TechCrunch will judge a startup pitch contest at SusHi Tech Tokyo 2026

In short: TechCrunch is partnering with SusHi Tech Tokyo 2026 in Japan, and a TechCrunch team member will judge the event’s main startup pitch contest.

What happened

TechCrunch said it is partnering with SusHi Tech Tokyo 2026, a large conference focused on new technology and startups. The event runs April 27 to 29 at Tokyo Big Sight, a major convention center in Tokyo.

TechCrunch’s Startup Battlefield program manager, Isabelle Johannessen, will serve as a judge for the SusHi Tech Challenge. This is the event’s flagship pitch competition, where startups give short presentations to try to win attention, customers, and funding (like a talent show, but for new businesses).

The SusHi Tech Challenge received 820 applications from 60 countries and regions. Twenty semifinalists compete on April 27, and seven finalists advance to the final on April 28. The Grand Prix winner receives ¥10,000,000 and automatic entry into the TechCrunch Disrupt Startup Battlefield Top 200.

SusHi Tech Tokyo is short for “Sustainable High City Tech Tokyo.” Organizers say this year’s conference will include 750 startup exhibitors from 60 countries, more than 10,000 arranged business meetings, and about 60,000 attendees. The program will focus on four areas: AI, robotics, resilience (tools for handling problems like cyberattacks or climate risks), and entertainment.

Why it matters

Pitch contests like this can help a small company get in front of investors and potential partners, especially when there is a direct path into TechCrunch’s Startup Battlefield program. For regular people, the bigger takeaway is that these events often preview products and services that can show up later in everyday life, from safer online systems to new tools for music and media.

Source: TechCrunch AI