TechCrunch Disrupt, our flagship startup event held annually in San Francisco, returns October 28-30 – and you may expect a bustling crowd of 1000’s of startup enthusiasts.
Exciting news! We are thrilled to disclose the almost complete Constructors’ Stage program, the culmination of months of exertions. This is just one of six stages of this yr’s event, and there is much more on the horizon.
About the builders stage
Builders Stage is a place of dozens of panels and interviews dedicated to essential elements of building and financing technology startups. This yr, we are doubling down on our commitment to providing top-notch programs that feature innovation at all stages of the startup journey. Expect a deep dive into operations, talent acquisition, fundraising and other key topics tailored to the next wave of startup pioneers. Plus, don’t miss sessions like “How to Find and Maintain Product-Market Fit,” “What You Need to Raise a Series A Today,” and “When to Cash Out, When to Keep Fighting.”
A first look at the Builders Stage agenda
How chain smokers bring value beyond their celebrity status
While many stars invest in startups, the Chainsmokers are different. Instead of investing in angel investors, Drew Taggart and Alex Pall began a formal fund, Mantis Venture Capital; invest from a formal closed-end fund; and support corporations in industries where star skills cannot at all times help, equivalent to security startups and analytics platforms. In this session, Taggart and Pall shall be joined by Dan Lorenc, founding father of Chainguard, to speak about how they are adding value to their B2B startups.
- Alex Pall, general partner of Mantis VC
- Drew Taggart, general partner of Mantis VC
- Dan Lorenc, co-founder and CEO of Chainguard
How to seek out and maintain product-market fit
Every startup knows that they need to seek out product-market fit. But once they find true resonance between what they provide and what is in demand, how should a startup make sure that it doesn’t lose its product-market fit? Finding a PMF is one thing; maintaining it is one other.
- Spenser Skates, co-founder and CEO of Amplitude
- Tamar Yehoshua, president of product and technology at Glean
How to build a business while protecting your mental health
Everyone knows that building a business is stressful. It is common knowledge that countless, chronic work can result in burnout. So why don’t we talk more about founder mental health? Now that our culture is more comfortable talking about mental health in general, it is time for us to bring this topic to Disrupt for a thorough interrogation.
- Andy Dunn, co-founder of Bonobos; CEO, Pie
What it’s essential to build your Series A today
Unless you are building the next foundation of an AI-powered company, raising a Series A today will likely be harder than it has been in some time. So, to assist seed-stage founders prepare for their first round, investors are explaining what they – and their corporations – are looking for in their next Series A deals.
- Renata Quintini, co-founder and managing director of Renegade Partners
- Elizabeth Yin, General Partner of the Hustle Fund
When to withdraw money, when to proceed fighting
Startup founders often have the opportunity to sell their corporations before they reach full maturity. In today’s world, where IPOs are often delayed by past historical norms, it will possibly be tempting for founders to look for a parent company for their startups. But when does it make sense to sell and when should the founder follow his own path?
- Naveen Rao, VP of Artificial Intelligence Generation, Data Cubes
How startups can save the world
The activities of start-ups and investing in enterprise capital are often assessed through the prism of their financial results. The larger the startup, the more it is price. But some start-up tech corporations are also working to enhance the world while being profitable. So we wish to know how far “doing good” can go without sacrificing the crucial “making money” side of building tech corporations.
- Rebecca Hu, co-founder of Glacier
- Allison Wolff, CEO of Vibrant Planet
Don’t be a lemming: anti-hype panel
What is the difference between real opportunity and hype? The correct answer to this query is the difference between success and failure in the technology industry. And this is a much harder query than it may appear. When everyone is convinced that the future belongs to a particular technology, founders—and even VCs—are inclined to pursue that technology en masse. But as anyone who has been through the boom-and-bust cycle in the Valley knows, collective excitement – the hype – is not the best indicator.
- Matt Rogers, co-founder of Nest; Co-founder and CEO of Mill
- Natalie Sportelli, Director, Bullish
- Hoolie Tejwani, Director of Corporate Development and Ventures, Coinbase Ventures
The next multi-billion dollar tech corporations
You’d think that when former Twitter CEO Dick Costolo, former Twitter COO Adam Bain and former Facebook chief revenue officer David Fischer joined forces to form a enterprise capital firm, they’d be focused on the next generation of the Internet. Or fixing social media. But you can be fallacious. They are looking for corporations that are ready for a Series B round and help them achieve hyperscale without taking on board seats.
- Adam Bain, co-founder and managing partner of 01 Advisors
- Dick Costolo, managing partner and co-founder of 01 Advisors
- David Fischer, 01 advisors
Family offices want startup exposure, but what are they looking for?
Family offices are becoming increasingly energetic in investing in startups each directly and through VC investors. But what are they looking for? While no two family offices are the same, in this session we’ll take a look at family office investing trends and where they’re hanging out in the startup ecosystem. We will even consider what kind of risk these investors are willing to take and what makes a startup a good fit for this category of investor.
Can startups reignite American manufacturing?
Not every startup creates regular software. Many people today also produce equipment, which raises the query of where their equipment shall be designed and manufactured. Some select to take a position in domestic production capabilities, often as a part of “American dynamism.” This panel will examine how far – and how quickly – the reindustrialization of the United States can occur and how we’ll accomplish it.
- Rebecca Gevalt, Managing Partner, Dcode Capital
- Topher Haddad, co-founder and CEO of Albedo
- Kai Kloepfer, founder and CEO of Biofire
Free but not low cost, the Open Source dilemma
Open source software is in every single place and in every part. Many startups pursue business models based on open source code. But every software company is at least somewhat dependent on open source code. However, recent security issues have made it clear that open source software is a goal for state-level hackers. So how can we proceed to build and use code that is created collaboratively, but without the risk of backdoors and other vulnerabilities?
- Aeva Black, Open Source Software Security Manager, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)
- Luis VIlla, co-founder and general counsel of Tidelift
How to rent in 2025
Gone are the days when there have been more recruiters than leaves in the wind; employees in almost every function in a startup subsequently face a more conservative labor market. How can founders leverage the increased purchasing power of their workforce while still treating their employees with respect and retaining key talent? Founders, remember, this one is for you.
- Heather Doshay, People and Talent Partner at SignalFire
- Lauren Illovsky, Talent Partner, Capital G
- Roger Lee, CEO of Comprehensive.io
How to Raise in 2025 If You Lost a Flat, Down or Extended Round
Old ideas like yours, which require $100 million in final revenue to go public and $1 million in annual recurring revenue to boost a Series A, are so old that they practically stand on Abe Lincoln’s head. In today’s market, what a startup needs to accumulate depends on the industry, the founder’s profile and, yes, the dynamics. So what do it’s essential to elevate Serie A?
- Nikhil Basu Trivedi, co-founder and general partner of Footwork
- Dayna Grayson, co-founder and general partner of Construct Capital
- Elliott Robinson, Partner, Bessemer Venture Partners