TechCrunch Disrupt hosted by TechCrunch, which is a leading online publisher of the latest news and trends about high tech and tech startups. It has a series of events that would greatly help tech startups launch their business. First, there’s the Startup Alley. It’s an exhibit of the tech startups and a chance for them to mingle with fellow founders, customers, and investors. Then, there’s the Startup Battlefield. This competition is a chance for startups to present their new hardware or software. Competitors fight for the prize money and the interest of investors. This conference also has hackathons and meetings between founders and investors.
But just because it’s the biggest tech conference every year, it doesn’t mean that it’s perfect. It has its own ups and downs for tech startup founders.
Good: Promotional Opportunity Like No Other
Around ten thousand people attend TechCrunch Disrupt every year. In a few days out a year, tech startup founders, venture capitalists, developers, tech enthusiasts, and other high-profile business people gather together in one event. About 74% of the attendees hold a director or higher level in their respective companies. Because of this high number of attendees, TechCrunch is a perfect opportunity for startups to launch their technologies.
The best way to showcase tech startups is through the Startup Battlefield. This competition is basically a launchpad in front of competitors, investors, and customers. Over 900 companies have launched their work through the Startup Battlefield. And their work has led to investments that have now reached $9 billion.
The finalists of this competition will get the chance to fully hold the attention of conference attendees for a few minutes. That’s a promotional opportunity that they probably won’t get anywhere else.
Bad: The Competition for Attention May Not Be Worth It
Because thousands of people attend TechCrunch Disrupt, there’s no denying that vying for the attention of important people will be hard. The competition for attention starts at the Startup Alley. Over one thousand booths that promote tech startups gather together in just one event. We might be able to get centerstage during the Startup Battlefield. But in the Startup Alley, it’s basically the Hunger Games. Only this time, competitors aren’t fighting for food and weapons but for attention.
Thus, many tech startup founders tend to get needless theatrical when presenting their booth. For example, John Gonzalez, the co-founder of Rooms, Inc., dressed up as Mario during the 2013 TechCrunch Disrupt. The costume isn’t really relevant to his work or presentation. But it caught people’s eye.
Because of this, many founders are losing touch with the essence of their work. It all boiled down to attention. In the end, instead of attending TechCrunch Disrupt, we might be better off acquiring blockchain PR services from professionals for smart marketing decisions.
Good: Rubbing Elbows with Investors and Customers
There are many reasons why TechCrunch Disrupt stands out against other tech conferences around the world. One of them is how the organizers prioritize the connection between founders and investors. It won’t matter how innovative and creative tech startups if they don’t have enough funding to continue developing and launching.
The best way for founders to connect with investors is through CrunchMatch. This matching service is something that founders can take advantage of. This way, they will be able to book a few minutes with investors to pitch their startup. The service has led to over ten thousand meetings. A survey conducted by TechCrunch shows that 97% of previous users of CrunchMatch would happily use it again.
Bad: Not All Technologies Are Worthy of the Attention
Organizers of TechCrunch Disrupt take pride in its openness to technological innovations from everyone around the world. This is great because at least the tech world doesn’t solely concentrate on tech hubs. But this inclusion has also led to downsides.
A prime example is the “joke” app, Titstare. This app was presented at a hackathon at the 2013 TechCrunch Disrupt. It was developed by Jethri Batts and David Boulton, developers from Australia. The app was offensive, especially to women. Since then, TechCrunch has apologized for this and has promised a stricter screening process for presentations.
If there’s one thing that all members of the tech world can agree on, it would probably be that TechCrunch Disrupt is one of the most important events that they would participate in. With around ten thousand attendees every year, this five-day conference is easily among the biggest events in the tech world.
But it’s very important for tech startup founders to properly consider first if attending the event is a good option for them. They have to weigh in first if the efforts of accelerating their development process and putting a presentation would be worth it.
