Held every year in San Fransisco, the TechCrunch50 Conference showcases the best and brightest startups. We wrote about the 2007 winner, Mint, which this week announced that it has been acquired by Intuit for $170 million.

The experts panel this year included tech and investor rockstars including Kevin Rose, Robert Scoble, Marissa Mayer, Yossi Vardi and Tim O’Reilly – to name a few.

This year’s winner was Redbeacon. Here’s the company’s description from the TechCrunch50 website.

Redbeacon allows consumers who need a service performed to find and interact with local businesses and professionals.

Redbeacon goes beyond returning business listings with ratings and reviews by helping consumers determine the right service provider for their specific needs and allowing them to compare price quotes and book appointments online.

Watch their presentation.

The runners-up.
Threadsy – runner-up
Citysourced -second runner-up
AnyClip – third runner-up
Trollim – Best international
iMo – Best presentation

The blogs will be lit up tomorrow with gossip about TechCrunch.com founder Michael Arrington’s fit-throwing and stage-leaving episode immediately before the finalists were announced. We’ll be reading with popcorn.

It’s always good to stay abreast of what new and exciting companies may change the way we live. Did you have other favorites from TechCrunch50? Let us know in the comments.