Startup Battlefield Alumni: Where Are They Now?

Some of the most transformative companies in technology didn’t debut with a massive funding round. They began with a pitch. Dropbox presented to a skeptical audience. Cloudflare stepped onto the stage before edge networking was widely understood. Discord started as a small game studio called Hammer & Chisel. Mint, Trello, Forethought, and N26 all went through the same proving ground: TechCrunch Startup Battlefield.

That pattern isn’t accidental. Battlefield is more than a contest; it’s a launchpad, and the statistics prove it. Over 1,700 companies have presented on the Battlefield stage. Collectively, they have raised $32 billion in total funding and achieved more than 250 exits. Those exits include acquisitions by giants like Microsoft, Google, Yahoo, Salesforce, Twitter, Uber, and Amazon. The network runs so deep that alumni have acquired each other. In 2021, Dropbox bought DocSend, another Battlefield graduate. For countless founders, this event has become a defining milestone. It’s not just a pitch competition; it’s the moment the world starts paying attention.

You still have a chance to join this prestigious alumni group this year. Because of overwhelming demand, the Startup Battlefield 2026 application deadline has been extended to June 8. You can submit your application right here.

Meanwhile, we wanted to share what happens after the applause fades. We caught up with several recent alumni, many of whom have joined us on Build Mode: The Founder Survival Guide, TechCrunch’s podcast for founders at any stage. Here is what they are building, in their own words.

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The champions and runners-up

From military logistics to Startup Battlefield 2025 champion

Kevin Damoa, founder of Glīd , 2025 winner

Kevin Damoa did not come from Sand Hill Road. He came from military logistics, a background that proved to be perfect training for building under pressure, with limited resources and real stakes. Damoa’s journey to winning the Startup Battlefield 2025 championship is the kind of origin story that makes you rethink where the next wave of great founders is coming from.

→ Listen to Kevin’s Build Mode episode

From the Startup Battlefield stage to the International Space Station

Capella Kerst, founder and CEO of geCKo Materials , 2024 runner-up

Capella Kerst did not set out to reinvent adhesion. She set out to solve a problem that has baffled engineers for decades: How do you make things stick reliably, repeatedly, and without residue in the most extreme environments imaginable? geCKo Materials, spun out of Stanford, has developed gecko-inspired adhesive technology with applications from manufacturing floors to the International Space Station. Kerst’s Startup Battlefield moment signaled to the market that the science was ready for the world. What has happened since proves that runner-up is not a consolation prize; it is a credential. Hear how she got there:

→ Listen to Capella’s Build Mode episode

How Forethought AI found product-market fit before it was obvious

Deon Nicholas, co-founder of Forethought AI , 2018 winner (acquired by Zendesk)

Few Startup Battlefield stories have a more complete arc than Forethought AI. Deon Nicholas took the stage with the conviction that AI could fundamentally transform customer support, long before that was an obvious bet. Before the term sheets and the headlines, there was a pitch and a thesis. Forethought was recently acquired by Zendesk, the latest example of what the Startup Battlefield stage can set in motion. His Build Mode episode is essential listening and a perfect primer for Season 3’s deep dive on fundraising.

→ Listen to Deon’s Build Mode episode

Top 20 finalist stories

The danger of fundraising before finding product-market fit

David Park, founder of Narada

Raising before product-market fit does not speed things up. It speeds up your mistakes. Park does not sugarcoat the lessons.

→ Listen to David’s Build Mode episode

Using AI to hire for compatibility, not just skill

Sarah Lucena, founder and CEO of Mappa

Skills get people in the door. Compatibility determines whether they stay. Lucena is using AI to fix the part of hiring nobody talks about.

→ Listen to Sarah’s Build Mode episode

More from the Startup Battlefield alumni community

These founders competed on the Startup Battlefield and sat down with us on Build Mode to tell their story. All are worth a listen.

Anna Sun of Nowadays and Hala Jalwan and Alessio Tresanti of Rivio , On what happens when a startup becomes a family business and the community that forms around Startup Battlefield. → Listen

Kyle Rudolph and Jon Walburg, co-founders of Alltroo , On why your network is your first go-to-market strategy. → Listen

Jas Schembri-Stothart of Luna and Andre Peart of Untapped Solutions , On reaching the markets everyone else ignores and building for underserved communities without the typical growth playbook. → Listen

The milestone is real

Every generation of Startup Battlefield alumni adds a new chapter to the same story. But behind every one of those data points is a founder who made a bet on themselves publicly, in front of people who were paying attention. The stage matters. The community lasts. The milestone is real.

And remember: Applications for Startup Battlefield 2026 are still open. If you are building something that deserves a stage, this is yours.

→ Apply before the June 8 deadline

Know a founder who is ready for the spotlight? Investors, operators, and fellow founders can nominate companies directly.

→ Nominate a founder

Not ready to apply yet? Build Mode is where we meet you. Season 2 is live now. Season 3, all about fundraising, drops this summer.

→ Subscribe to Build Mode