SAN FRANCISCO — TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 opened at the Moscone Center on Friday with GUDEA among the top 20 startups competing in the flagship Startup Battlefield competition. The event draws thousands of founders, investors and technologists.

Startup Battlefield offers a $100,000 equity-free prize and a coveted pitch slot on the main stage. Previous alumni include Dropbox, Mint and Trello, giving finalists outsized attention from venture capitalists in attendance.

GUDEA, highlighted for its role in helping organisations manage operations, was named to the finalist group ahead of the conference. Finalists deliver timed pitches before panels of judges from leading venture firms, with selected teams advancing through successive rounds.

Organisers scheduled keynote interviews, founder workshops and investor networking sessions across the multi-day programme. The Startup Battlefield winner is typically announced on the conference's closing day, with the 2026 cohort selected from thousands of applications worldwide.

The conference comes as early-stage funding tightens and founders compete more intensely for investor attention, raising the stakes for companies seeking the visibility that a Disrupt appearance provides.