We can’t keep this secret any longer! The time has come to unveil this year’s Startup Battlefield Top 20 Finalists who will compete in a winner-takes-all pitch competition on the Disrupt Stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024. 

TechCrunch editorial hand-selected 200 startups, out of thousands of applicants, to comprise the Startup Battlefield 200. This year, TechCrunch saw the highest number of applications from around the world and across many industries. Of the 200, 20 companies have been selected as finalists to battle it out on the Disrupt Stage for the  $100,000 equity-free grand prize and the coveted Disrupt Cup. Less than 1% of applicants to the Startup Battlefield program are selected as a Top 20 Finalist, making it one of the most competitive startup programs in the industry. 

As part of the Startup Battlefield 200, founders participate in a series of pre-event, virtual programming to help prepare them to pitch on the Disrupt Stage. In addition to extensive pitch coaching, this year’s programming included Founder Fireside Chats with legends like Kevin Ryan (AlleyCorp) and Marcelo Lebre (Remote), as well as VC panels with Sara Deshpande (Maven Ventures) and Ishani Thakur (Index Ventures).  

This year’s Top 20 Finalists will follow in the footsteps of Startup Battlefield legends like DropBox, Discord, CloudFlare and Mint on the Disrupt Stage. With over 1,500 alumni having participated in the program, Startup Battlefield Alumni have collectively raised over $29 billion in funding with more than 200 successful exits.

The Startup Battlefield Top 20 Finalists were chosen for their potential for game-changing societal, environmental and financial impact. In addition to having ambitious visions, these startups demonstrated prospective early traction, strong founding teams, business model and market size in their applications. These companies are actively working to solve critical challenges in clean tech, SaaS, fintech, health tech, auto tech, entertainment, and manufacturing.

Starting today, the Top 20 Finalists will pitch and demo live on stage for six minutes followed by a six-minute Q&A with our expert panel of judges. These top-tier VC judges include folks like Navin Chaddha (Mayfield), Chris Farmer (SignalFire), Dayna Grayson (Construct Capital), Ann Miura-Ko (Floodgate) and Hans Tung (Notable Capital), just to name a few. 

All 20 startups will pitch in semi-final showdowns on Monday and Tuesday and the top 5 finalists will be announced Tuesday evening. Those five companies will then pitch once more in the Battlefield Finals on Wednesday beginning at 11:30 a.m. and we will announce the winner at 4 p.m., all on the Disrupt Stage. You won’t want to miss it.

Now, the moment you have all been waiting for…. Here are the 2024 Startup Battlefield Top 20 Finalists: 

Monday, October 28th, Disrupt Stage

Semi-Finals (Session 1): 10:35 a.m.–11:50 a.m.

NitroFix: Aims to reduce carbon footprints by optimizing ammonia production with zero emissions, relying solely on renewable electricity, water, and air. 

ForestGuard: Dedicated to preventing wildfires with their solar-powered IoT devices and AI-assisted algorithms which allow them to detect fire hazards up to 80% earlier than traditional methods, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving air quality. 

SpiralWave: A novel reactor that produces affordable e-methanol from flue gas or air and water in one step, eliminating captured CO2 and H2 feedstocks, without a catalyst. 

Level Zero Health: Pioneering Continuous Hormone Monitoring with a simple patch device that you can wear on top of your arm for up to 2 weeks.

Solideon: Layers off-the-shelf robotics with proprietary software that creates multi-robotic, forward deployable micro-factories that are capable of 3D printing, post processing, assembling, and inspecting entire structures and vehicles without human intervention.

Semi-Finals (Session 2): 2:00 p.m.–3:15 p.m.

Advex AI: Helps the world’s largest manufacturers reduce costs and improve efficiency by providing highly reliable computer vision models in hours. 

DGLegacy: Ensures that in the case of an unforeseen event, your assets won’t be lost and your loved ones would be able to claim their rightful ownership with a digital legacy planning and inheritance app.

VRTL: A virtual venue for entertainment organizations to deliver and scale in-person fan experiences to a remote, global audience, for greater lifetime values and data collection.

MabLab: Maker of 5-in-1, at-home rapid tests to screen for laced drugs and spiked drinks. Results delivered in under three minutes, potentially saving over 100,000 lives annually and preventing an additional 5 million hospitalizations every year.

Stitch3D: Offers a SaaS platform for hosting, processing, viewing, analyzing, and sharing large volumes of LIDAR point cloud data, all in a real-time collaborative 3D viewer.

Tuesday, October 29th, Disrupt Stage

Semi-Finals (Session 3): 10:05 a.m.–11:15 a.m.

HILOS:  Unifies deep tech with sustainable craft to offer a software and manufacturing platform to design and launch 3D-printed footwear made locally, on-demand, without end-of-life waste.

CTGT: Removes barriers to production-ready AI, tailoring LLMs to company needs by eliminating unwanted content, enabling 10x faster AI deployment for critical applications like finance and healthcare.

luna: An AI-driven health and wellbeing companion for teens, so they can feel empowered to make informed decisions about their health and wellbeing as they move into adulthood.

Narada AI: A generative AI assistant that identifies tasks from conversations and executes them across enterprise tools using AI orchestration.

Salva Health: Julieta is a portable, AI-powered breast cancer detection device that eliminates barriers to early screening, ensuring access even in remote areas. 

Semi-Finals (Session 4): 2:00 p.m.–3:15 p.m.

BANF: Ensures safe driving and optimizes fuel efficiency by 20% with their smart tire profile technology by providing real-time tire data, including pressure, temperature, wear, load, wheel alignment, and lug nut status. 

ForceField: MARQ protects company, community & country data with tamper-proof badges. Patent-pending APIs defend against deepfake scams, fraud & breaches.

geCKo Materials: A bio-inspired Dry Adhesive that is ultra-strong, reusable, leaves no residue, and requires no force to detach. The product opens new applications in industrial automations, robotic gripping, space and defense.

Haptic: A B2B SaaS company creating a universal language through touch whose tactile technology empowers intuitive, safe navigation without visual or audio cues – enhancing accessibility and awareness for all.

MDC: Revolutionizing surgery with a novel robotic system that provides physicians direct access inside MRI scanners.

Wednesday, October 30th, Disrupt Stage

Alumni Update Panel: 11:15 a.m.–11:30 a.m.

Winner of Startup Battlefield 2023, BioticsAI is a clinical intelligence platform for prenatal health care utilizing machine learning to catch abnormalities in fetal ultrasound imagery, help doctors streamline their workloads by generating automated reports, and help with legal compliance to help reduce malpractice cases within the hospitals.

Winner of Startup Battlefield 2022, Minerva Lithium is a water treatment platform technology company leading the charge in sustainable Lithium Refining. Minerva Lithium selectively traps valuable minerals and other harmful pathogens from water.

2022 Startup Battlefield Runner-Up, Intropic Materials is imparting a favorable end-of-life at the beginning by embedding degrading enzymes directly inside plastics. Once activated, the enzymes trigger the plastic to rapidly and completely self-degrade into biodegradable or chemically recyclable small molecules. 

Startup Battlefield Finals: 11:30 a.m.–12:50 p.m.

Winner Announced: 4:05 p.m – 4:20 p.m.

Haven’t snagged your ticket yet? It’s not too late! Join us at Disrupt 2024 to witness these outstanding companies pitch live on stage. Register here or when you arrive at the registration desk at Disrupt.

Apple’s new USB-C-equipped Magic Mouse somehow still has the charging port on the bottom. While Apple could have used the launch as an opportunity to move the charging port from the underside of the device — where the port has remained for nearly a decade, despite other updates to the mouse and being mocked for the decision — the port is still there.

This new $99 Magic Mouse means that, for the foreseeable future, Apple still thinks that the best way to charge your Magic Mouse is by flipping it over to plug it in, making it so you can’t use it. Why?

There have been other solutions to the ridiculous Magic Mouse charging situation. For example, my colleague Wes Davis wrote about an ergonomic grip for the Magic Mouse 2 that can charge the mouse via MagSafe. But Apple seemingly didn’t think that it needed to make a major change to where the charging port is, so you’ll once again have to turn it over to get some more juice.

After plenty of leaks and speculation, Apple has officially announced the latest iMac, equipped with both the M4 chip and Apple Intelligence – the first Mac device featuring the AI-based technology.

According to Apple, the M4 iMac is “1.7x faster for daily productivity, and up to 2.1x faster for demanding workflows like photo editing and gaming,” compared to the M1 iMac. Its 24-inch 4.5K Retina display has a new nano-texture glass option, and it’s also outfitted with a new 12MP Center Stage camera with Desk View, and up to four Thunderbolt 4 ports. It comes standard with 16GB of unified memory and is configurable up to 32GB

Instagram has revealed that it lowers the quality of older, less popular videos – reserving higher quality for more popular content.

Adam Mosseri, head of the Meta-owned social media platform said on Sunday “we bias to higher quality… for creators who drive more views”.

He said Instagram reduces the quality of videos that have not been watched for a long time because most views occur soon after one is posted – but the quality will be improved if the video gets more popular.

But the revelation has sparked concern among some creators that it may impact the reach and visibility of their videos.

“I think it’s simply wrong to adjust the quality of a person’s video based on performance,” wrote one person.

They said it was an example of why some people had become “jaded” with Instagram.

“The very heart of it has become solely dependent upon performance, metrics, views, and engagement – so much so that I can’t even control if the quality of my video is retained due to Instagram pushing a bias,” they said.

Social media consultant Matt Navarra told the BBC the move “seems to somewhat contradict Instagram’s earlier messages or efforts to encourage new creators”.

“How can creators gain traction if their content is penalised for not being popular,” he said.

And he said it could risk creating a cycle of more established creators reaping the rewards of higher engagement from viewers over those trying to build their following.

Videos that have a higher resolution or contain lots of visual assets such as edits, images or other clips can demand more computing power to encode.

These will typically be larger in size than videos in a smaller resolution, meaning they require more storage space on servers.

And one person said in response to Mr Mosseri’s post they understood the benefits of potentially reducing storage cost, but it did not outweigh the negatives.

“From a creator’s perspective, spending time on creating high quality content just for it to be downgraded to low resolution sucks,” they said.

In May, Instagram announced changes to its system for recommending content, particularly video, to “give all creators a more equal chance of breaking through”.

However, Mr Navarra said he agreed with Mr Mosseri’s assertion – when responding to user concerns about the impact on smaller creators – that people will always value a video’s content over its quality.

He said creators should focus on how they can make engaging content that caters to their audience, rather than be overly concerned by the possibility of its quality being degraded by Instagram.

Mr Mosseri clarified to users on Sunday that Instagram does not decide to reduce or improve the quality of individual videos, but rather does so in an “aggregate” way and on a “sliding scale” – adding he believed the difference in quality “isn’t huge”.

“The goal is to show people the highest quality content that we can,” he said in his initial video response.

The BBC has asked Instagram for more information.

The social media platform’s attempts to make video more key to its app experience have previously resulted in backlash from some users and creators.

In 2022 it reversed plans to shift further away from its traditional photo or so-called “grid” post format towards a TikTok-style focus on short form video content after it was criticised by creators and celebrities including Kylie Jenner.

Today’s best laptop deals are spread across retailers, with Amazon deals and Walmart deals having some laptops worth taking a look at. But the widest selection of all is at Best Buy, where you can find plenty of Dell laptop deals, HP laptop deals, Lenovo laptop deals, and even MacBook deals to choose from. We’ve tracked down what we feel are the Best Buy laptop deals worth taking a hard look at if you’re in the market for both a laptop and some savings. Reading onward you’ll find all of the details on how to save, as well as some information on which discounted laptop might best suit your needs.

Acer Chromebook 315 — $179 $249 28% off

The Acer Chromebook 315 is one of the larger Chromebooks you’ll find, as its display comes in at an impressive 15.6 inches. This makes it a great option for people who want some extra screen real estate, but who still like to do their work on the go. The Acer Chromebook 315 has plenty of power for a Chromebook, and is made as much for comfort as functionality. Its slightly larger size will come in handy when doing creative work and an integrated numeric keyboard gives it the feel of working on a desktop. The Acer Chromebook 315 is able to reach up to 10 hours of battery life on a single charge, meaning you can work on the go all day without needing to take a charger with you.

HP 14-inch laptop — $200 $250 20% off

The HP 14-inch laptop is a sleek and fun computing device. It’s a great option for anyone searching the best laptops for high school students or the best laptops for college. It has an Intel Pentium processor and 4GB of system RAM that combine to push through homework assignments, work presentations, and hours upon hours of binge watching. The 14-inch screen sports HD resolution and makes this HP laptop a great way to enjoy movies, photos, and other digital content. The HP 14-inch laptop is able to reach up to 14 hours of battery life on a single charge, making it a great all-day option for people who like to do their work on the go.

Lenovo IdeaPad 1 — $320 $580 45% off

The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 is a great alternative to the best budget laptops. It’s hard to beat this price tag when it comes to a Lenovo laptop, and even at this price point, the IdeaPad 1 doesn’t hold back on features. It has a 15.6-inch HD display that’s great for binge watching on, and it’s about as portable as most laptops get, coming in at just over three pounds and not much more than half an inch thick. You’re able to connect an HD monitor to this laptop via HDMI connection, and a built-in webcam with privacy shutter and dual array microphone makes it a great way to keep in touch with family, friends, and colleagues.

HP 17.3-inch laptop — $401 $550 27% off

This 17.3-inch HP laptop is on the entry-level end of the model lineup, though it does have some slightly upgraded specs for getting your work or studies done throughout the day. It checks in with 8GB of RAM and a blazing fast 256GB solid state drive. It also has an Intel Core i3 processor and Intel UHD Graphics. While these are closer to the entry-level range, this laptop can still get things done. You’ll also find Windows 11 preinstalled to ensure you’re up and running in no time after breaking it out of the box.

Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 — $550 $750 27% off

With its unique design, the Inspiron 14 2-in-1 laptop is truly made to accommodate all users. It has a 360-degree hinge, so you can work in four different modes. A lift hinge keeps your wrist comfortable as you type, and a larger touchpad allows for extra room when navigating. The touchscreen is a Full HD display that works with ComfortView software to reduce harmful blue light emissions. It’s a comfortable device to work at or play with for hours at a time, and it even makes a worthy consideration if you’ve got your eye on the Apple MacBook Air M2 or anything from the Microsoft Surface lineup.

Acer Nitro V gaming laptop — $700 $950 26% off

The Acer Nitro V is a good gaming laptop to consider if you’re looking for a laptop with a larger screen. It has internal hardware that’s difficult to find at such a great price, including an AMD Ryzen 5 processor, 16GB of RAM, and the powerful NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 graphics card. These work together to make your gaming experience immersive and smooth, and a 512GB solid state drives makes for a lot of space to store your favorite PC games. This even makes a great laptop if you like to do your gaming on the go, as it’s able to reach up to 13 hours of battery life on a single charge, and the 15.6-inch screen goes a long way toward creating an immersive gaming environment.

Apple 15-inch MacBook Air M2 — $999 $1,299 23% off

The Apple MacBook Air M2 has been one of the most popular laptops on the market, and it will be hard to top the price you’re seeing here with this Best Buy laptop deal. It has the Apple M2 chip that provides a great harmony of performance and efficiency, with the MacBook Air M2 providing some of the longest battery life you’ll find in a laptop. This build comes with a 256GB solid state drive, which should be plenty of capacity for most people. You might need more if you’re planning to house any sort of media library or do some video editing, but you can always put one of the best external hard drives alongside the MacBook Air M2.

HP Victus 16 — $1,000 $1,400 28% off

While the HP Victus 16 is geared toward gamers, it makes a great laptop option for anyone looking for a good balance of performance and affordability. You’ll be getting some quality specs as the Victus 16 is built for this deal, with gaming level performance at its forefront. It comes with Windows 11 and HP fast charging technology as well, so it makes a great laptop for everyday productivity and taking your work on the go. You can keep in touch with friends and family with its Full HD camera, and its micro-edge display allows for a larger screen in a smaller footprint.

Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 — $1,050 $1,500 30% off

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 is a powerful laptop that comes highly reviewed by Best Buy customers. It is favored for its high resolution and 15-inch screen. This build includes 8GB of RAM, 512GB of SSD storage, and 17 hour battery life. Our Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 review highlighted additions like thunderbolt 4 and 3:2 aspect ratio screen. However, we’ve noted that the leap between the Surface Laptop 4 and Surface Laptop 5 isn’t as big as we might’ve hoped. However, judgements like this weren’t with a big sale going on being factored into the calculations. In other words, if your old Surface Laptop 4 is starting to show some wear and you’re wanting to stay with the same line, now is the time to buy.

Apple 14-inch MacBook Pro M3 — $1,699 $1,999 15% off

The Apple MacBook Pro M3 can be a tough one to find discounted, as it’s Apple’s newest generation of professional laptops. But you’ll get the M3 chip with this MacBook Pro, which is a powerful and efficient processor made by Apple that will provide a lot of of performance for users across the board. It also includes Apple’s 14-inch Liquid Retina XDR display, which is one of the best you’ll find in a laptop. Rounding out the specs of this MacBook Pro M3 are 1TB of solid state storage and 16GB of system RAM.