Geopolitics Alpha

Next wave of VCs judging Startup Battlefield 200 contenders at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 revealed

Published . Updated .

Meet the next five top-tier investors judging the Startup Battlefield 200 contenders live at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026. Register before September 25 to save up to $200 and don't miss a moment of the ultimate startup pitch competition.

Directly affected

  • No company is named in this report.

Indirectly affected

  • LMT Lockheed Martin

    Defense contractors get more work when conflict spending rises

  • RTX RTX

    Defense contractors get more work when conflict spending rises

  • NOC Northrop Grumman

    Defense contractors get more work when conflict spending rises

  • GD General Dynamics

    Defense contractors get more work when conflict spending rises

  • ITA iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense

    A fund of aerospace and defense companies

  • BA Boeing

    Defense and aerospace orders move with conflict spending

  • LHX L3Harris

    Defense contractors get more work when conflict spending rises

  • HII Huntington Ingalls

    Shipyards benefit when naval spending rises

  • PPA INVESCO AEROSPACE & DEFENSE ETF

    GA selected PPA as a RELATED security because its canonical security name directly matches this event's themes: defense. This is an explainable DERIVED market relationship, not a claim that the security was named in the source article.

  • WAR U.S. GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY AND AEROSPACE & DEFENSE ETF

    GA selected WAR as a RELATED security because its canonical security name directly matches this event's themes: defense. This is an explainable DERIVED market relationship, not a claim that the security was named in the source article.

Price reaction, T-5 to T+3

TickerT-5T-3T-1T0T+1T+2T+3
LMT———————
RTX———————
NOC———————
GD———————
ITA———————
BA———————
LHX———————
HII———————
PPA———————
WAR———————

Meet the next five top-tier investors judging the Startup Battlefield 200 contenders live at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026. Register before September 25 to save up to $200 and don't miss a moment of the ultimate startup pitch competition.

Source: TechCrunch

Price since this story was published: IShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA)

Since the first closing price after “Next wave of VCs judging Startup Battlefield 200 contenders at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 revealed,” IShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA) is -2.91%. The S&P 500 fund (SPY) is +0.52% over the same days, a -3.43% difference versus the market. industrial stocks (XLI) is -1.36%, a -1.55% difference versus that group of stocks.

ITA
SPY
XLI

Who collects and who pays in defense

Companies mentioned with this story

  • ITA IShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF

    In “Next wave of VCs judging Startup Battlefield 200 contenders at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 revealed,” IShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: GA selected ITA as a RELATED security because its canonical security name directly matches this event's themes: defense. This is an explainable DERIVED market relationship, not a claim that the security was named in the source article

  • PPA Invesco Aerospace & Defense Etf

    Invesco Aerospace & Defense Etf (PPA) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence in the 16 Sep 2026 story “Next wave of VCs judging Startup Battlefield 200 contenders at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 revealed.” Reason on file: GA selected PPA as a RELATED security because its canonical security name directly matches this event's themes: defense. This is an explainable DERIVED market relationship, not a claim that the security was named in the source article

  • WAR U.S. Global Technology And Aerospace & Defense Etf

    U.S. Global Technology And Aerospace & Defense Etf (WAR) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence in the 16 Sep 2026 story “Next wave of VCs judging Startup Battlefield 200 contenders at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 revealed.” Reason on file: GA selected WAR as a RELATED security because its canonical security name directly matches this event's themes: defense. This is an explainable DERIVED market relationship, not a claim that the security was named in the source article

IShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA) and the defense link

On 16 Sep 2026, “Next wave of VCs judging Startup Battlefield 200 contenders at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 revealed” is the story that connects IShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA) to Defense.

IShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA) is on the page because GA selected ITA as a RELATED security because its canonical security name directly matches this event's themes: defense. This is an explainable DERIVED market relationship, not a claim that the security was named in the source article

A second company, Invesco Aerospace & Defense Etf (PPA), is listed for a different reason: GA selected PPA as a RELATED security because its canonical security name directly matches this event's themes: defense. This is an explainable DERIVED market relationship, not a claim that the security was named in the source article

What this defense story puts on the calendar

ITA traded between 201.08 and 217.79 across 20 sessions. The latest close on file is 207.60. PPA traded between 151.56 and 162.12 across 20 sessions. The latest close on file is 156.07. WAR traded between 27.98 and 32.67 across 18 sessions. The latest close on file is 28.45.

How solid the defense case looks

27 out of 100

“Next wave of VCs judging Startup Battlefield 200 contenders at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 revealed” scores 27 out of 100. The score uses 1 sources, and 3 linked companies.