This post is part of our ongoing coverage of TechCrunch Disrupt.
Pi has won Disrupt’s Startup Battlefield. The company is the maker of a wireless charger that can fuel multiple devices within a foot in any direction.
It beat out five other finalists to take home the $50,000 prize. On?va, the provider of a platform that enables employers to offer elder, infant and child care, was the runner up.
The judges of the final round included high-profile VCs Kirsten Green of Forerunner Ventures, Aileen Lee of Cowboy Ventures and Krishna Yeshwant of GV.
Winning this competition at TechCrunch’s flagship event can be a launchpad for small companies jockeying to raise funds from investors. Getaround, the winner of 2011’s Disrupt NY competition, was valued at $175 million after a $45 million round earlier this year.
Just participating in the highly competitive Startup Battlefield, for which companies have to apply, can be a stepping stone to growth, according to TechCrunch’s tracking of its previous entrants: As of February, the 648 companies that had competed in the event have gone on to raise a total of nearly $7 billion.
We’ve highlighted all the winners from San Francisco Disrupt since online information platform Qwiki took home the prize in 2010, complete with their fundraising:
Check out all of our coverage of TechCrunch Disrupt 2017.
Article by PitchBook
