And the winner of Startup Battlefield at Disrupt 2025 is: Glīd

This week, the spotlight shone on 20 innovative startups as they competed in the Startup Battlefield at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025. Selected from the esteemed Startup Battlefield 200, these companies vied for the coveted Startup Battlefield Cup and a prize of $100,000. After a series of intense pitches, the competition concluded with a deserving winner. The finalists, including Charter Space, Glīd, MacroCycle, Nephrogen, and Unlisted Homes, showcased their groundbreaking concepts before a panel of industry judges and venture capitalists. After thorough discussions and evaluations, the judges, which featured notable figures like Aileen Lee of Cowboy Ventures and Kevin Rose, founder of Digg, narrowed down the contenders. The champion of this year’s Startup Battlefield is Glīd, pronounced 'Glide.' This innovative company is revolutionizing the logistics of moving shipping containers by streamlining the transfer process from ships to freight trains. Their flagship product, GliderM, is a hybrid-electric vehicle designed to efficiently transport 20-foot containers directly to railheads, eliminating the need for traditional forklifts and hostler trucks, thus reducing costs and improving speed. Another standout in the competition was Nephrogen, a biotech firm focused on enhancing gene-editing medicine delivery to kidney cells. Founder Demetri Maxim highlighted that Nephrogen has developed a delivery system that is remarkably 100 times more efficient than existing FDA-approved methods. Maxim, who personally faces challenges due to polycystic kidney disease, plans to take part in the upcoming clinical studies of their innovative delivery mechanism. Glīd and Nephrogen join the ranks of previous Startup Battlefield luminaries such as Dropbox and Discord. With a legacy of over 1,500 alumni, the Startup Battlefield program has collectively raised more than $29 billion and celebrated over 200 successful exits, underscoring its pivotal role in nurturing groundbreaking startups.