We've been extremely privileged to witness thousands of early stage startups launch and take flight at Disrupt over the past 10 years, and they just keep getting bettter. You'll be hard-pressed to find more creative, game-changing startups than the ones that earned our TC Top Picks designation for Disrupt 2020. The all-virtual nature of this Disrupt meant we received applications from startups around the world. Highly determined and highly caffeinated TechCrunch editors took on the task of narrowing the field to find the best of the best. Each TC Top Pick will exhibit in Digital Startup Alley Package and have an exclusive, virtual interview with a TechCrunch writer.

Can we get a fanfare of trumpets, please? The time has come to introduce you to our TC Top Picks for Disrupt Berlin 2019. The ingenuity and creativity reflected in the international startup community can't be overstated, and narrowing the field from the hundreds of applications we received was no easy task. Challenging as it was, TechCrunch editors had a (wicked fun) job to do -- select up to five early-stage startups they felt represent the best of their specific tech category. This remarkable cadre of early-stage startups knocked our proverbial socks off.

We dedicate this countdown post to all the early-stage startup founders who hunger for an opportunity to break new ground. This is the final week you can apply to be a TC Top Pick and exhibit your startup -- for free -- in Startup Alley at Disrupt Berlin 2019 on 11-12 December. The application window remains open until this Friday, 18 October at 12 p.m. (PT). Don't miss your shot at media attention, investor interest and plenty of exposure to potential customers and collaborators -- apply to be a TC Top Pick right now. If you haven't heard about our Top Picks program, here's a brief rundown.

If you're the founder of an early-stage startup here's a big, fat reminder about one of the great experiences you can have at Disrupt Berlin 2019 on 11-12 December. Apply to our TC Top Picks program for a chance to step into the startup spotlight. If you're selected, you'll receive a free Startup Alley Exhibitor Package and a bunch of other perks (more on those in a minute). TechCrunch editors will accept applications from early-stage startups that fall into one of the following tech categories: AI/Machine Learning, Biotech/Healthtech, Blockchain, Fintech, Mobility, Privacy/Security, Retail/E-commerce, Robotics/IoT/Hardware, CRM/Enterprise and Education. They'll thoroughly review every application and then select up to five startups they feel represent the very best in each category.

One of the best ways to experience Disrupt San Francisco 2018 is for free -- and who doesn't love free? Right now, we're hunting for the best early-stage AI startups to apply as a TC Top Pick. If your company earns that designation, you get to exhibit for free in Startup Alley at Disrupt SF 2018, which takes place September 5-7 at Moscone Center West. AI will be a big focus at Disrupt SF '18, and that shouldn't surprise anyone. Oil fueled the 20th century, but data, AI and machine learning fuel the 21st. Where once mobile strategy reigned, "AI first" is the new rally cry across nearly every industry, and it will only continue to grow.