TL;DR
TechCrunch has named 200 media and entertainment startups as Startup Battlefield selectees and highlighted six firms in the sector. The six cover areas from celebrity-managed sweepstakes to AI storytelling, content protection, fan-backed music royalties, video search and instant live simulations.
What happened
Each year TechCrunch’s Startup Battlefield narrows thousands of applicants to a group of 200 contenders across categories; the best 20 of those go on to compete onstage for the Startup Battlefield Cup and a $100,000 prize. In its media and entertainment roundup, TechCrunch listed the full set of 200 selectees and spotlighted six companies that illustrate current product and business-model trends in the sector. The highlighted startups include Alltroo, which handles sweepstakes and prize logistics involving celebrities; METAPYXL, a content-management platform offering watermarking and tracking; Nebula, a fan-token music gallery where supporters can buy tokens and potentially earn royalties; Oriane, which provides natural-language search across video and image content; Othelia Technologies, an AI tool for mapping and editing complex story structures; and Transitional Forms, which produces prompt-driven, patent-pending live simulations and positions itself as building a "SocialTV" experience.
Why it matters
- Signals which media and entertainment problem areas investors and editors find noteworthy: fan monetization, content protection, search, storytelling tools and live simulation.
- Highlights a shift toward AI-assisted creative workflows and analytics for creators and brands.
- Shows experimentation with new fan-economic models, like tokenized music royalties.
- Underscores an interest in novel live and remixable video formats that aim to change how audiences interact with content.
Key facts
- TechCrunch’s Startup Battlefield receives thousands of applications annually and selects the top 200 contenders.
- From the 200 selectees, the top 20 advance to the main stage; the ultimate winner receives the Startup Battlefield Cup and $100,000.
- Alltroo: platform to manage celebrity-related sweepstakes, promotions and winner selection processes.
- METAPYXL: content-management tools for creators, including watermarking, usage tracking, licensing controls and analytics.
- Nebula: a music gallery where fans can buy tokens set by artists and can earn royalties as tracks are streamed.
- Oriane: provides AI-powered natural language search across text, images and video clips to find brands and trends.
- Othelia Technologies: an AI storytelling platform that maps story structure, finds connections and helps build complex worlds.
- Transitional Forms: offers a patent-pending framework for creating, remixing and exporting instant video simulations from mobile devices and says it is building a 'SocialTV' concept.
What to watch next
- Whether any of these media/entertainment selectees reach the top 20 and compete on the main Disrupt stage — not confirmed in the source.
- Product rollouts, user adoption and partnerships for the highlighted startups as they scale — not confirmed in the source.
- Transitional Forms' development of its 'SocialTV' concept and the commercial use of its patent-pending live-simulation framework.
Quick glossary
- Startup Battlefield: TechCrunch’s annual pitch competition that selects a set of startups to compete for onstage awards and a cash prize.
- Watermarking: A technique for embedding visible or invisible identifiers into digital media to indicate ownership or track usage.
- Natural language search: Search technology that allows users to query content using everyday language rather than keywords or structured queries.
- Tokenized royalties: A model where supporters buy digital tokens linked to a creative work and may receive a share of streaming or usage revenue.
- AI-assisted storytelling: Tools that use artificial intelligence to analyze, map, generate or edit narrative elements to support writers and creators.
Reader FAQ
What is the Startup Battlefield selection process?
TechCrunch receives thousands of applicants each year and narrows them to a group of 200 selectees; the top 20 of those compete onstage.
What does the winner receive?
The onstage winner is awarded the Startup Battlefield Cup and a $100,000 cash prize.
Are these six the only media/entertainment startups in the 200 selectees?
Not confirmed in the source.
Will these startups be funded or acquire major partners?
Not confirmed in the source.
Every year, TechCrunch’s Startup Battlefield pitch contest draws thousands of applicants. We whittle those applications down to the top 200 contenders, and of them, the top 20 compete on the…
Sources
- The top 6 media/entertainment startups from Disrupt Startup Battlefield
- The 2025 Startup Battlefield Top 20 are here. Let …
- CEOs worldwide gather in SF looking to be next big startup
- The 9 top cybersecurity startups from Disrupt …
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