The 10 top government, legal startups from Disrupt Startup Battlefield

TechCrunch’s annual Startup Battlefield competition selects the top 200 startups from thousands of applicants, with 20 finalists competing for a $100,000 prize. Among the 200 selectees, several government and legal tech startups stood out for their innovative approaches to pressing societal challenges. These include Aparti, which uses AI to automate legal intake forms specifically for family law and divorce cases, and Bot Mediation, which applies AI to streamline legal dispute resolution. JustiGuide, recognized as the winner of the policy and protection pitch stage, connects immigrants with lawyers to simplify the complex immigration process. Other notable startups focus on public safety, disaster response, and environmental protection. Ascender developed a robot capable of climbing poles to assist in humanitarian and disaster relief efforts, while Ponderosa AI uses drones to detect and control small fires, addressing wildfire risks exacerbated by climate change. Shothawk AI created a device that tracks and subdues active shooters with pepper gel, aiming to reduce gun violence in public spaces