TechCrunch announced five new investor judges who will serve in the Startup Battlefield 200 competition at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, taking place October 13-15 at Moscone West in San Francisco. The judges will evaluate early-stage startups based on their ability to solve real problems, the resilience of their business models, founder determination, clarity, execution capabilities, and potential for category leadership.
Aditi Maliwal, a general partner at Upfront Ventures, invests at the pre-seed and seed stages in fintech, enterprise SaaS, AI applications, and developer tools. Her portfolio includes Clair, Writer, Arcade, and General Translation. Maliwal, who previously worked at Google and Deutsche Bank, led Chime’s Series A investment at her previous firm and became Upfront’s first San Francisco-based partner.
Michael Palank, a general partner at MaC Ventures, backs consumer and enterprise startups focused on AI, fintech, healthcare, media, entertainment, aerospace, and defense. Palank previously worked at William Morris and Will Smith’s production company, Overbrook Entertainment.
Nell Daly, co-founder and managing partner of Revenge Capital, invests in under-supported founders in the United States and the United Kingdom, including women, BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, disabled, and neurodiverse entrepreneurs. Before founding the fund, Daly was a psychotherapist.
Grace Ge, a partner at Amplify Partners, focuses on AI, developer tools, data infrastructure, and modern SaaS. Ge, whose portfolio includes Pinecone, Eppo, Vivun, Orb, and Avoca, was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 venture capital list.
GV general partner Crystal Huang invests in enterprise SaaS, AI infrastructure, and fintech. Her portfolio includes Typeface, Pecan AI, Sardine, Cacheflow, PostHog, Roboflow, and Sift. Huang previously worked at NEA, GGV Capital, and Blackstone.
The event is expected to bring together 10,000+ technology leaders, investors, and founders. Discounts of up to $200 will be available on tickets until September 25 at 11:59 p.m. PT.
Why it matters
The composition of the judging panel indicates that the early-stage startups entering the competition will be assessed not through the lens of a single sector, but across different investment areas and professional backgrounds. Expertise spanning AI, fintech, enterprise software, developer tools, healthcare, media, and defense will be particularly important in helping founders in these fields understand the assessment framework they will face. Nell Daly’s focus on under-supported founders also provides a distinct perspective on the representation of women, BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, disabled, and neurodiverse entrepreneurs in the investment ecosystem. However, the information released does not reveal how the criteria will be weighted or how the judges’ different areas of expertise will be balanced in the final decision; this uncertainty concerns not only the contestants but also the investors and founders who will attend the event.
Background
Disrupt is not a new name in the FikirPilot archive: in the past 90 days, we have published 6 articles mentioning the name, the most recent dated September 16, 2026.