The Startup Battlefield 2025 judging panel is getting even stronger. Our first wave of VCs brought serious firepower, and now we’re adding more top investors who will grill founders, unpack the big questions, and help crown this year’s $100,000 champion at TechCrunch Disrupt, taking place October 27–29 at San Francisco’s Moscone West.
Like the legendary investors who’ve judged in years past, this next group brings the insight, experience, and instincts that can change a founder’s trajectory in just one Q&A.
Here’s the next set of investors ready to bring their sharpest questions to the Disrupt Stage. Secure your ticket now to save $650+ and to witness the pitch-off live.
Meet the next wave of our Startup Battlefield 200 judges
Introducing the second batch of five VCs who will help crown this year’s Startup Battlefield champion, with more investors on the way. Check the Disrupt speaker page to get to know our judges.
Thomas Krane, Managing Director, Insight Partners
Thomas Krane is a managing director at Insight Partners and has been with the firm since 2012, when he joined as an analyst. As an investor, his focus areas include cybersecurity, DevOps, IT automation, and application software. Five of his investments have gone on to realize an IPO (Tenable, JFrog, Darktrace, 1stdibs, SentinelOne), and more have seen successful strategic exits, including Recorded Future, Adaptive Shield, Thycotic, Nearpod, Cylance, and QASymphony. Thomas studied astrophysics at the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa and earned his master’s degree in four years.
Charles Hudson, Managing Partner, Precursor Ventures
Charles Hudson is the managing partner and founder of Precursor Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm focused on investing in the first institutional round of investment for the most promising software and hardware companies. He invests in people over product at the earliest stage of their entrepreneurial journey. Under his leadership, Precursor has raised four funds and has $250+ million under management. He has invested in over 400+ companies and has supported 450+ founders, including the teams behind Bobbie Baby, Carrot, Incredible Health, Juniper Square, Modern Health, Pair Eyewear, Rad AI, and The Athletic (sold to the New York Times for $525 million in 2022).
Nicolas Sauvage, President, TDK Ventures
Nicolas Sauvage is president of TDK Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of TDK Corporation, where he leads the firm’s $350 million mandate to invest in early-stage startups driving digital and energy innovation. Since its founding in 2019, TDK Ventures has backed 45 startups under its leadership, including three unicorns — Ascend Elements, Groq, and Silicon Box.
Techcrunch event
San Francisco
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October 27-29, 2025
Recognized globally, Sauvage has appeared on the GCV Powerlist for six consecutive years, most recently ranking No. 17 among the top 150 heads of corporate venture. He is also one of only two corporate VCs inducted into the prestigious Kauffman Fellows program.
Katie Stanton, Founder and General Partner, Moxxie Ventures
Katie Stanton is the founder and general partner of Moxxie Ventures, an early-stage venture fund. Prior to Moxxie, Stanton served in numerous executive operating roles at Twitter, Google, Yahoo, and Color. In addition to working in Silicon Valley, Stanton served in the Obama White House and State Department and began her career as a banker at J.P. Morgan Chase. Stanton sits on the Board of Vivendi, a French multinational media company headquartered in Paris, and previously served on the board of Time Inc. She started her venture career as a founding partner of #Angels and has invested in over 100 early-stage companies, including Airtable, Calm, Cameo, Carta, Coinbase, Literati, Modern Fertility, and Shape Security.
Santi Subotovsky, General Partner, Emergence
Santi Subotovsky is a general partner at Emergence Capital, where he has been a driving force behind some of the firm’s most successful investments since joining in 2010, including Chorus and Openpath. He led Emergence’s investment in Zoom (NASDAQ: ZM) when it was a little-known startup and remains on its board as the company stands as a $24 billion market cap giant. He also serves on the boards of leading companies like Crunchbase, Logik.io, Zipline, Tundra, and Class, and works closely with startup studio and accelerator High Alpha and Quasar Ventures, which helps Latin American entrepreneurs bring disruptive ideas to life.
Disrupt: Where tech innovation launches — and lasts
The ultimate global pitch-off awaits. This October 27-29, TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 brings together 10,000+ startups and VC leaders, turning San Francisco’s Moscone West into the tech epicenter. The startup arena may have changed, but Disrupt remains where founders launch tomorrow’s innovation. Join the sessions, make the deals, and witness Startup Battlefield live. Secure your ticket now before prices rise.
