Startups don't build themselves, and TechCrunch's Builders Stage 2025 (held October 27-29 at Moscone West, San Francisco) is where founders, operators and investors become reality about what they really need. This stage is all tactics and the core of turning your ideas into a working business.
He's already announced heavy hitters like Elad Gil, Dick Costolo and Ryan Petersen, but now the lineup is even bigger. New sessions include new speakers including Jason Citron from Discord and live demos of the latest robots, taking part in the agenda. From closing your first term seat to scaling your engine to the market, to finding a place that really fits your business, expect new insights into everything.
Expect candid conversations, hard-to-win lessons, and live Q&A with those who have built and supported category definition companies. If you want to scale smarter, the builder stage is where it happens. Sign up now to save up to $668 on your ticket before the prices go up later this month.
Discover the full lineup of builder stages in 2025
Raise smart
Elad Gil, CEO, Gil & Co.
Before most of the world experienced ChatGpt, Elad Gil had already written seed checks for startups such as Perplexity, Charition.ai, and Harvey. This adds to early bets on companies like Airbnb, Airtable, Anduril, Brex, CheckR, Coinbase, Deel, Figma, Flexport, Gitlab, Gusto, Instacart, Notion, Opendoor, Pinterest, Rippling, Square, and Stripe.
Having founded several companies such as MixerLabs (purchased on Twitter) and Color Health, Gil always seems to know: And he's already working on the next thing that comes for AI and investment.
Co-founders and managing partners Adam Bain and Dick Kostro, and David Fisher, 01 Advisor partner
TechCrunch Events
San Francisco | October 27-29, 2025
Join these three powerhouse investors from 01 Advisors to see the insider fireside chat you really need to build, expand and fund today's early stage startups. From products to growth and fundraising, you'll get candid advice and fresh perspectives from industry veterans shaping the next wave of technology success.
How to pitch when you are in the starting stage
Navin Chadda, Mayfield's managing partner. Charles Hudson, managing partner at Pluser Venture
Procuring pre-seed and seed stage capital in the early stages means pitching without product, user, or traction. On this panel, Navin Chaddha of Mayfield and Charles Hudson of Precursor Ventures share what they're looking for at the earliest founders and how to stand out when you have more than an idea. You will learn how to build trust, tell a compelling story and avoid the most common mistakes founders make when they try to land that important first check.
Gabby Cazo, a partner at Harlem Capital. Marlon Nichols, co-founder and managing general partner of MAC Venture Capital. Maria Palma, a partner at Freestyle Capital
It's difficult to raise the first round, but it's far from impossible. This panel brings together experienced investors to break down what you really need to close the seed round. From creating the right pitch to making sure you're greenlighting the right partner, get practical advice on turning investor interest into capital.
How to raise Series A in 2026
Thomas Krane, Managing Director, Insight Partners. Katie Stanton, founder and general partner of Moxxie Ventures. GV
In this unfiltered panel, the top VC reveals what you can actually get to provide term sheets with healthy ratings, from important metrics to miss pitches that kill trades. Learn how to position your company for initial price institutional investments.
What VCS really wants to hear on your pitch
Medha Agarwal, general partner, Defy.vc; Jyoti Bansal, CEO and co-founder of Harness; Jennifer Nendorfer, General Partner, January Venture
Investors hear hundreds of pitches, but only a few stand out. We hear directly from VCS about what they love, what they are shrunken, and what the founders of subtle signals often miss. The panel unveils insider tips that will help you create a pitch that will attract attention, build trust and earn the right checks.
Erik Allebest, co-founder and CEO of Chess.com. Kay Maxi, Rupov/Stevens Family Office. Managing Partner Gale Wilkinson is Vitalize Venture Capital
VC is not the only game in town. Explore alternative financing paths with angel investors, family office vice presidents and founders who have successfully bootstraped. Learn how to leverage capital that matches your vision, stay in control and take you to the next stage of your terms.
Prepare now for a later stage salary increase
Lila Preston, growth stock leader, generational investment management. CEO and co-founder Andrea Thomaz, hardworking robotics. Zeya Yang, Partner, IVP
To advance the second round, you need more than luck. It's about strategy from day one. Join these three exceptional VCs and experienced founders to share how you can build metrics, storytelling, and relationships that position your startup for future fundraising success. Learn the key moves that set you up to close the bigger round with confidence.
Where VCs are betting in 2026
Nina Achadjian, partners, index ventures. Jerry Chen, general partner, Greylock. Viviana Faaga, Felicis general partner
Are you curious as to where smart money is heading next? This panel brings together top VCSs to share investment priorities, emerging sectors and what innovations are catching eye for 2026. Early Stage Founder, this is for you! You'll get a rare glimpse into the trends and technologies that could shape your business this year.
Smart Smart
Construction in an era of uncertainty
Ryan Petersen, Founder and CEO of Flexport
Uncertainty is a new normal, but it is also an opportunity. In this fireside chat, Ryan Petersen, CEO of Global Logistics Unicorn Flexport, shares his hard-working insights. With a $2.3 billion raised, Flexport's shipping technology sits at the intersection of international business and policy, giving Petersen an almost visionary economic insight. He speaks up on everything from tariff policy to AI. He also experienced personal volatility, left the famous CEO role and returned less than a year later. Founder, note: This is how you build it when rules continue to change.
Jason Citron, founder and former CEO, Discord. Tade Oyerinde, founder and prime minister of the campus
What happens when you design around people rather than institutions? Jason Citron, founder and former CEO of Discord, and Tade Oyerinde, founder and prime minister of campus, discuss how they built a community-based company to break through the noise. From the rise of Discord as a global hub for millions to the ambitious mission of reforming campus universities, they explore product design, lessons from scaling in the competition, and how founders can balance vision and adaptability.
How to nail the fit in the product market
Rajat Bhageria, CEO, CEO, CEF Robotics. Anne Boldetzky, Partner, NEA; Murali Joshi, Partner, Iconiq
Building a product is difficult. They build something that customers munch on little by little, but it's priced and it's even harder and always tedious to fulfill that promise. But once you reach the Holy Grail of fit in the product market, your startup is on a fast track of growth, capital and traction. Listen to the founders who have lived it and two investors who helped many others get there. This panel can be smarter to test and deconstruct deliberate ways to stop guessing and start growing.
Randy Jacbowitz, Head of Operations and Talents, 645 Venture. Rebecca Lee Whiting, fragmentary advisor to early-stage startups, Epigram Legal PC; Yin Wu, founder and CEO of Pulley
Early recruitment will shape the future of your startup, but only if you can attract and maintain it. This panel bounces into building equity and perk packages that compete with Big Technology without breaking burns. Hear real-world strategies for building teams that adjust incentives, increase retention and scale.
With vibe coding, do early stage startups need to hire 10 times more engineers?
co-founder and CPO David Cramer. Lauri Moore, partner and Bessemer venture partner. Zach Lloyd, founder and CEO of Warp
Vibe coding products have completely changed the speed, cost and technical skills required to build a product, from prototypes to shipping. This is especially true for early stage startups. Some manufacturers of these products have declared that no one needs to learn to code anymore. If so, that means that startups don't have to fill their early rosters with the famous 10x coder. But it's a hype, and how much is the reality? Our panelists will dive into how the world of developer tools is changing and what will happen next.
Pros and cons of hiring AI agents as early employees
Jaspar Carmichael-Jack, co-founder and CEO, and craftsman. Sarah Franklin, CEO of Lattice. Caleb Peffer, co-founder and CEO of Firecrawl
Most startups today use AI in several abilities, including prototypes or new features in vibe coding, deep research through favorite chats before a sales call. Also, many build AI products, or at least include AI options and features. So, should you embed AI into your business's route operations, such as hiring AI agents instead of humans for sale? For customer support? How do I automate billing? Learn how to choose the right use cases, build smarter workflows, and get the most impact with limited resources.
Do startups still need Silicon Valley?
ANH-THO CHUONG, co-founder and CEO of Lago. Tawni Cranz, Operating Partner, Signalfire; David Hall, Managing Partner, Resis of the Rest Seed Fund, Revolution
Silicon Valley is still the capital of startups, but how important is it to access it now? This panel discusses whether founders must plant roots in the valley to succeed, or whether they do not need it because opportunities are strong elsewhere. Listen to investors and founders for perspectives that redefine what it means to build, expand and fund a company in today's world of decentralized technology.
Building a GTM engine that works
Max Altschuler, founder and general partner of GTMFund. Startup Head Mark Manara Opens. Allison Wagonfeld, VP Marketing and Chief Marketing Officer, Google Cloud
Killer products require a market strategy to go to killer. This panel explores the best traditional practices in building GTM functions and how early-stage startups can leverage AI to build GTM functions that drive growth, attract customers, and scale efficiently. Ask your founders and GTM experts about key metrics that prove that recruitment, messaging, sales tactics, and approaches are working.
Moxi The Humanoid Robot Live Demo
Hospitals are complex, high pressure workplaces, robotics and AI are being developed, and take on the routine task of releasing staff for patient care. Built by hardworking robotics, humanoid robots like Moxi are already deployed in hospitals to manage delivery and facilitate daily workloads. This live demo shows how Moxi navigates the hallways, avoid obstacles, and interacts with people in real time. This session will introduce socially intelligent robots to healthcare, and explore opportunities and challenges for technology to improve.
From scaling tactics to startup strategies – it's all in the chaos of 2025
These tech giants will gain invaluable insights live on the builder stage, learning from the five industry stages of 2025's disruption, breakouts and other top voices across the sessions. Sign up now and save up to $668 on your pass before the prices go up at the end of this month.