On Oct. 17, MADE, a verification system designed to safeguard Black creativity, won the inaugural "Keep It 100" Pitch Competition hosted by Elite Media. The announcement was made at The One Club's "Where Are All the Black People" Conference in New York City. Elite Media Founder and CEO Chris Crawford joined a panel of judges for the competition and took center stage to present $50,000 to Tommy Johnson, founder and CEO of MADE, along with $12,500 each to the four other finalists.
It's the definitive startup event where what's next in tech takes the stage, and where early access, first-mover insight, and game-changing introductions all happen in one place. Investors discover the next breakout startups. Founders meet the backers, builders, and customers who can take them from idea to scale. And tech leaders from companies like OpenAI, Google Cloud, Meta, Amazon,Salesforce, and Replika share hard-won lessons, unfiltered insight, and a clear look at what's coming.
The Startup Battlefield 200 global pitch competition at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, taking place October 27-29 at San Francisco's Moscone West, is just weeks away, and the stakes have never been higher. Twenty founders will pitch their companies on the Disrupt Stage, but only one will walk away with the $100,000 equity-free prize and the coveted Disrupt Cup.