Our journey at TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 2021

Attending the biggest startup competition was filled with learnings, surprises and valuable experiences.

During September 21–23, 2021, we took part in TechCrunch Startup Battlefield, the number one startup launch competition in the world. Being the first blockchain company to have ever been selected to participate, this was already a big honour, but what was about to happen was even bigger.

Tatum was shortlisted as one of five finalists (alongside Nth Cycle, Koa Technology, Adventr and Cellino) giving us the chance to pitch the company in front of some of the best investors and execs in Silicon Valley. You can watch back on our pitch here.

What we learned from TechCrunch Disrupt 2021

Attending a conference of such magnitude comes with some obvious yet sizable benefits. We were able to get unmatched media and brand exposure and get the word out about what Tatum is and does. We got in front of investors and tech executives that would have been otherwise hard to do.

Operating in a relatively new industry, most of the people that know of us and use our platform come from within the blockchain world. TechCrunch Disrupt allowed us to introduce Tatum to the wider tech industry. Our goal was not to simply showcase what Tatum can do for blockchain right now, but help people see the vision, potential, and applicability to more industries and use cases.

Apart from the obvious benefits, the event had a lot of intangible learnings and rewards. It gave us the opportunity to sharpen our pitching skills and refine the communication of our goals, mission statement, and vision. When you work on a project long enough, you can sometimes get tricked into assuming that prospective users know enough about your product that you don’t need to explain it.

Here’s what Jiri Kobelka, CEO and Co-Founder of Tatum had to say about the event: “It was a great experience through and through. Firstly, we were proud to represent the blockchain community and give some credibility and attention to an industry that is relatively new. Secondly, getting Tatum on a global stage, letting the tech community know who we are and what we do was big. But it wasn’t just that. Rubbing shoulders with some of the best startups in the world was both inspiring and affirming. It’s proof we belong here and gives us a boost to keep pushing even further.”

This was a great experience for the company and definitely not a one-off. If anything, we’re just getting started.