Startup Battlefield, which has also featured in the huge hit HBO series, “Silicon Valley”, gives competitors the chance to pitch their company to a panel of judges, made up of innovators, venture capitalists and influencers in the tech community. The winning team will take away a prize of GPS £30,000, the coveted Disrupt Cup, and a place among the 543 companies who have taken part in the competition, which have included global brands such asYammer, Mint.com and Dropbox. To date, Battlefield finalist startups have raised more than $5.7 billion in funding collectively, 69 have been acquired, and two have gone public.
Mike Butcher, Editor-at-Large for TechCrunch who is based in London, said: “TechCrunch Disrupt London is bigger and better than ever this year, and the Startup Battlefield reflects some of the hottest trends in tech startups today. We’ll cover Drones, the future of work and smart home devices, among many other areas. There have been 24, $1billion-plus exits of startup companies in Europe in the last five years, so it’s clear that Europe is really motoring right now. And Disrupt London is the natural home for TechCrunch’s European presence, being a hotbed of startups and VCs both from the UK and a natural hub for Europe. The city of London remains an enticing attractor of talent in finance, fashion, media, design and entertainment, meaning it can cover many bases when it comes to tech startups. And it’s appropriate that we are holding the event in one of the newest parts of London to be regenerated, following the amazing London Olympics of 2012.”
TechCrunch Disrupt attendees can expect to hear about some of the most interesting topics in tech and business right now, from speakers such as legendary football manager and author of LEADING, Sir Alex Ferguson, retired professional footballer,Thierry Henry, singer and instrumentalist, Imogen Heap, as well as one of this year’s most successful founders, William Shu, of Deliveroo.
The list of Startup Battlefield participants for 2015 includes: