified operating system that supports spacecraft development, mission visions, and securing in-orbit assets.

Cyphr: Promoting bias-free, scalable capital deployment with an AI backbone designed to be the smartest analyst for every investor, enabling smarter, faster and fairer financial decisions.

Elloe AI: Protect enterprise AI with an output-level security platform. An immune system for generative AI that enforces compliance, trust, and accountability in real time.

Semi-Finals (Session 4): 2pm – 3:15pm PT

Mappa: Decoding human behavior via voice AI at scale with a behavioral intelligence layer that enables communications to thrive every time.

The Super Teacher: Educating the next generation with AI-powered tutoring to enable elementary schools to deliver personalized learning and scale teacher impact.

CampusAI: Bringing AI education and collaboration to life with an interactive platform and virtual world that helps users learn, apply and innovate using real-world skills.

Unlisted Homes: Unlocking the $31 trillion real estate market with a platform designed to showcase the 98% of homes not yet listed for sale, providing liquidity and transparency to off-market inventory.

Unthread: Simplify service management with an AI-powered platform built into Slack, bringing together human support and agents to instantly resolve tickets across IT, HR, and customer teams.

Wednesday, October 29, disruption phase

Startup Battlefield Alumni Update: 11:25 a.m. PT

Capella Kirst, founder of geCKo Materials and 2025 Startup Battlefield standout, returns to the stage with a live demonstration of her game-changing super-strong dry adhesive.

Startup Battlefield Finals: 11:30am – 12:45pm PT

The top 5 finalists from this group will perform live again for a chance at Disrupt glory.

Startup Battlefield winner announced: 4pm PT

It’s not too late to try out a live startup presentation TechCrunch disabled 2025 Dive into more than 200 sessions led by more than 250 senior technology leaders, explore 300 exhibiting startups, and connect through more than 2,000 curated networking meetings across the venue. Be part of the ultimate launch pad for innovation and expansion.

Register for your ticket hereOr save by bringing a guest or group – don’t wait. Head to Moscone West, located at 800 Howard Street, San Francisco. Innovation awaits alongside 10,000+ Technology leaders, VCs, operators, and founders are shaping the future.