The 14 top agtech, food tech startups from Disrupt Startup Battlefield

Summary

Every year, TechCrunch’s Startup Battlefield pitch contest draws thousands of applicants. We whittle those applications down to the top 200 contenders, and from them, the top 20 compete on the big stage for the Startup Battlefield Cup and a cash prize of $100,000. But the remaining 180 startups blew us away, too, in their respective categories and in their own pitch competition. Here is the full list of the agtech and food tech Startup Battlefield 200 selectees, along with a note on why they landed in the competition. What it does: Äio has developed a method to produce edible fat from agricultural waste. Why it’s noteworthy: Äio has developed a strain of yeast that turns abundant agricultural waste like sawdust into a fat suitable for food and cosmetics. What it does: Aquawise provides AI-powered water-quality monitoring for shrimp and fish farms using satellite imagery. Why it’s noteworthy: The startup eliminates the need for expensive sensors while offering real-time insights and predictive analytics. What it does: Clave offers AI agents that help fast-food restaurant franchises better interact with their data. Techcrunch event San Francisco | October 13-15, 2026 Why it’s noteworthy: Clave analyzes historical and real-time store data to help franchise restaurants quickly develop promotions that increase sales. What it does: CredoSense offers an AI-powered portable plant diagnostic system that measures crop health. Why it’s noteworthy: Crop-health diagnostics are trapped in silos but CredoSense handles a broad spectrum of crop diagnosis tech and data in one small, low-power device. What it does: Forte Biotech has created a patented technology to test for illnesses among prawns in fish farms. Why it’s noteworthy: Developed in partnership with the National University of Singapore (NUS), this tech helps shrimp farmers quickly diagnose common diseases without the need to hire expert help. What it does: Genesis offers a business intelligence platform for soil data that ...