Isabelle JOHANNESSEN
Startup Battlefield Editor
TECHCRUNCH
About Me
As the Head of the Startup Battlefield Program at TechCrunch, Isabelle leads the charge in sourcing and selecting 200 of the most promising early-stage companies worldwide each year to showcase at TechCrunch Disrupt. She partners closely with these startups to fine-tune their pitches, preparing them to compete for $100,000 in equity-free prize money, a TechCrunch.com feature article, the spotlight of global press and investors, and the prestigious Disrupt Cup.
Before joining TechCrunch, Isabelle ran a San Francisco-based accelerator, focused on bringing international startups from countries like Japan, South Korea, Italy, and Spain into the heart of Silicon Valley. Throughout her career, she’s helped thousands of startups secure funding and customers. Isabelle is particularly passionate about empowering women founders and has received recognition from the World Trade Organization for launching an accelerator program that brought women entrepreneurs from Spain to the U.S., which won th
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VivaTech Global Awards Ceremony
The VivaTech Global Awards Ceremony will celebrate the brightest entrepreneurs and groundbreaking innovations shaping the future of technology. This prestigious event will reveal and honour the winners of VivaTech’s renowned startup competitions, including the Female Founders Challenge, the AfricaTech Awards, the Next Startupper Challenge, along with our two new prizes this year: the Tech for Change Award & the Innovation of the Year. The event promises to be a vibrant showcase of the world's most promising startups and exciting innovations, one of the key highlights of VivaTech 2025, taking place on our main stage (Stage One) on June 12.