TechCrunch is hosting its first ever Startup Battlefield in Paris. This morning, 15 startups competed for the coveted Best of Show award.

They all pitched in front of three different panels of esteemed judges. Investors and tech leaders took some time to ask them some tough questions and understand what they&re doing. Later today, finalists will pitch on the big stage in front of a brand new batch of judges.

And now, meet the 15 startups who competed in the Startup Battlefield Europe.

Wisebatt

Wisebatt wants to lower the cost of R-D for hardware engineers by providing them with a patented simulation and collaboration platform.

Wingly

Wingly is a flight sharing platform connecting private pilots with passengers to share the cost of a flight.

Walk With Path

Walk With Path's weareables help Parkinson's patients walk more confidently and avoid falls.

Wakeo

Wakeo is a SaaS platform that uses machine learning and satellite data to help industrial leaders optimize their supply chain.

Varanida

Varanida is a web extension that allows users to choose when they want to see ads.

Tapoly

Tapoly offers on-demand insurance for freelancers contractors and SMEs.

StatusToday

StatusToday is an AI-powered employee insights platform that simplifies team management.

Statice

Statice's software secures a company's private data while providing an avenue for sharing of that data.

Solely Original

Solely Original is a womens footwear brand that enables customers to design their own shoes online.

Mapify

Mapify is a social travel platform aimed at providing a single outlet for planning transportation, entertainment and housing.

IOV

IOV provides a universal protocol for blockchains and wallet users.

Glowee

Glowee is a sustainable living light source powered by wasteproducts and reusable biomass. Thier mission is to disrupt the way we produce and consume light.

DROVA

Drova is a decentralized gaming rental service that enables clients to rent games/apps around the world without having to buy a gaming console.

BIMlosophy

BIMlosophy is a platform aimed at providing construction managers with the software needed to pay workers without having to buy a license.

Anorak

Anorak is a platform that uses machine learning to tailor advice to those seeking life insurance.

Fifteen companies just got off the stage at TechCrunchStartup Battlefield Europe at VivaTech in Paris.

The TechCrunch team has taken feedback from our expert judges and narrowed the group down to five companies that will be competing in the finals on the VivaTech Main Stage at 6:15pm CET. (If you&re not at VivatTech, you can watch the finals live here on TechCrunch.)

One of the startups will receive the the TechCrunch Startup Battlefield Top European Startup award, as well as €25,000 in equity-free money. Here are the finalists:

Glowee

Glowee is developing biological light systems using the natural properties bioluminescent marine organisms. These systems are built by encoding genes in symbiotic bacteria and will require neither electricity nor installation infrastructure.

IOV

IOV is building a decentralized DNS for blockchains. By implementing the Blockchain Communication Protocol, the IOV Wallet will be the first wallet that can receive and exchange any kind of cryptocurrency from a single address of value.

Mapify

Mapify aims to help travelers discover where to head next, what to pack and who to go with. It also allows them to share information about places, people and experiences.

Wakeo

Wakeo helps shippers and forwarders improve customer experience and optimize operations. It does this by consolidating multiple transport partners into a central SaaS platform to bring real-time visibility on all transport flows.

Wingly

Wingly is a flight-sharing platform that connects pilots and passengers. Private pilots can add flights they have planned, then potential passengers can book them.

The stories format has been one of the most sticky features of social apps like Snapchat and Instagram, letting users stitch together video, photo and text overlays to convey moods and experiences to friends and followers; even Google has incorporated stories into its services. Now Airbnb is becoming the latest adopter of the format: the travel and accommodations startup has quietly launched a new feature called Travel Stories, a way for guests to create video sequences of their Airbnb experiences to post on the site.

The company has sent out invitations for a beta of the service to a pool of users (pictured below, sent to us by reader Matteo Gamba, who runs an Airbnb blog). A FAQ page about the new format says that for now Story making is only available on the latest version of its iPhone app, under the Travel Stories tab of your profile. Video clips are limited to 10 seconds each and are taken from your camera roll and can be edited in the Airbnb app.

You can then look at the Stories either directly on Airbnbsite, or through the Travel Stories tab in the app. In both cases, these are similar to extended travelog slideshows, and they appear to automatically link up to places featured in the Stories, along with related accommodations. Hereone about a trip to Cuba.

I&ve reached out to Airbnb to see if I can get more information about this. One big question I have is how and if Airbnb will vet what people post as stories. If the content is NSFW, or if itextremely insulting about a home a person has stayed in, for example, will that still get posted Also, will users be able to import and export stories to other platforms

Stories can serve a couple of purposes for Airbnb when they are rolled out more widely. They could become another way of creating more engaged feedback from visitors of a particular destination or experience or property, and this in turn could be another way of getting subsequent users to also book the same experiences, and even refer to the site while on those trips for tips. &Airbnb stories are for inspiring other travelers like yourself!& as the company notes.

And itanother way of drawing in the story makers themselves to use the Airbnb app more.

Airbnb has been on a long-term mission to increase the stickiness of its platform. The aim is to make it more than a place that you visit once in a while, when you are planning at trip. That has led to the company launching experiences — events that you might get involved in without even living the city you live in — as well concierge-style services to help guide you around while you are on your trip; and other travel services to get you to and from your destination.

The company is expected also to launch in the coming weeks and months a loyalty program, also for the same end. There haven&t been many details released about how it will work, but one potential route it could take is to create a platform where you can make leisure activity and travel purchases through the Airbnb platform to accrue points for discounts on future Airbnb purchases, much like current air miles/points programs.