And the winner of Startup Battlefield at Disrupt 2026 is: Intero Biosystems
Intero Biosystems, a startup developing lab-grown intestinal tissue for drug testing, won the Startup Battlefield competition at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026. The event showcased 20 innovative startups pitching to industry leaders for a $100,000 prize.
Why it matters
Biotech innovations like organoids represent a significant shift in how pharmaceutical companies conduct drug safety testing, potentially reducing animal testing.
For three days this week in San Francisco, 20 eager startups participated in the Startup Battlefield at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026. The top 20 were chosen to represent the best of the Startup Battlefield 200, and they competed for a chance to take home the Startup Battlefield Cup and $100,000. With that intense pitching now complete, we have a winner.
These startups were handpicked to compete in Startup Battlefield , and all of them presented a live demo in front of the VCs and tech leaders who judged the competition.
After hours of deliberations, TechCrunch editors pored over the judges’ notes and narrowed the list down to five finalists: Apate, Flox Intelligence, Intero Biosystems, Industrial Next, and Satlyt.
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