TechCrunch Disrupt, our flagship startup event held annually in San Francisco, returns October 28-30. We expect it to be crowded with thousands of startup enthusiasts.
Exciting news! We are pleased to announce the near-complete agenda for the Builders Stage, the culmination of several months of hard work. This is just one of six stages featured at this year's event, with more announcements to come.
PS Early bird ticket sales end on May 31st. Book your pass now and save up to $800!
About Builders Stage
Builders Stage serves as a hub for dozens of panels and interviews dedicated to the key elements of building and funding a tech startup. This year, we are reinforcing our commitment to providing the highest level of programming that features innovation at every stage of startups. Expect to dig deep into operations, talent acquisition, funding, and other important topics as we align with the new wave of startup pioneers. Plus, don't miss sessions like “How to find and maintain product-market fit,” “What you need to do to raise a Series A today,” and “When to cash out and when to keep fighting.” Without.
First, let's take a look at the Builder's Stage agenda.
How the Chainsmokers bring value beyond celebrity status
Many celebrities have invested in startups, but the Chainsmokers are different. Instead of angel investing, Drew Taggart and Alex Paul launched a formal fund, Mantis Venture Capital. Invest from formal closed-end funds. We help companies in industries that don't necessarily benefit from celebrity talent, such as security startups and analytics platforms. In this session, Taggart and Paul are joined by Chainguard founder Dan Lorenc to talk about how they are an asset to his B2B startup.
Alex Pall, Mantis VC General Partner Drew Taggart, Mantis VC General Partner Dan Lorenc, Chainguard Co-Founder and CEO
How to find and maintain product-market fit
Every startup knows that they need to find product-market fit. But when startups find true resonance between what they're offering and the demand, how can they avoid losing the product-market fit they've won? PMF Finding it is another thing. Maintaining it is another.
Spenser Skates, Amplitude Co-Founder and CEO Tamar Yehoshua, Glean President of Products and Technology
How to start a company while protecting your mental health
We all know that starting a company is stressful. And it's no secret that chronic, never-ending work can lead to burnout. So why not talk more about founder mental health? Now that our culture has become more comfortable discussing mental health in general, it's time to bring this topic to Disrupt for a thorough interrogation. has arrived.
Andy Dunn, Bonobos Co-Founder. CEO, Pai
What you need to raise a Series A now
If you haven't built the next foundational model AI company, raising a Series A today may be more difficult than ever before. So to help seed-stage founders prepare for their first letter round, we're educating investors on what they and their companies are looking for in their next Series A deal. receive.
Renata Quintini, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Renegade Partners, Elizabeth Ying, General Partner, Hustle Fund
When to cash out and when to keep fighting
Startup founders are often given the opportunity to sell their companies before they reach full maturity. In today's world, where IPOs often occur later than historical norms, founders may want to find a parent company for their startup. But when does it make sense to sell, and when should founders continue to forge their own path?
Naveen Rao, Vice President of Generative AI at Databricks
How startups can save the world
Start-up work and venture capital investments are typically judged through the lens of financial results. The bigger the startup, the more valuable it becomes. But some emerging technology companies are working to make the world a better place while making a profit. Therefore, we want to see how far we can go in “doing good” without abandoning the important “making money” aspect of building a technology company.
Rebecca Hu, Glacier Co-Founder, Allison Wolff, Vibrant Planet CEO
Don't Be a Lemming: Anti-Hype Panel
What is the difference between real opportunity and hype? Answering this question correctly can be the difference between success and failure in the technology industry. And it's a much more difficult question than it seems. Once everyone is convinced that a particular technology is the future, founders and even VCs tend to pursue it en masse. But as anyone who's lived through the Valley's boom-bust cycles knows, collective excitement, or hype, isn't the best indicator.
Matt Rogers, Nest co-founder.Co-Founder and CEO, Mill Natalie Sportelli, Director, Bullish Hoolie Tejwani, Director of Corporate Development and Ventures, Coinbase Ventures
The next multi-billion technology company
When former Twitter CEO Dick Costolo, former Twitter COO Adam Bain and former Facebook chief revenue officer David Fisher join forces at a venture capital firm, they will focus on the next generation of the Internet. You might think so. Or fix your social media. But that's wrong. They are looking for companies that are ready to participate in a Series B round and help them hyperscale without taking a board seat.
Adam Bain, 01 Advisors Co-Founder and Managing Partner Dick Costolo, 01 Advisors Managing Partner and Co-Founder David Fischer, 01 Advisors
Family offices want exposure for startups, but what are they looking for?
Family offices are increasingly investing in startups both directly and through VC investors. But what are they looking for? While no two family offices are the same, this session will explore family office investment trends and where family offices are spending their time in the startup ecosystem. We also detail what kind of risks these investors are willing to take and why startups are suitable for this category of backers.
Can startups reignite American manufacturing?
Not all startups just build software. Today, many people are also building hardware, raising the question of where that equipment is designed and manufactured. In many cases, some companies choose to invest in domestic manufacturing capacity in the name of “American dynamism.” This panel will explore how far and fast America's reindustrialization will occur, and how we will make it happen.
Rebecca Gevalt, Dcode Capital Managing Partner, Topher Haddad, Co-Founder and CEO, Albedo Kai Kloepfer, Biofire Founder and CEO
Free but not cheap: the open source dilemma
Open source software is everywhere and in everything. Many startups explicitly pursue open source business models. But every company that develops software has at least some degree of dependency on open source code. However, recent security issues have revealed that open source software has become a target for nation-state hackers. So how can you continue to build and use collaboratively built code while avoiding the risk of backdoors and other security holes?
Aeva Black, Open Source Security Lead, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA); Luis VIlla, Co-Founder and General Counsel, Tidelift
How to hire in 2025
Gone are the days when there seemed to be more recruiters than leaves blowing in the wind. Therefore, employees in almost all startup sectors face a more conservative labor market. How can founders leverage the increased purchasing power of their workforce while treating their employees with respect and retaining key talent? Founders, take note. this is for you.
Heather Doshay, SignalFire Talent and Talent Partner Lauren Illovsky, Capital G Talent Partner Roger Lee, Comprehensive.io CEO
How to raise money in 2025 if you receive a flat, down, or extension round
The old idea that you need $100 million worth of trailing revenue to go public or $1 million worth of annual recurring revenue to raise a Series A is effectively sitting on Abe Lincoln's head. It's as old as it is. In today's market, what a startup needs to raise depends on its sector, founder profile, and of course momentum. So what does it take to raise a Series A?
Nikhil Basu Trivedi, Co-Founder and General Partner, Footwork; Dayna Grayson, Co-Founder and General Partner, Construct Capital; Elliott Robinson, Partner, Bessemer Venture Partners
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