TechCrunch Disrupt Berlin 2019
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We want you: Apply to Startup Battlefield at Disrupt Berlin 2019
You’ve worked hard to build your dream to this point, and now it’s time to launch your early-stage startup on a world-class stage and shift your momentum into high gear. If that description fits, we want you to apply to compete in the Startup Battlefield at Disrupt Berlin 2019.
Our early-stage startup pitch competition is the most effective way to place your startup in front of the investors, tech leaders and media outlets that can change the trajectory of your business in the best way possible. Oh, and the winning founders also receive $50,000. Sweet!
What’s more, applying to and participating in Startup Battlefield is absolutely free — no fees, no equity, no nothing.
Applying is easy, but the selection process is extremely competitive. TechCrunch editors with a keen eye for potential will vet every application and then select 15-20 companies to compete. Founders of those startups will receive six rigorous weeks of pitch coaching — you’ll work hard to craft your pitch, prepare your demo and be ready to strut your stuff with confidence.
When the big day finally arrives, each team will have six minutes to pitch to a world-class panel of judges — followed by a six-minute Q&A session. The founders who make it through to the second round will present again to a fresh set of judges. It’s a lather, rinse, repeat scenario.
One startup will emerge victorious, raise the Disrupt Cup and take home the $50,000 prize. The event takes place in front of a huge audience filled with investors, media and tech icons — and we record and live-stream the whole shooting match around the world.
Not only that, all Startup Battlefield competitors get to exhibit in Startup Alley for the entire show. Even if you don’t win the top prize, you still benefit from the exposure. Plus, you’ll join the ranks of the Startup Battlefield alumni community — now there’s an impressive group.
Since 2007, 857 startups have launched their dreams on the Startup Battlefield stage and gone on to collectively raise $8.9 billion while producing 112 exits. This alumni community includes companies like Vurb, Dropbox, Mint, Yammer and many more. You’ll be among their ranks…let the networking begin!
The Startup Battlefield takes place at Disrupt Berlin 2019 on 11-12 December. You’ve worked hard to build your dream — now take it to the next level. Apply to Startup Battlefield today.
Pro Tip: If you’re not quite ready to compete in the Battlefield, there’s more than one way to receive the VIP treatment at Disrupt. Use the same application and apply for the TC Top Picks program. If you make the cut, you’ll receive a free Startup Alley Exhibitor Package and stand in a bright spotlight of media and investor attention.
Is your company interested in sponsoring or exhibiting at Disrupt Berlin 2019? Contact our sponsorship sales team by filling out this form.
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Only 5 days left for super early bird savings at Disrupt Berlin 2019
Our super early bird countdown continues startup fans. If you don’t have your pass to Disrupt Berlin 2019 yet, it’s time to mach schnell — make it quick! Buy your pass now before the deadline strikes on 6 September at 11:59 p.m. (CEST), and you’ll save up to €600. Just five days left, friends. What are you waiting for?
You can save even more money with our group discounts. Buy in bulk, bring your whole team and leave no startup entrepreneur behind. You’ll save 20% when you buy five or more Innovator passes at once. Buy two or more Founder or Investor passes at once and enjoy a 10% savings.
We love Disrupt Berlin’s international diversity. More than 3,000 attendees from more than 50 countries gather to learn about and showcase the latest tech innovations and to connect, collaborate and move their business forward. Disrupt is the crossroad of now and future tech.
You’ll hear from an impressive array of tech leaders, makers, founders and investors on a range of hot topics. One example is Nigel Toon, the co-founder and CEO of Graphcore — a company that’s designing its own dedicated AI chipset. The company has raised more than $300 million from top investors, such as Sequoia Capital, BMW, Microsoft and Samsung. Pretty impressive, but even crazier — the tiny startup competes directly with giant chip companies, such as Nvidia, AMD, Intel and Qualcomm. It’s a race to see who can create the most efficient AI chip.
Director Roxanne Varza will be on hand to give us an update on Station F, the world’s biggest campus for startups. Housed in an historic monument (a beautiful building constructed in 1929), Station F is also a high-tech building and a cornerstone of the French tech ecosystem. Companies like Facebook, Naver (Line), Ubisoft, Microsoft and a host of others run incubators out of Station F, and its also home to more than 1,000 startups.
You can’t talk European success stories without talking UiPath. Currently valued at $7 billion, the company’s wild success comes from creating enterprise software that focuses on repetitive tasks and helps customers automate as many actions as possible. We can’t wait to talk with founder and CEO Daniel Dines — who started the company 15 years ago — about his automation journey.
There’s so much more to do at Disrupt Berlin 2019 and you can do it all for a whole lot less if you buy your pass before the super early bird price vanishes in just five days at 11:59 p.m. (CEST) on 6 September. Mach schnell!
Is your company interested in sponsoring or exhibiting at Disrupt Berlin 2019? Contact our sponsorship sales team by filling out this form.
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Final week to buy super early-bird passes to Disrupt Berlin 2019
Die Zeit läuft ab, Leute translates very roughly to “time is running out, people!” You have only one week left to save a fat stack of euros on your pass to Disrupt Berlin 2019. Join us and startuppers from more than 50 countries on 11-12 December for the lowest possible price.
Our super early-bird pricing comes to a grinding halt on 6 September at 11:59 p.m. (CEST). Buy your passes now and save up to €600.
If you want to have a uniquely thrilling experience at Disrupt Berlin, be sure to apply to one or all three major events taking place during the show. You can use this single application to apply to be considered for the TC Top Picks program and/or to compete in the mighty Startup Battlefield. Or, if the TC Hackathon is more your style, apply right here. Here’s more good news: All three programs are free. No application fees, no participation fees, no giving up equity.
If TechCrunch editors choose you to be a TC Top Pick, you’ll receive a free Startup Alley Exhibitor Package and an interview on the Showcase Stage with a TC editor. To qualify for consideration, your early-stage startup must fall into one of these categories: AI/Machine Learning, Biotech/Healthtech, Blockchain, Fintech, Mobility, Privacy/Security, Retail/E-commerce, Robotics/IoT/Hardware, CRM/Enterprise and Education.
Startup Battlefield has launched literally hundreds of startups to the world, and TechCrunch editors will select 15-20 startups to compete for the $50,000 equity-free prize, serious bragging rights and a metric ton of investor and media attention.
Since 2007, 857 companies have launched at Startup Battlefield to great success. Collectively they’ve raised more than $8.9 billion in funding with 112 successful exits (IPOs or acquisitions). If you’re selected, you’ll join the ranks of this alumni community that includes Dropbox, Getaround, SirenCare, Fitbit, Mint.com, Vurb and more.
We’re accepting only 500 people to compete in the TC Hackathon — so don’t wait to apply. TechCrunch will award $5,000 for the best overall hack, and you’ll also compete for cash and prizes from our sponsored hacks — we’ll have more info on those challenges soon, so keep checking back.
There’s so much more to see and do at Disrupt Berlin — speakers, workshops, Q&A Sessions, plus hundreds of early-stage startups exhibiting in Startup Alley. Talk about a place to connect and network with people who can take your business to new heights.
Don’t miss your chance to save up to €600 on passes to Disrupt Berlin 2019. Our super early-bird pricing disappears on 6 September at 11:59 p.m. (CEST). Buy your passes now and save up to €600. Die Zeit läuft ab, Leute!
Is your company interested in sponsoring or exhibiting at Disrupt Berlin 2019? Contact our sponsorship sales team by filling out this form.
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How-to: Exhibit for free in Startup Alley at Disrupt Berlin 2019
We love a good how-to, especially one that saves early-stage startup founders money and positions them for mad success. We’re talking about how to apply to be a TC Top Pick and exhibit at Disrupt Berlin 2019 — for free.
Our TC Top Picks program is what we call a pre-Disrupt competition. If you’re a founder of an early-stage startup this is your chance to win a free Startup Alley Exhibitor Package and a VIP experience in Berlin. How does it all work? Read on!
First, fill out an application if your startup falls into one of these tech categories: AI/Machine Learning, Biotech/Healthtech, Blockchain, Fintech, Mobility, Privacy/Security, Retail/E-commerce, Robotics/IoT/Hardware, CRM/Enterprise and Education.
TechCrunch editors closely vet each application — and these editors have an almost-mystical ability to spot serious success potential. Ultimately, they’ll choose up to five of the best representatives for each category.
A Startup Alley Exhibitor Package includes one exhibit day, three Founder passes, access to the full conference and all programming at the event.
TC Top Picks attract a lot of attention at the show, and it’s a networking wonderland. You’ll meet investors, potential customers and future collaborators who can help you move to the next level. Plus, you’ll be interviewed by a TechCrunch editor live on the Showcase Stage. We’ll record that interview and promote it on our social media platforms. Talk about a great long-term marketing tool.
Take a page from Caleb John’s playbook. Here’s what the CEO of Cedar Robotics said about exhibiting as a TC Top Pick:
“It blew away my expectations. The number of people we met, the connections we made and the amount of media exposure we received is worth its weight in gold.”
And another thing! You — and all the other exhibiting startups — might even win a chance to compete in Startup Battlefield. TechCrunch editors will choose a startup as a Wild Card competitor, and they’ll compete for $50,000. It’s a longshot, but it sure paid off for RecordGram. They won the Wild Card and then won the Battlefield. Can lightning strike twice?
Disrupt Berlin 2019 takes place on 11-12 December. Don’t miss your opportunity to showcase your outstanding startup in Startup Alley and enjoy a VIP experience — for free. Apply to our TC Top Picks program today.
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48-hours only: 2-for-1 sale on passes to Disrupt Berlin 2019
We’re in a celebratory mood here at TechCrunch — it’s Prime day after all. So we’re setting you up for serious savings on passes to Disrupt Berlin 2019, which takes place on 11-12 December. Das ist wunderbar!
Jump on this classic buy-one-get-one — BOGO — deal that starts today and ends tomorrow, July 16, at 11:59 p.m. (GMT). Buy an Innovator, Founder or Investor pass and you’ll score a second one free. Treat your co-worker or friend to two days of the best of the European tech scene. Talk about value. But this BOGO goes bye-bye in just 48 hours, so don’t wait. Buy your passes to Disrupt Berlin 2019 now.
Imagine experiencing all that Disrupt Berlin has to offer knowing that you got two passes for the price of one. That’s some serious ROI before you even step foot in Berlin. Don’t miss the Startup Battlefield — our legendary pitch-off with $50,000 cash at stake. The competition is always fierce and fascinating. Last year was epic. Who knew tech could help address reduced sperm motility? Berlin’s reigning Startup Battlefield champ, Legacy, did.
If you’re set to network, head straight to the Startup Alley expo hall. It’s packed with hundreds of startups showcasing their considerable tech talents. It’s also home to a cadre of outstanding startups — our TC Top Picks. We vet applications and choose up to five startups that represent the best in a range of tech categories. It’s another great way to gain invaluable exposure. The vetting process for Startup Battlefield and the TC Top Picks program officially starts a bit later this summer, but you can get a head start on things by filling out an application at apply.techcrunch.com.
We’re building our 2019 speaker roster as we speak. As always it will feature world-class speakers and panelists — founders, investors and icons — who share their experiences, advice and insight. Last year, we had the pleasure of hearing from Frank Salzgeber (European Space Agency), Lizzie Chapman (ZestMoney) and Rafal Modrzewski (ICEYE) — just to name a few.
Sign up for our mailing list to stay current as we announce the speakers, workshops, demos events and other surprises in the weeks ahead.
Disrupt Berlin 2019 takes place on 11-12 December, and we pack a lot of value into two short days. Double your ROI and take advantage of our 48-hour BOGO sale. Buy your Innovator, Founder or Investor passes before July 16 at 11:59 p.m. (GMT) and get another pass free. That’s two passes for one super early-bird price. Das ist wunderbar! Buy your BOGO passes to Disrupt Berlin 2019.
Is your company interested in sponsoring or exhibiting at Disrupt Berlin 2019? Contact our sponsorship sales team by filling out this form.
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SoftBank Vision Fund partner David Thevenon is coming to Disrupt Berlin
SoftBank Vision Fund has single-handedly changed the game when it comes to tech startup investment. And that’s why I’m excited to announce that SoftBank Vision Fund partner David Thevenon is joining us at TechCrunch Disrupt Berlin.
Thevenon spent most of his career working for Google on international and strategic partnerships, especially in Latin America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. He ended up heading the business development teams working on Android partnerships globally.
While his career as an investor is still relatively recent, he’s currently a board member for DiDi, Grab and Kabbage. As a reminder, SoftBank’s Vision Fund invested $5 billion in DiDi — it’s not every day that you get to cut such a big check.
So Thevenon has become a sort of expert in ride-hailing and mobile transportation platforms. It’s going to be interesting to hear what he thinks about the concept of “super apps” that Grab pioneered, for instance. Can you transform ride-hailing apps into apps that you open every day to make payments, get insurance products and loans?
More generally, given the size of SoftBank’s Vision Fund ($100 billion), it has had a huge impact on the growth trajectory of some companies. I’m personally curious to know SoftBank’s approach as board members, whether they get involved in the strategy of those companies or let the executive teams make decisions on their own.
Buy your ticket to Disrupt Berlin to listen to this discussion and many others. The conference will take place on December 11-12.
In addition to panels and fireside chats, like this one, new startups will participate in the Startup Battlefield to compete for the highly coveted Battlefield Cup.
Before joining SoftBank in 2014, David had a 10-year tenure at Google, where he last led global partnerships for the Android platform and was in charge of product-related partnerships and business development activities across Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America.
Prior to Google, David led strategic partnerships at T-Mobile International, and worked as a finance executive at Dell, ICL-Fujitsu and Elf-Atochem. David received a Master in Management from ESCEM.
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