TestCard founder: Attending Disrupt Berlin is a ‘no-brainer’

We love Berlin’s electric, evolving, early-startup ecosystem. Let’s be perfectly blunt: Whether you’re a startup founder, investor, hacker or tech leader, you can’t afford to miss Disrupt Berlin 2019, which takes place on 11-12 December. Get your super early-bird passes here.

TechCrunch honors its Silicon Valley roots, and we pack that ethic in our carry-on bags to Berlin. Disrupt showcases the very best of now and future tech, and startups from more than 50 countries come to Berlin to learn, share insights and build the kind of relationships that transform businesses.

The two-day conference offers measurable benefits, and that’s not just our (totally biased) opinion. Your startup peers tell us they come away with long-term benefits. Here’s what Luke Heron, CEO of TestCard Diagnostics, said about his Disrupt Berlin experience.

Based in the United Kingdom and founded in 2017 by Heron and Dr. Andrew Botham, TestCard, an at-home urine test company, combines smartphone technology and traditional mail to deliver a medical test experience in the privacy of the home.

The company embeds a urine test kit into a postcard and mails it out in a security envelope. The recipient takes the test, uses TestCard’s mobile app and the camera on their smartphone — as a clinical-grade scanner — to immediately determine the results.

TestCard exhibited in Startup Alley at Disrupt SF ’17 and again at Disrupt Berlin ’18 — as one of the select TC Top Pick startups. More on that in a minute. In San Francisco, Heron set a goal to make connections and gain exposure for the company.

“We got fantastic coverage in Engadget,” said Heron. “Cash at the beginning of the startup journey is difficult to come by, and an article from a credible organization can help push things in the right direction.”

In addition to generating media interest, Heron sought access to capital. He scheduled seven meetings with VCs using CrunchMatch. The free business-matchmaking platform makes it easy for startup founders and investors to connect and schedule meetings at Disrupt based on shared goals and criteria.

The company’s success in San Francisco made the decision to attend Disrupt Berlin 2018 a simple one. This time, Heron submitted TestCard for consideration as a TC Top Pick. It’s a competitive program where TechCrunch editors select up to five outstanding startups to represent a range of tech categories like AI, Fintech and, in Heron’s case, Healthtech & Biotech.

TestCard earned a Top Pick designation and received a free Startup Alley Exhibitor Package and plenty of VIP treatment at Disrupt Berlin — including an interview with a TechCrunch editor on the Showcase stage.

“TechCrunch uses a curation process regarding the companies it accepts,” he said. “So being a Top Pick at Disrupt — among all these other fantastic startups — has a hugely positive impact when you’re fundraising.”

How big an impact? The company recently closed on $1.7 million in funding, and Heron credits the TechCrunch Disrupt experience for making it possible.

“If you’re a startup founder or an entrepreneur,” said Heron, “attending Disrupt is a no-brainer.”

Disrupt Berlin 2019 takes place on 11-12 December. Come to Berlin, make some startup magic and keep your business moving in the right direction. Buy your super early-bird pass today.

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