TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 Announces Return of Builders Stage, Unveiling Key Sessions and Industry Leaders Focused on Startup Scaling and AI Innovation

San Francisco, CA – TechCrunch Disrupt, one of the technology industry’s most anticipated annual gatherings, is set to host its 2026 edition from October 13-15 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. A cornerstone of this extensive event will be the much-anticipated return of the Builders Stage, an intensive program meticulously designed to equip founders, startup operators, and investors with the practical knowledge and strategic insights necessary to build and scale successful companies in an increasingly dynamic global tech landscape. With an expected attendance exceeding 10,000, the Builders Stage promises a deep dive into the real-world challenges and opportunities facing today’s entrepreneurs, offering a comprehensive agenda that addresses everything from securing crucial early-stage funding to navigating the complexities of an AI-driven market.

A Legacy of Innovation: The Enduring Impact of TechCrunch Disrupt

TechCrunch Disrupt has long stood as a beacon for the startup ecosystem, fostering connections, spotlighting emerging talent, and dissecting the trends that shape the future of technology. Since its inception, Disrupt has been instrumental in launching countless startups into the spotlight, providing a platform for founders to pitch their groundbreaking ideas, secure vital investment, and gain unparalleled exposure. Over the years, the event has evolved to reflect the shifting priorities and technological advancements within the industry. The introduction and continued emphasis on specialized stages, such as the Builders Stage, underscore TechCrunch’s commitment to providing targeted, actionable content for its diverse audience. These stages allow for a more focused exploration of critical areas, ensuring that attendees receive tailored guidance relevant to their specific growth trajectories. The 2026 event continues this tradition, with the Builders Stage positioned as a pivotal hub for those aiming to transform promising concepts into enduring enterprises.

The Builders Stage: Architects of Tomorrow’s Tech Landscape

Distinguished as one of six industry-focused stages at Disrupt 2026, the Builders Stage is specifically tailored for founders and teams who have moved beyond the initial ideation phase and are now grappling with the formidable task of scaling. Building a minimum viable product (MVP) is a significant achievement, but transforming it into a resilient, high-growth company presents an entirely different set of challenges. The Builders Stage directly confronts these hurdles, offering candid conversations and real-world case studies from startup and venture leaders who are actively shaping the tech ecosystem. Topics will span a critical spectrum, including effective fundraising strategies, attracting and retaining top talent in a competitive market, developing robust go-to-market (GTM) strategies, strategically integrating artificial intelligence, and making the crucial operational decisions that underpin sustainable growth. Attendees will benefit from the unique opportunity to engage directly with speakers through live Q&A sessions, ensuring that insights are not just theoretical but immediately applicable.

Spotlight on Leadership: Key Voices at the Forefront of Innovation

The roster of speakers for the Builders Stage is a testament to the depth and breadth of expertise TechCrunch brings to its events. Industry luminaries confirmed to share their invaluable perspectives include:

• Grant Lee, CEO and Co-founder of Gamma, a prominent figure in the startup world known for his insights into product-led growth and early customer acquisition.
• Leah Solivan, Founder and General Partner at Precedent.vc, whose venture capital experience provides a crucial lens on investment strategies and market opportunities.
• Robby Stein, VP of Product at Google, offering unparalleled wisdom on managing product development at an immense scale, a challenge few founders ever confront but many aspire to understand.
• Jas Khaira, Global Head of Blackstone N1, will delve into the accelerated scaling and capital demands of AI startups, offering a private equity perspective on identifying and backing the next generation of industry giants.
• Maria Angelidou-Smith, CPO of Reddit, will discuss the imperative of rebuilding consumer products for the AI era, highlighting how AI is reshaping user experiences and product design.
• Josh Reeves, CEO and Co-founder of Gusto, will address the evolving dynamics of team building when AI agents increasingly function as "co-founders."
• A diverse panel of venture capitalists, including Puneet Agarwal (True Ventures), Austin Clements (Slauson and Co), Sandhya Venkatachalam (Axiom Partners), Jahanvi Sardana (Index Ventures), Shailendra Singh (Peak XV), and Janelle Teng Wade (Bessemer Venture Partners), will offer multifaceted insights into the intricate world of fundraising, from pre-seed to Series A.

These leaders, alongside many others yet to be announced, represent a formidable collective of experience, poised to deliver actionable intelligence to the next wave of tech innovators.

Navigating the AI Revolution: Strategies for a Transformed Landscape

The pervasive influence of Artificial Intelligence will be a dominant theme across several Builders Stage sessions, reflecting its profound impact on every facet of the tech industry.

• "How to Win When You’re Not Building AI" with Shan Shan of Baillie Gifford and Yuri Sagalov of General Catalyst, will offer a crucial counter-narrative to the prevailing AI hype. This session acknowledges that while AI dominates venture capital discourse, many enduring companies will not be direct AI model developers. It will focus on fundamental business principles that remain paramount: efficient growth, robust retention, high-quality revenue generation, and disciplined execution. The panelists will argue that strong fundamentals, rather than fleeting hype, are the true bedrock of breakout businesses, providing solace and strategic direction for founders in non-AI sectors.
• "What Happens When OpenAI Ships Your Roadmap" will tackle a pressing concern for many AI founders. Michel Tricot (Airbyte), Rob Toews (Radical Ventures), and Linda Tong (Webflow) will explore the existential threat posed by large language model developers like OpenAI or Anthropic potentially integrating a startup’s core offering as a feature. This session will dissect where defensibility truly lies in an AI-dominated market and present strategies for founders to safeguard their innovations against rapidly evolving AI giants.
• "Building the Next Generation of AI Giants" featuring Jas Khaira of Blackstone N1, will offer a high-level perspective on the unique capital demands and rapid scaling trajectories of AI startups. Khaira will outline Blackstone’s criteria for identifying and investing in category-defining AI businesses, providing valuable insights into what separates sustained success from early momentum in this highly competitive arena.
• "Competing for AI Talent: Pay, Equity, and Retention" and a related session on "Hiring, Compensation and Culture in the Most Competitive Market Ever" will address the intense war for AI talent. Matt Birnbaum (Wylder.co), Ioana Hreninciuc (Runware), and Atli Thorkelsson (Redpoint Ventures) will explore how the proliferation of AI startups has intensified competition for skilled professionals across the tech sector. The panels will discuss evolving compensation models, the role of equity, navigating secondary sales, and adapting company culture to attract and retain top-tier talent in a fundamentally altered employment landscape.
• "Hiring When AI Is a Co-Founder" with Josh Reeves of Gusto will delve into the nascent but rapidly accelerating trend of integrating AI agents directly into early-stage teams. This session will explore the evolving definition of an early team, examining how founders are deciding which tasks humans should own versus those delegated to AI, and how to construct hybrid teams that maintain speed, accountability, and a cohesive culture.
• "Rebuilding Consumer Products for the AI Era" with Maria Angelidou-Smith of Reddit, will highlight how AI is not merely an additive feature but a transformative force compelling product teams to rethink fundamental user interactions. Leaders from prominent consumer platforms will discuss redesigning products used by millions, discerning genuine user needs from AI, and balancing automation with essential human-centric design.
• "The Real Tokenmaxxing: How the Best AI Companies Navigate a Multi-Model World" will feature Mo Jomaa (Capital G) and Zuzanna Stamirowska (Pathway). This session will tackle the growing reality that the AI frontier is moving too fast for any single model to keep pace. Successful AI product teams are increasingly orchestrating solutions across multiple models. Panelists will discuss how to evaluate new models, manage the complexities of cost and reliability at scale, and architect products capable of evolving as rapidly as the underlying AI technology.
• "Revealing AI Disruptors 60: What Can AI Do Next?" with Shay Grinfield of Greenfield Partners, will shift the conversation from theoretical AI capabilities to tangible applications. This session will explore how AI agents are performing complex tasks on the open web, driving ambitious research, operating beyond digital screens, and necessitating new infrastructure layers. The discussion will culminate in the unveiling of Greenfield Partners’ 2026 AI Disruptors 60 list, recognizing companies pushing the boundaries of AI innovation.

Mastering the Funding Landscape: Strategic Insights for Capital Acquisition

Securing capital remains a critical hurdle for startups, and the Builders Stage offers multiple sessions dedicated to demystifying the investment process.

• "Winning Pre-Seed Without a Product" will provide essential guidance for founders seeking their first checks. Puneet Agarwal (True Ventures), Austin Clements (Slauson and Co), and Sandhya Venkatachalam (Axiom Partners) will dissect how to build credibility and conviction with investors when a product is still nascent. In an environment where founders are increasingly expected to compete for capital before launch, the session will emphasize the importance of compelling narratives, founder-market fit, and disciplined execution to secure early-stage funding.
• "M&A Is Now an Early-Stage Strategy" with Karl Alomar (M13) and Lindsey Mignano (Mignano Law Group), will challenge traditional notions of startup exits. This session will argue that forward-thinking founders are not solely building for IPOs but are strategically considering potential acquisitions from day one. As exit landscapes evolve and capital becomes tighter, understanding early M&A dynamics offers a significant competitive advantage. The panelists will illuminate how product strategy, strategic partnerships, and a deep understanding of market consolidation can pave the way for high-value outcomes, even for smaller companies.
• "The Series A in 2027" with Jahanvi Sardana (Index Ventures), Shailendra Singh (Peak XV), and Janelle Teng Wade (Bessemer Venture Partners), will provide a prescient look at the evolving Series A funding environment. With venture capitalists becoming more discerning, this session will redefine what "fundable" truly means for companies aiming to raise in the next one to two years. Top investors will share their updated metrics, team expectations, traction requirements, and insights into outdated fundraising playbooks, offering strategies for startups to distinguish themselves in the upcoming funding cycle.

Operational Excellence and Growth: Fueling Sustainable Expansion

Beyond funding, the Builders Stage addresses the operational mechanics of growth, from acquiring customers to scaling product development.

• "From MVP to Billions of Users: How Product Decisions Must Change at Scale" with Robby Stein of Google, offers a rare glimpse into the complexities of hyper-scale product management. Stein will share how the intuitive decisions that lead to a successful MVP can become detrimental when impacting billions of users. This fireside chat will explore how teams at Google balance speed with trust, and innovation with reliability, in one of the world’s largest product organizations.
• "The 90-Day GTM: Why $0-$10M ARR Is the New Baseline (and How to Actually Get There)" will feature Ryan Meadows (Lovable), Tomasz Tunguz (Theory Ventures), and Ben Broca (Polsia). This session highlights a stark reality: the definition of early traction has drastically accelerated. What once took years is now expected in months, with $0 to $10 million ARR becoming the new baseline for early-stage companies. The panelists will dissect how AI-enabled execution, rapid distribution channels, and shifting investor expectations are compressing GTM timelines, providing tactical levers founders need in their first 90 days to accelerate revenue and establish a strong market presence.
• "The Zero-to-1K Playbook: How to Get Your First 1,000 Customers Without a Marketing Budget" with Grant Lee (Gamma), Leah Solivan (Precedent.vc), and Elia Wallen (Engine), will offer practical strategies for customer acquisition without significant marketing expenditure. Early customer growth, particularly for pre-revenue startups, hinges on founder-led distribution and relentless execution, not large budgets or established brands. This session will break down effective tactics such as community building, product-led growth, founder-led sales, strategic outbound efforts, and leveraging word-of-mouth momentum.
• "So You’ve Got a Hit Product. How Does Your Company Do It Again?" with Filip Kaliszan (Verkada), Aaron Jacobson (New Enterprise Associates), and Maddi Holman (Daring Ventures), will address a common startup pitfall: building a single great product rather than a repeatable multi-product engine. This panel will reveal the operational playbook for strategic capital allocation, systemizing internal innovation, and engineering a compounding "Second Act" before the core product’s growth curve inevitably flattens.
• "How to Create Viral Growth and Capitalize on It" will feature Zach Yadegari of Cal AI. Many startups achieve overnight viral success, but sustaining that momentum presents a unique set of challenges. Yadegari will share Cal AI’s journey through rapid growth, product pressure, and the realities of building in a distribution-driven market. This fireside chat will extract key lessons on converting fleeting attention into durable retention and long-term company building.
• "PMF Red Flags: How to Tell If You Really Have It" with Rajeev Dham (Sapphire Ventures) and Rahul Vohra (Superhuman Mail), will address the critical distinction between genuine product-market fit (PMF) and transient hype. In an AI-inflated market, signals of PMF can be easily faked. This session will help founders and investors identify false PMF, differentiate real retention from hype-driven adoption, and pinpoint the true indicators of a company’s sustained market pull versus temporary momentum.

The Human Element of Entrepreneurship: Beyond the Metrics

Recognizing that company building is as psychologically demanding as it is strategically complex, the Builders Stage also dedicates a crucial session to the well-being of founders.

• "Yes, It’s Hard to Be a Founder: An Honest Conversation" with Nell Daly (Revenge Capital), David H. Rosmarin (Harvard Medical School), and Jack Withinshaw (Airspeeder), will offer a candid look at the often-unspoken realities of entrepreneurship. This conversation will unpack the hidden costs of high-growth environments, including burnout, decision fatigue, and the identity strain imposed by sustained pressure. Founders and mental performance experts will share practical systems, habits, and mental frameworks that enable leaders to endure and perform at peak levels. This session underscores a growing awareness within the tech community of the importance of mental health and resilience, moving beyond the often-glamorized narrative of startup life.

Investor Insights and Engagement: Direct Access to Decision-Makers

The event also provides unparalleled access to leading investors, offering direct insights into their decision-making processes.

• "The High-Conviction Filter: What We Learned From the Battlefield" will feature Startup Battlefield judges Alexa von Tobel (Inspired Capital) and Chi-Hua Chien (Goodwater Capital). This candid debrief will unpack the trends and founder qualities that stood out in real-time during the prestigious Startup Battlefield competition. The conversation will explore shifting investor expectations, the narratives that resonated most, the evolving art of startup storytelling, and the critical 12 months post-spotlight – including the realities of maintaining momentum after a major launch, funding round, or Battlefield appearance.
• "Ask the Investors" will be an audience-led Q&A featuring a powerhouse panel of Startup Battlefield finals judges: Stacy Brown-Philpot (Cherryrock Capital), Chi-Hua Chien (Goodwater Capital), Dayna Grayson (Construct Capital), Carter Reum (M13), and Alexa Von Tobel (Inspired Capital). This session offers a unique opportunity for attendees to directly pose their toughest questions about what truly differentiates a fundable startup, covering critical elements like team dynamics, traction, market opportunity, pitch delivery, and common red flags.

The comprehensive agenda of the Builders Stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 is meticulously curated to provide maximum value, offering a blend of strategic foresight, tactical advice, and invaluable networking opportunities. With the early bird registration window still open, prospective attendees are encouraged to secure their passes promptly to save up to $330 before the next ticket price increase. This is an essential event for anyone committed to building smarter, scaling faster, and learning directly from the architects shaping the future of the startup world.