And the winner of Startup Battlefield at Disrupt 2021 is… Cellino

We started this competition with 20 impressive startups. After three days of fierce pitching in the virtual yet incredibly competitive Startup Battlefield arena, we have a winner.

The startups taking part in the Startup Battlefield have all been hand-picked to participate in our highly competitive startup competition. Like last year, we reproduced the nail-biting excitement of our physical contest on a virtual stage. All the companies presented a live demo in front of multiple groups of VCs and tech leaders serving as judges for a chance to win $100,000 and the coveted Disrupt Cup.

After hours of deliberations, TechCrunch editors pored over the judges’ notes and narrowed the list down to five finalists: Adventr, Cellino, Koa, Nth Cycle and Tatum.

These startups made their way to the finale to demo in front of our final panel of judges, which included: Kirsten Green (Forerunner Ventures), Jim Lanzone (current CEO of Tinder, future CEO of Yahoo), Luciana Lixandru (Sequoia), Sarah Tavel (Benchmark), Alexa von Tobel (Inspired Capital) and Matthew Panzarino (TechCrunch).

We’re now ready to announce that the winner of TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 2021 is …

Winner: Cellino

Cellino, a company developing a platform to automate stem cell production, combines AI technology, machine learning, hardware, software — and yes, lasers! — to democratize access to cell therapies. It aims to bring down costs associated with the manufacturing of human cells while also increasing yields.

Read our post about Cellino here.

Runner-Up: Nth Cycle

Nth Cycle has developed an electro-extraction system that stands at less than 1,000 square feet and can process 5 tons of material per day — a key differentiator from big, traditional recyclers that use hydro- and pyrometallurgical techniques that require more capital and generate a greater footprint. The system can accept “black mass,” a powdery waste substance that’s generated from the battery recycling process, and turn that waste into valuable minerals like nickel, cobalt and manganese.

Read our post about Nth Cycle in our here.