meet the Next Wave of Our Startup Battlefield 200 Judges

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.

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,1stdi

Nicolas Sauvage, President, TDK Ventures

Nicolas Sauvage is president of TDK Ventures, the investment group of TDK Corporation. He leads the firm’s $350 million plan to invest in new companies that are developing digital and energy technology. Since 2019, TDK Ventures has invested in 45 startups under his leadership, including three companies now valued at over $1 billion – Ascend Elements, Groq, and Silicon Box.