Hustler Words – The highly anticipated Startup Battlefield 200 at Hustler Words Disrupt 2026 is poised to be a pivotal moment for emerging companies, offering founders a career-defining platform. Beyond the immediate competition, it provides an unparalleled masterclass for the thousands in the Hustler Words Disrupt 2026 audience, illuminating the intricate evaluation processes employed by leading venture capitalists.
Scheduled from October 13–15 at San Francisco’s Moscone West, this intense pitch competition demands precision. Each hand-picked founder is granted a mere six minutes to present their vision. However, the true insights often emerge in the subsequent Q&A session. This is where discerning judges delve into critical inquiries that echo the concerns of investors, customers, and future employees alike: Can this team execute? Is the market sufficiently expansive? Why is this the opportune moment? What makes this venture defensible? These rigorous exchanges are as invaluable for the watching founders as they are for the startups on stage, offering a rare glimpse into investor psychology.
Recognizing the profound impact of this event, Hustler Words continues to curate one of the most formidable judging panels in Startup Battlefield history. We are thrilled to introduce another distinguished group of five top-tier investors, tasked with identifying the companies destined to become tomorrow’s breakout success stories.
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Attendees will witness these Startup Battlefield contenders and their VC judges on the main stage, alongside over 10,000 tech leaders, all converging at Disrupt. This is a unique opportunity to observe the next generation of startups vying for their place in Hustler Words history. Early registration offers savings of up to $200 before prices escalate on September 25 at 11:59 p.m. PT.
Meet the Latest Cohort of Influential VC Judges
Without further delay, let’s introduce the newest set of investors who will determine which early-stage founder ultimately claims the coveted $100,000 prize. These judges join the initial ten already featured on the Disrupt agenda.
Dr. Vaibhav ‘Dr.V’ Agrawal, Co-Founder and General Partner, ODDBIRD VC
Dr.V, a co-founder and general partner at ODDBIRD VC, established this pre-seed fund in 2024. His focus lies in backing AI companies poised to reindustrialize the West, with particular emphasis on health and bio-tech, critical supply chains, and real-world automation. A trained physician with an MBBS degree and a Stanford MBA, Agrawal previously served as a General Partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners India, where he began supporting early-stage startups in 2016. His current portfolio includes Anterior, a healthcare AI firm that has secured $64 million from NEA and Sequoia.
Anu Bharadwaj, Partner, ICONIQ Growth
As a partner at ICONIQ Growth, Anu Bharadwaj specializes in enterprise software and AI companies. Prior to ICONIQ, Bharadwaj spent nearly 12 years as President and COO of Atlassian, where she spearheaded product, engineering, and enterprise business units across Jira, Confluence, and the Atlassian Cloud platform, guiding the company to billions in annual revenue. Her career also includes leadership roles at Microsoft, and she holds a B.Eng. in Computer Science from R.V. College of Engineering.
Sho Sho Leigha Ho, Partner, General Catalyst
Sho Sho Leigha Ho is a partner on General Catalyst’s seed team, dedicated to investing in early-stage founders. She also serves as a board observer at Together AI. Joining General Catalyst in 2024, she became its youngest partner. Her public investments feature Graylark, Autoscience, Standard Kernel, and The Interaction Company of California (Poke), which was acquired by Cognition in July 2026. Ho holds an A.B. from Harvard and is based in San Francisco.
Miloni Madan Presler, Partner, IVP
Miloni Madan Presler, a partner at IVP (Institutional Venture Partners), collaborates with first-time founders developing inflection-stage technology companies across enterprise software, healthcare, and security, from Series B through pre-IPO. Her approach to company building is informed by a disciplined growth equity and private equity perspective, honed during her previous roles at Summit Partners and Warburg Pincus. Presler earned a degree in Economics and Finance from Johns Hopkins University and is proficient in four languages.
Aidan Madigan-Curtis, Partner, Eclipse Ventures
At Eclipse Ventures, Aidan Madigan-Curtis invests in AI, IoT, computer vision, and software solutions targeting manufacturing, logistics, supply chain, and climate transition. Recognized by Business Insider as one of 22 Investors to Know in Robotics and Physical AI, she also leads Eclipse’s Carbon Optimization framework, meticulously tracking real emissions reductions across the firm’s portfolio. Before her venture capital career, Madigan-Curtis was a senior executive at Apple, scaling Apple Watch manufacturing from zero to millions of units weekly. She then served as VP and General Manager at Samsara, contributing to the company’s growth from pre-revenue to over $1 billion in ARR. She holds a BA from Harvard University and an MBA from Stanford University.
Secure Your Disrupt Pass and Don’t Miss Startup Battlefield 200
Hustler Words Disrupt 2026, taking place October 13-15 in San Francisco, will convene over 10,000 tech leaders, VCs, and founders. It’s an unparalleled opportunity to discover the next wave of breakout startups, forge connections with industry leaders who can reshape your startup’s trajectory, and gain a front-row perspective on the future direction of the tech industry. Save up to $200 on your ticket by registering before rates increase on September 25 at 11:59 p.m. PT. Groups can enjoy an additional 30% discount.
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