
Intero Biosystems, a Denver-based startup developing lab-grown human intestinal organoids for drug testing, won the TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 2026 competition in San Francisco, earning the Startup Battlefield Cup and $100,000 after three days of pitching by 20 selected startups.
AI-generated summary
TechCrunch Disrupt is an annual technology conference featuring the Startup Battlefield competition where early-stage startups pitch to investors and judges for funding and recognition.
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.
The final five made their way to the finale to demo in front of our final panel of judges: Alexa von Tobel of Inspired Capital, Chi-Hua Chien of Goodwater Capital, Dayna Grayson of Construct Capital, Karl Alomar of M13, and Stacy Brown-Philpot of Cherryrock Capital.
We’re now ready to announce that the winner of TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 2026 is:
Winner: Intero Biosystems
Intero Biosystems is a Denver-based startup founded by Charlie Childs and Madeline Eiken that spun out of the University of Michigan. It’s developing 1mm human intestinal “organoids,” lab-grown tissue that mimics the gut, offering another way to study how drugs and other compounds might affect the human body before they are tested in people. The startup sells its flagship product, GastroScreen, to pharmaceutical, biotech, food, and chemical companies for testing drugs and other compounds.
Read more about Intero Biosystems in our separate post here.
Runner-up: Apate
Apate is an Australian startup founded by Dali Kaafar, who came up with the idea while doing research at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. It deploys thousands of AI agents that masquerade as innocent victims, answering scam calls, responding to shady messages and emails, following phishing links, and joining social media groups to bait fraudsters. In addition to access to Apate’s fleet of agents, customers get an insights portal that offers intelligence and analytics on scams targeting their end users or employees, brands, products, and more.
Read more about Apate in our separate post here.
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Intero Biosystems will secure additional funding or partnerships following its Startup Battlefield win
Likely · Within months
Apate will expand its AI agent scam prevention service to more enterprise customers
Likely · Within months

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