What we’re looking for in Startup Battlefield 2026, and how to apply in time for the May 27 deadline

我们在 2026 年 Startup Battlefield 中寻找什么，以及如何在 5 月 27 日截止日期前完成申请

Every year I read through thousands of Startup Battlefield applications. And every year, I see the same pattern: The founders who belong on this stage are often the ones who almost didn’t apply. They think they’re too early. They think they need more traction. They think the program is for companies further along than they are. So here’s what we’re actually looking for and how to make sure your application reflects it. 每年，我都会阅读数以千计的 Startup Battlefield 申请。每年我都会看到同样的模式：那些本该站在这个舞台上的创始人，往往是那些差点就没申请的人。他们认为自己还太早，认为需要更多的市场牵引力，认为这个项目是为那些比他们发展得更成熟的公司准备的。因此，以下是我们真正寻找的内容，以及如何确保你的申请能够体现出这些特质。

The deadline to be considered is May 27, which is tomorrow — time is running out for you to apply right here! And if you’re not up to speed on this year’s Startup Battlefield details, it’s once again a premiere part of TechCrunch Disrupt, which will be in San Francisco October 13-15 and concludes with the crowning of this year’s future champion. And that list of champions includes some incredible companies, from giants like Cloudflare and Discord, to the most recent crop of winners, who you can learn about in detail right here. 申请截止日期是 5 月 27 日，也就是明天——时间紧迫，请点击此处立即申请！如果你还不了解今年 Startup Battlefield 的细节，它将再次成为 TechCrunch Disrupt 的重头戏。活动将于 10 月 13 日至 15 日在旧金山举行，并最终加冕今年的未来冠军。冠军名单中包括许多令人惊叹的公司，从 Cloudflare 和 Discord 这样的巨头，到最近一批获胜者，你可以在此处详细了解他们。

What gets a company selected for Startup Battlefield

什么特质能让公司入选 Startup Battlefield

Startup Battlefield is not a competition for the most polished companies. It never has been. It’s a competition for the most promising ones. We’re looking for companies with ideas that feel meaningfully different and category-defining, with the potential to make a major impact in their industry or geography. For every application, the question we ask is simple: Does this change something? Not incrementally. Genuinely. Startup Battlefield 并不是一场比拼谁最“光鲜亮丽”的比赛，从来都不是。这是一场寻找最具潜力公司的竞赛。我们寻找的是那些想法具有显著差异化、能够定义品类，并有潜力在其行业或地理区域产生重大影响的公司。对于每一份申请，我们提出的问题很简单：这能改变什么吗？不是渐进式的改变，而是真正的变革。

• Product and disruption. What are you building, and does it represent a real shift in how something works? We’re not looking for a better version of what already exists. We’re looking for the thing that makes the existing version feel obsolete.

• 产品与颠覆性。 你在构建什么？它是否代表了某种运作方式的真正转变？我们寻找的不是现有产品的改进版，而是那种能让现有版本显得过时的产品。

• The founding team. Why you, why now, why this problem? Your origin story is part of the application. The founders who can articulate their conviction clearly, not just their market size, are the ones who stand out.

• 创始团队。 为什么是你？为什么是现在？为什么是这个问题？你的创业初衷是申请的一部分。那些能够清晰表达信念（而不仅仅是市场规模）的创始人，才是脱颖而出的人。

• Industry and geographic diversity. The Startup Battlefield 200 is a global cohort. We actively look for companies from every corner of the world and every vertical in tech. If you’re building something important in a geography or sector that doesn’t often get a spotlight, that matters to us.

• 行业与地理多样性。 Startup Battlefield 200 是一个全球性的群体。我们积极寻找来自世界各地和科技领域各个垂直行业的公司。如果你正在某个不常被关注的地区或领域构建重要的事物，这对我们来说很重要。

What doesn’t disqualify you from Startup Battlefield

什么不会让你失去 Startup Battlefield 的入选资格

• Having press coverage. Local coverage is fine. Industry coverage is fine. A few founder profiles are fine. We’re looking for companies whose core technology hasn’t had its moment yet. If you’ve had some coverage but the product hasn’t been showcased, that’s exactly what Disrupt is for. Apply and show us what you have.

• 拥有媒体报道。 本地报道没问题，行业报道没问题，几篇创始人简介也没问题。我们寻找的是核心技术尚未迎来“高光时刻”的公司。如果你有过一些报道但产品尚未得到展示，这正是 Disrupt 的意义所在。申请并向我们展示你的成果吧。

• Being pre-launch. You need a working MVP, but you don’t need customers. You don’t need revenue. Pre-launch companies are genuinely welcome.

• 处于发布前阶段。 你需要一个可运行的 MVP（最小可行性产品），但不需要客户，也不需要营收。我们非常欢迎处于发布前阶段的公司。

• Having applied before. Many Startup Battlefield 200 companies applied more than once before being selected. A previous rejection says nothing about your company’s future or your chances this time.

• 曾经申请过。 许多 Startup Battlefield 200 的公司在入选前都申请过不止一次。之前的拒绝并不代表你公司的未来，也不影响你这次的机会。

• Raising money. Bootstrapped, pre-seed, and seed companies are all welcome. Series A companies are reviewed on a case-by-case basis, particularly founders building in capital-intensive industries or raising in markets where funding dynamics differ from Silicon Valley norms.

• 融资情况。 自筹资金、种子前轮和种子轮公司都受欢迎。A 轮公司将根据具体情况进行评估，特别是那些在资本密集型行业中构建产品，或在融资动态与硅谷规范不同的市场中进行融资的创始人。

Tips for a strong Startup Battlefield application

打造强有力 Startup Battlefield 申请的建议

• Show your product working. This is the single most important thing. Not a mockup. Not a simulation. Not an animated explainer video with upbeat background music. Your MVP in action, in real time. Even if it’s rough, even if it’s a screen recording from your phone. We want to see it work.

• 展示你的产品运行情况。 这是最重要的一点。不要用模型图，不要用模拟演示，也不要用配有欢快背景音乐的动画解释视频。我们要看的是你的 MVP 实时运行的效果。即使它很粗糙，即使只是手机录屏，我们也要看到它能运作。

• Know your competitive landscape. “We have no competitors” is not a credible answer, and it raises questions about how well you understand your market. Name your competitors, acknowledge them honestly, and then explain clearly and specifically why you win. This is one of the most important parts of the application and one of the most commonly underdeveloped.

• 了解你的竞争格局。 “我们没有竞争对手”不是一个可信的回答，这会让人质疑你对市场的了解程度。列出你的竞争对手，诚实地承认他们，然后清晰且具体地解释为什么你会胜出。这是申请中最重要、也最常被忽视的部分之一。

• Tell your story. Why did you start this company? What did you see that others didn’t? What makes you the right person to build it? The founding narrative is a meaningful part of how we evaluate teams and it’s the part most founders underwrite. Don’t skip it.

• 讲述你的故事。 你为什么创办这家公司？你看到了什么别人没看到的？是什么让你成为构建它的最佳人选？创业叙事是我们评估团队的重要组成部分，也是大多数创始人容易轻视的部分。千万不要跳过。

• Don’t overpolish. Write clearly, show the product, tell the truth about where you are. We can see around rough edges. What we struggle to see around is an application that’s been so carefully managed that the actual company is invisible.

• 不要过度修饰。 表达清晰，展示产品，诚实说明现状。我们可以包容粗糙的边缘，但我们无法接受那种经过过度包装、以至于让人看不清公司本质的申请。

• Resubmit if you need to. If you submit before you’re ready, don’t panic. You can resubmit until the May 27 deadline. You cannot edit an already submitted application, but you can submit a new one.

• 如果需要，可以重新提交。 如果你在还没准备好时就提交了，不要惊慌。你可以在 5 月 27 日截止日期前重新提交。你无法编辑已提交的申请，但你可以提交一份新的。

Learn what it takes from the founders who’ve done it

向成功入选的创始人学习

Build Mode, TechCrunch’s podcast for early-stage founders, is the best place to start. Hear directly from past Battlefield companies like Forethought AI and Glīd, breakout founders like Artisan and TaskRabbit, and top-tier investors like General Catalyst on what it takes to build a company worth putting on a global stage. TechCrunch 为早期创始人制作的播客“Build Mode”是最好的起点。直接听听 Forethought AI 和 Glīd 等往届 Battlefield 公司、Artisan 和 TaskRabbit 等杰出创始人，以及 General Catalyst 等顶级投资人的分享，了解如何打造一家值得登上全球舞台的公司。

The deadline to apply for Startup Battlefield

Startup Battlefield 申请截止日期

Applications close May 27, 2026, and you can still apply right here. Selected companies are notified approximately two months before TechCrunch Disrupt. If you’re on the fence, apply. The worst outcome is you don’t get selected this cycle and you’ll have a stronger application next year for having gone through it. We built this program to find you before the world does. The application is your first pitch. 申请于 2026 年 5 月 27 日截止，你仍然可以在此处申请。入选公司将在 TechCrunch Disrupt 举行前约两个月收到通知。如果你还在犹豫，那就申请吧。最坏的结果不过是本轮未入选，但通过这次经历，你明年将拥有更强的申请竞争力。我们设立这个项目的初衷，就是在世界发现你之前先找到你。这份申请就是你的第一次路演。