TechCrunch Disrupt Berlin 2018

With a reputation for debuting revolutionary start-ups and introducing game-changing technologies, Disrupt has become a key event in the tech industry’s calendar. And as well as heading back to Europe for the sixth time next month, Berlin will once again play host to the annual event. The German city not only boasts a vibrant start-up scene, but by clocking up 2600 attendees its 2017 conference was the largest Disrupt internationally, breaking a long list of records.

From 29th to 30th November, the Arena Berlin, one of the main event locations in the city, will host two days of intense programing and curated networking. TechCrunch Disrupt gives hundreds of early-stage companies the opportunity to showcase their talents and technology to attendees, investors and members of the media, as well as the opportunity for visitors to explore current hot topics among the industry’s main players.

*Lia Diagnostics was the winner of Start-up Battlefield in Berlin in 2017.*

At the heart of the exhibition floor will be Start-Up Alley, providing fledgling companies with an opportunity to exhibit in front of Europe’s most influential investors, entrepreneurs and technologists. Up to five start-ups will represent each one of ten tech categories, which this year include AI/Machine Learning, Blockchain, Education, and Hardware and Robotics. Start-up Battlefield also returns, which is a start-up pitch competition where the best pre-Series A start-ups compete for a $50,000 prize.

Then there are the three TechCrunch stages. The Disrupt Main Stage will host interviews with some of tech’s leading luminaries; the Q&A Stage is where attendees can quiz main stage speakers in more detail; and the Start-up Showcase Stage is where TechCrunch’s editors will showcase a variety of boundary-pushing start-ups.

The success of Disrupt highlights how, despite its rather ubiquitous use in recent years, so-called disruptive enterprises are having a huge impact on established industries and in all spheres of life, changing the way we think as well as how we behave.