The biotechnology startup secured the top award at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 in San Francisco, with its co-founder and CEO celebrating the achievement and recognising the global community of participating entrepreneurs.
US biotechnology startup Intero Biosystems has won the Startup Battlefield competition at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, securing the $100,000 grand prize and Startup Battlefield Cup after competing against early-stage companies from around the world.
The victory, announced during the technology conference held from October 13–15 at Moscone West in San Francisco, marks a significant milestone for the company, which develops laboratory-grown human intestinal tissue models to support pharmaceutical research and drug development.
Intero Biosystems CEO Celebrates Startup Battlefield Victory
Intero Biosystems co-founder and CEO Charlie Childs celebrated the achievement in a LinkedIn post, expressing excitement and appreciation for the founders, organisers and supporters involved in the competition.
“We WON TECHCRUNCH DISRUPT!” Childs wrote, describing the experience as an intense week of competition alongside fellow co-founder Madeline Eiken.
Childs acknowledged Eiken’s contribution to the company’s presentation, referring to her as his partner throughout the competition and highlighting her role in delivering the live demonstration.
The CEO also thanked the TechCrunch organising team, particularly Isabelle Johannessen and Michael J. Schick, for bringing together entrepreneurs, innovators and investors from around the world.
“We’re incredibly honored to be part of this community and excited to see what’s ahead for all 200 startups that competed this year,” Childs wrote.
The statement reflected the company’s appreciation for the broader startup community, with Childs also thanking supporters who followed and encouraged the team throughout the competition.
Startup Battlefield Showcases Emerging Technologies
Startup Battlefield is a central feature of TechCrunch Disrupt, offering selected early-stage companies an opportunity to demonstrate their innovations before investors, entrepreneurs and technology industry experts.
The 2026 competition included 200 selected startups, with 20 advancing to live presentations and five reaching the final round.
Intero Biosystems competed against finalists Apate, Flox Intelligence, Industrial Next and Satlyt before securing the top award.
The competition provides participating businesses with international exposure, opportunities to connect with potential investors and feedback from experienced industry professionals.
For Intero Biosystems, the recognition brings additional visibility to its work in biotechnology and laboratory-based human tissue modelling.
Intero Biosystems Develops Human Intestinal Models for Drug Testing
Intero Biosystems was founded in 2024 as a spinout from research at the University of Michigan. Its technology focuses on producing miniature human intestinal structures, known as organoids, that replicate important biological functions of the human gut.
The company’s flagship platform, GastroScreen, incorporates intestinal tissue types including muscle, blood vessels and neurons, allowing researchers to examine biological responses under laboratory conditions.
Intero is developing the technology for pharmaceutical, biotechnology and other companies seeking more informative preclinical testing methods. Its approach could help researchers evaluate drug candidates before human clinical trials, although its clinical predictive performance requires continued validation.
The company previously raised an oversubscribed $2 million pre-seed funding round, announced in June 2025, to advance its organoid technology and commercial development.
It has also received recognition in university entrepreneurship competitions, including the Rice Business Plan Competition.
Startup Battlefield Victory Brings International Recognition
The TechCrunch Disrupt award adds to Intero Biosystems’ growing record of startup competition achievements.
The company received the $100,000 equity-free prize after presenting its technology to a final judging panel comprising investors from Inspired Capital, Goodwater Capital, Construct Capital, M13 and Cherryrock Capital.
Beyond the financial award, the competition offers Intero greater exposure to potential customers, investors and industry partners as it works to commercialise its technology.
Childs indicated that the team would share further reflections following the competition, suggesting that the founders are taking time to assess the experience before discussing their next steps.
The victory places Intero Biosystems among the latest winners of TechCrunch’s annual startup competition, highlighting the role of biotechnology innovation within the broader venture-backed startup ecosystem.
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