TechCrunch Disrupt SF 2019
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Win a Wild Card to compete in Startup Battlefield at Disrupt SF 2019
Did you miss the deadline to compete in the Startup Battlefield at Disrupt San Francisco 2019 on Oct. 2-4? Cheer up buckaroo. You may be down, but you’re not out. You have one last chance for Startup Battlefield glory.
“Tell me more,” we hear you cry. Buy a demo table and exhibit in Startup Alley at Disrupt SF for a chance to win a Wild Card entry to Startup Battlefield. Out of all the startups exhibiting in the Alley, our team of TechCrunch editors will select two standouts as Wild Card teams. Those teams will compete head-to-head in Startup Battlefield for $100,000 equity-free cash, the Disrupt Cup and plenty of investor and media attention.
Yes, it’s a longshot, but sometimes longshots pay off. Just ask the folks at RecordGram. Not only did the company reap the many benefits of exhibiting in Startup Alley, but it also earned a Wild Card slot and won the Startup Battlefield championship.
Whether or not you earn a Wild Card or compete in Startup Battlefield, exhibiting in Startup Alley offers almost infinite opportunity. More than 10,000 attendees will be on hand, and they’ll be hungry to explore everything Startup Alley has to offer. It’s a networking paradise where you just might connect with future customers, investors, partners, advisors, employees and marketers. Plus, with 400 media outlets attending, plenty of journalists will be trolling for great stories.
Caleb John, founder and CEO of Cedar Robotics, met hundreds of people demonstrating his company’s tech in Startup Alley. He calls the experience “one of the coolest things we’ve ever done.”
Of course, you get all the other benefits associated with your Startup Alley Exhibitor Package. Three full days of programming across all four Disrupt stages including the Main stage where you’ll hear a lineup of amazing speakers. You also receive access to interactive workshops, the complete attendee list via Disrupt Mobile App, CrunchMatch, our attendee-networking platform, networking parties, the TechCrunch After Party and exclusive video content access once the conference ends.
Disrupt San Francisco 2019 on Oct. 2-4. Come exhibit in Startup Alley for your chance to win one of two Wild Card spots and your last opportunity to compete in Startup Battlefield. Go for it!
Not quite ready for prime time on the Disrupt Main stage? No worries. Why not apply for our TC Top Picks program? Our TC Top Picks receive a free Startup Alley Exhibitor Package, VIP treatment and plenty of media and investor exposure.
Is your company interested in sponsoring or exhibiting at Disrupt San Francisco 2019? Contact our sponsorship sales team by filling out this form.
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Only 24 hours left to apply to Startup Battlefield at Disrupt SF 2019
Early-stage startup founders it’s now or never, it’s do-or-die, it’s [insert your preferred time-crunch cliché here]. The application deadline for the Startup Battlefield at Disrupt San Francisco 2019 expires in just 24 hours.
If you’re ready to go up against a cadre of approximately 15-30 outstanding startups on the Disrupt Main stage, then apply to compete in the Startup Battlefield before the application window slams shut on June 25th at 11:59 p.m. (PT).
Competing in Startup Battlefield is free. TechCrunch does not charge fees or take any equity. If you make it through the vetting process — TechCrunch editors set a high bar — you’ll receive free, extensive pitch coaching from our Startup Battlefield-tested editors. Their advice, coaching and guidance will prepare you to deliver a killer, six-minute presentation to a panel of expert judges — notable VCs and technologists. And you’ll be ready to handle the nerve-wracking Q&A that follows your pitch.
The teams that make it into the final round will present their pitch and demo again — to a second set of judges. And from that select group, one startup will be named champion, claim the $100,000 cash prize, hoist the Disrupt Cup and get ready for a very bright future.
The entire event takes place in front of thousands of avid startup fans and influencers — investors, founders and journalists from more than 400 media outlets. We also live-stream the entire event around the world on TechCrunch.com, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter — and make it available later on-demand.
All Startup Battlefield teams benefit from competing whether they win or not. You’ll be on the receiving end of intense media and investor attention. You’ll exhibit for free in Startup Alley for all three days of the show. You’ll receive invitations to VIP events, free passes to future TechCrunch events and complimentary subscriptions to our new editorial offering, Extra Crunch. That adds up to serious opportunity.
All that opportunity expires in just 24 hours. Don’t miss your chance — apply to the Startup Battlefield before June 25th at 11:59 p.m. (PT).
There’s more than one way to stand in the Disrupt SF spotlight. Apply for our TC Top Picks program. As part of this select group, you’ll receive a free Startup Alley Exhibitor Package, VIP treatment and plenty of investor and media attention — including an interview with a TechCrunch editor on the Showcase Stage.
Is your company interested in sponsoring or exhibiting at Disrupt San Francisco 2019? Contact our sponsorship sales team by filling out this form.
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Two days left to apply to Startup Battlefield at Disrupt SF 2019
What do early-stage startups Forethought, Pi and Recordgram have in common with successful tech companies like Dropbox, Mint and TripIt? They all competed in Startup Battlefield, our epic pitch competition.
If you’re ready to step up, go big and launch your startup to the world, you need to get moving. We stop accepting applications in just two days — on June 25th at 11:59 p.m. (PT). Apply to compete in the Startup Battlefield right now.
When we say, “go big” we mean it in every sense of the word. The crowd — more than 10,000 people flock to our flagship event. The stakes — a $100,000 equity-free cash prize. The competition — if you make the cut, you’ll go up against some of the finest early-stage startups on the Disrupt Main stage in front of an audience of thousands.
The room will be packed with founders, investors — and tech journalists from more than 400 media outlets. We’re talking influential people who can take your startup dreams and make them a reality. They’ll expect the best, and you’ll deliver.
You have nothing to lose. Applying and participating in Startup Battlefield is free. The selection process is competitive, and TechCrunch editors will choose approximately 15-30 startups to compete. Participating founders receive free, extensive pitch coaching to ensure peak performance.
On the big day, teams get six-minutes to pitch and present a live demo to the judges, a panel consisting of expert VCs and technologists. And that’s followed by a round of Q&A. Survive the first round and you’ll lather, rinse and repeat in front of a new set of judges.
One outstanding startup will emerge to claim the $100,000, the Disrupt Cup and serious bragging rights to become the toast of Disrupt SF ‘19.
But the benefits of competing extend to all Startup Battlefield participants. You’ll enjoy the VIP treatment at Disrupt — including invitations to private investor receptions, and you get free exhibit space in Startup Alley for all three days of the show. You’ll have access to CrunchMatch — our investor/startup matching program that simplifies networking. Oh, and we live-stream the entire event on TechCrunch.com, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. Plus, it’s available later on-demand.
Disrupt San Francisco 2019 takes place on Oct. 2-4. Don’t miss your chance to step up, go big and go home with $100,000. Apply to Startup Battlefield before the deadline on June 25th at 11:59 p.m. (PT).
Not quite ready for prime time on the Disrupt Main stage? No worries. Why not apply for our TC Top Picks program? Our TC Top Picks receive a free Startup Alley Exhibitor Package, VIP treatment and plenty of media and investor exposure.
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Ray Dalio is coming to Disrupt SF
When it comes to the gods of finance, few people reach the stratosphere of Ray Dalio . The founder of Bridgewater, the investment firm that has grown to manage $150 billion in assets, Dalio is one of the most successful financial entrepreneurs of his generation, and indeed, of all time.
While Dalio and Bridgewater are known for their pathbreaking analysis of the world economic machine that has reaped them billions in returns, they aren’t just known for their financial results. Rather, Bridgewater is also widely known for its unique culture shaped over decades of trial and error.
Dalio has made sharing that culture his mission in life, publishing Principles, a book and companion mobile app, to train the next generation of founders, executives and business leaders about how to build a culture that seeks truth and excellence in all of its activities.
Dalio will be joining us for a fireside chat on the Extra Crunch stage this October at TechCrunch Disrupt SF, where he will discuss how to build a culture at a startup.
For startup founders, building the culture of their companies is one of the most important yet enigmatic activities they will undertake as leaders. Culture isn’t just a list of values pasted in the corner of a WeWork cubicle; rather, it is the accumulated actions and interactions that founders, employees and investors undertake every single day.
But what exactly should those actions be? How can a founder guide their companies to embody the right values? Dalio has strong views on what a culture should look like at a company. His Principles are based on constantly seeking access to the best information, assessing that information objectively and always striving to improve decision-making processes through thoughtful disagreement and learning.
On the Extra Crunch stage, Dalio will talk about how to instill the right behaviors into the core DNA of a company’s founders — even before they have hired employee number one. He will also discuss how to maintain and augment his Principles as a company scales, particularly in those high-growth phases where culture either intensifies or withers away amidst the deluge of new hires.
Dalio made his mark building out one of the most successful investment firms of all time. Now he will share his secrets to the founders building the next generation of unicorns.
Dalio joins a variety of amazing speakers who will be on our stage come October, with many still to be announced! Disrupt SF runs October 2 – October 4 at the Moscone Center right in SF. Tickets to the show are available here, but move quickly, because the Early-Bird pricing ends today!
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Prices increase tonight on passes to Disrupt SF 2019
This is it, the final day the super-early-bird is hanging out at TechCrunch dispensing serious savings on passes to Disrupt San Francisco 2019. Once the clock ticks onto 11:59 p.m. (PT) tonight, the bird flies off to parts unknown. The known part? Ticket prices go up.
Disrupt events provide outstanding ROI at any price. But seriously folks, why pay more? Prices start at $145 and, depending on the pass you buy, you can save up to $1,800. Buy your pass today — before the deadline hits.
One more thing about money. We, like most startuppers, are seriously budget-conscious, so we’ve created a payment plan option that lets you spread your payments over time. Simply select that option during checkout.
On to the main event. San Francisco — the home of the startup culture and spirit, and TC’s flagship Disrupt conference. More than 10,000 attendees — founders, investors, engineers, makers designers, students and 400 media outlets — will settle in for three jam-packed wild and woolly days of startup goodness.
The TechCrunch Hackathon is back in full force, with 800 participants raring to build something new out of nothing in 24 hours. They’ll compete to create working solutions to real-world challenges put forth by an array of sponsors. Each challenge offers its own cash and prizes, and TechCrunch will also award one team a $10,000 cash prize for the best overall hack.
Don’t miss the Startup Battlefield, with its hefty $100,000 cash prize. If you think your early-stage startup has what it takes to step onto the Main Stage and compete against some of the best, get moving now and apply. The deadline expires on June 25th at 11:59 p.m. (PT). Apply right now!
There’s more than one way to step into the Disrupt spotlight. Apply to be in our TC Top Picks program. Up to five early-stage startups will be selected to represent each of these categories: AI/Machine Learning, Biotech/Healthtech, Blockchain, Fintech, Mobility, Privacy/Security, Retail/E-commerce, Robotics/IoT/Hardware, SaaS and Social Impact & Education.
If selected, you’ll receive a free Startup Alley Exhibitor Package and an interview with a TechCrunch editor on the Showcase Stage.
There’s so much more to Disrupt — a heady lineup of speakers, Q&A Sessions, workshops, demos, world-class networking and CrunchMatch to help make connecting easier than ever. What are you waiting for?
The clock is ticking on super-early-bird savings to Disrupt San Francisco 2019 on October 2-4. The deadline expires tonight at precisely 11:59 p.m. (PT). Be kind to your bottom line and buy your pass to Disrupt right now.
Is your company interested in sponsoring or exhibiting at Disrupt San Francisco 2019? Contact our sponsorship sales team by filling out this form.
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4 days left to score the best price on Disrupt SF 2019
We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming to bring you an important message: You have just four days left to buy your pass to Disrupt San Francisco 2019 before the super early-bird price expires on June 21 at 11:59 p.m. (PT).
There’s a pass priced for every budget (even yours), and you can spread your payments over time when you select the payment plan option during checkout. But once that deadline hits you can kiss up to $1,800 in savings goodbye. Disrupt SF 2019 offers fantastic ROI at any price, but why pay more? Buy your pass now to make the most of your investment.
Speaking of investments, we’re thrilled to partner yet again with All Raise, a startup nonprofit focused on accelerating female founder and funder success. Don’t miss this mini-series of 30 ask-me-anything sessions. You’ll connect with other entrepreneurs and have a chance to ask top investors, well, anything. You’ll find more details and sign-up information here.
Come to Disrupt ready to network with more than 10,000 attendees. If that sounds a tad daunting, fear not. CrunchMatch, our free business match-making service, takes the pain out of networking — and saves your aching feet, too. It helps you find and connect with the right people based on mutual business criteria, goals and interests. Search, find, schedule, meet. It’s that simple.
Nothing but opportunity awaits in Startup Alley. More than a thousand early-stage startups and exhibitors will fill the exhibit hall and showcase a wealth of tech products, services and talent. Want to exhibit there? We have two options for you.
Purchase a Startup Alley Exhibitor Package or you can apply to the TC Top Picks program and exhibit in Startup Alley for free. Applications for TC Top Picks close on July 19, and you have until September 13 to buy your Disrupt SF Startup Alley Exhibitor Package.
And of course don’t miss the crown jewel of every Disrupt: Startup Battlefield, TechCrunch’s epic pitch competition. You can watch it live and cheer on your favorites or you can apply to compete — just be sure to fill out the Startup Battlefield application by June 25th at 11:59 p.m. (PT).
So many great reasons to attend Disrupt San Francisco 2019 on October 2-4. Since you’re going, why not get the best ticket price possible? The super early-bird price expires on June 21 at 11:59 p.m. (PT). Buy your pass today, and we’ll see you in October!
Is your company interested in sponsoring or exhibiting at Disrupt San Francisco 2019? Contact our sponsorship sales team by filling out this form.
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Annie Kadavy, Russ Heddleston and Charles Hudson will tell us how to raise seed money at Disrupt SF
Just about anyone can come up with a good idea. Fewer people can execute on that idea and turn it into a prototype or MVP. But there is still one final challenge for most entrepreneurs that can prove challenging.
How do you secure that initial seed capital and take your idea to the next level?
At Disrupt SF in October, Redpoint’s Annie Kadavy, DocSend’s Russ Heddleston and Precursor’s Charles Hudson will sit down together and chat it out on the Extra Crunch stage.
Kadavy, Heddleston and Hudson can offer a unique perspective on the process of early-stage fundraising.
Kadavy joined Redpoint in 2018 after a four-year stint at Charles River Ventures, where she sourced or led deals with ClassPass, Cratejoy, DoorDash, Lauren & Wolf and Patreon. She’s also spent time within firms like Bain & Company, Warby Parker and Uber Freight. She understands the importance of operational experience, and knows better than most how to take a company from point A to point B.
Heddleston, co-founder and CEO of DocSend, has a completely different perspective. DocSend is used to securely send and track documents, and one of the most prevalent documents on the platform happens to be pitch decks. Heddleston can tell us about what characteristics get (and keep) the attention of investors, as well as what turns them off.
Hudson, managing partner at Precursor Ventures, has been on both sides of the conference room table. He founded Bionic Panda Games, which was acquired by Zynga in 2010. He moved on to SoftTech VC (now Uncork Capital), where he spent eight years working on seed-stage investments in the consumer internet space. At Precursor Ventures, he’s continuing to invest in early-stage companies that are tackling problems in new markets.
These three each have their own perspective on how to get the attention of investors and how to turn a conversation into a cap table.
“How to Raise Your First Dollars” is but one of many panels that will take place on the Extra Crunch stage at Disrupt SF. The Extra Crunch stage, much like Extra Crunch on the web, is meant to serve as a resource for aspiring entrepreneurs and VCs, offering practical, step-by-step advice on how to get to where you’re going.
We’re thrilled to have Kadavy, Heddleston and Hudson join us at the show.
Disrupt SF runs October 2 – October 4 at the Moscone Center in SF. Tickets to Disrupt SF are available here.
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Only 5 days left for super savings on passes to Disrupt SF 2019
We know you’re hard at work bringing your early-stage startup dreams to fruition, but allow us to offer this hot tip. Super-early-bird-pass pricing for Disrupt San Francisco 2019 pulls a disappearing act on June 21 at 11:59 p.m. (PT).
Buy your pass now and depending on the pass you buy you can save up to $1,800. You can even select the payment plan option during checkout and pay for your pass over time. Viva la budget!
If you’re serious about realizing your startup dreams, and we’ve never met a startupper who wasn’t, Disrupt SF is a giant incubator for opportunity and success. More than 10,000 people from around the world will converge in San Francisco on October 2-4 for three programming-packed days focused on the early-stage startup community.
Some of the tech and investment world’s top names, minds and makers will join us onstage. With a mind-blowing line-up, and more announced every week, make sure to keep an eye on the growing list of speakers.
Here’s a prime example. David Krane, the CEO and managing partner of investing powerhouse GV (Google Ventures), will join us for an in-depth conversation. His fund has invested in hundreds of tech companies, including Uber, Nest and Blue Bottle Coffee. Learn more about GV, its processes and what might be on Krane’s shopping list. You won’t want to miss this rare public appearance.
Be sure to bear witness to Startup Battlefield, TechCrunch’s epic pitch competition. Or better yet, why not apply to Startup Battlefield? It’s one heck of a launching pad, with a grand prize of $100,000. If you’re ready to show your startup to the world, don’t wait — the application deadline expires on June 25th at 11:59 p.m. (PT).
Dive into Startup Alley, the expo floor, where you’ll find hundreds of early-stage startups displaying their talent, products, platforms and services. It’s networking at its best, and connecting with the right people is easier than ever. Yes, there’s an app for that. It’s CrunchMatch, the free business connecting service. Disrupt that pesky needle-in-a-haystack scenario and easily find and connect with the people you want to meet.
Speaking of the people everyone wants to meet… TechCrunch is searching for outstanding startups to apply to the TC Top Picks program at Disrupt SF. If selected, you get a free Startup Alley Exhibition package, a VIP experience and tons of investor and media attention. You’ll also be interviewed by a TechCrunch editor live on the Showcase Stage, and we promote that interview across all TechCrunch’s social media platforms.
On top of all of the above, there’ll be a slew of workshops, Q&A Sessions, demos and the Disrupt Hackathon. There’s so much opportunity to grow, connect and create. Join us at Disrupt SF 2019. Save your hard-earned money and buy a super early-bird pass before June 21 at 11:59 p.m. (PT).
Is your company interested in sponsoring or exhibiting at Disrupt San Francisco 2019? Contact our sponsorship sales team by filling out this form.
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DuckDuckGo founder Gabriel Weinberg is coming to Disrupt
2019 is the year Facebook announced a “pivot to privacy.” At the same time, Google is trying to claim that privacy means letting it exclusively store and data-mine everything you do online. So what better time to sit down with DuckDuckGo founder and CEO Gabriel Weinberg for a chat about what privacy really means.
We’re delighted to announce that Weinberg is joining us at Disrupt SF (October 2-4).
The pro-privacy search engine he founded has been on a mission to shrink the shoulder-surfing creepiness of internet searching for more than a decade, serving contextual keyword-based ads, rather than pervasively tracking users to maintain privacy-hostile profiles. (If you can’t quite believe the decade bit; here’s DDG’s startup elevator pitch — which we featured on TC all the way back in 2008.)
It’s a position that looks increasingly smart as big tech comes under sharper political and regulatory scrutiny on account of the volume of information it’s amassing. (Not to mention what it’s doing with people’s data.)
Despite competing as a self-funded underdog against the biggest tech giants around, DuckDuckGo has been profitable and gaining users at a steady clip for years. It also recently took in a chunk of VC to capitalize on what its investors see as a growing international opportunity to help internet users go about their business without being intrusively snooped on. Which makes a compelling counter narrative to the tech giants.
In more recent developments it has added a tracker blocker to its product mix — and been dabbling in policy advocacy — calling for a revival of a Do Not Track browser standard, after earlier attempts floundered with the industry, failing to reach accord.
The political climate around privacy and data protection does look to be pivoting in such a way that Do Not Track could possibly swing back into play. But if — and, yes it’s a big one — privacy ends up being a baked-in internet norm, how might a pioneer like DuckDuckGo maintain its differentiating edge?
While, on the flip side, what if tech giants end up moving in on its territory by redefining privacy in their own self-serving image? We have questions and will be searching Weinberg for answers.
There’s also the fact that many a founder would have cut and run just half a decade into pushing against the prevailing industry grain. So we’re also keen to mine his views on entrepreneurial patience, and get a better handle on what makes him tick as a person — to learn how he’s turned a passion for building people-centric, principled products into a profitable business.
Disrupt SF runs October 2 – October 4 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Tickets are available here.
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OnePlus CEO Pete Lau will discuss the future of mobile at Disrupt SF
Founded in late 2013, OnePlus did the impossible, coming seemingly out of nowhere to take on some of the biggest players in mobile. The company has made a name by embracing a fawning fan base and offering premium smartphone features at budget pricing, even as the likes of Samsung and Apple routinely crack the $1,000 barrier on their own flagships.
OnePlus’ history is awash with clever promotions and fan service, all while exceeding expectations in markets like the U.S., where fellow Chinese smartphone makers have run afoul of U.S. regulations. The company’s measured approach to embracing new features has won a devoted fan base among Android users.
Over the past year, however, the company has looked to bleeding-edge technology as a way forward. OnePlus was one of the first to embrace In-Display fingerprint sensors with last year’s 6T, and has promised to be among the first to offer 5G on its handsets later this year.
CEO Pete Lau formed the company with fellow Oppo employee Carl Pei. The pair have turned the company into arguably the most exciting smartphone manufacturer in the past decade. OnePlus has big plans on the horizon, too, including further expansion into the Indian market and the arrival of its first TV set in the coming year.
At Disrupt SF (which runs October 2 to October 4), Lau will discuss OnePlus’ rapid accent and its plans for the future.
Tickets are available here.
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