Greater than 10,000 founders, buyers, and tech insiders will convene at Moscone West in San Francisco from October 27-29 for TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 — one of many 12 months’s most anticipated tech conferences.
Of the 250+ tech leaders taking the stage, don’t miss this standout panel on the Builders Stage that includes two of essentially the most revered early-stage buyers in enterprise: Charles Hudson of Precursor Ventures and Navin Chaddha of Mayfield. Their session dives into one of many hardest moments in any startup’s journey: elevating your first spherical when all you will have is a imaginative and prescient.
Why be part of this dialog on the Builders Stage?
This trustworthy and tactical dialog will cowl what actually issues when elevating your first institutional verify, from telling a compelling story to constructing belief with out traction. Hudson and Chaddha will share the traits they constantly search for in zero-to-one founders, the crimson flags that elevate eyebrows, and the commonest errors first-time entrepreneurs make when fundraising.
Betting on individuals earlier than the product
Pre-seed and seed fundraising usually occurs earlier than there’s a product, consumer base, or traction. Which means buyers are betting on the founder, not the enterprise. And few know the right way to make that decision higher than Hudson and Chaddha. Between them, they’ve backed a whole bunch of founders on the earliest phases, earlier than the pitch decks had been polished, earlier than there have been metrics to indicate, and infrequently earlier than a single line of code had shipped.

Charles Hudson, Managing Associate of Precursor Ventures, has invested in additional than 400 firms and supported over 450 founders. He’s constructed his popularity on backing individuals with daring concepts and distinctive views, saying not too long ago, “The sooner you make investments, the extra vital it’s to consider within the founder’s narrative and skill to adapt. It’s not nearly fixing an issue — it’s about whether or not I consider you’re the one to do it.”
Navin Chaddha, Managing Associate at Mayfield, brings a long time of expertise figuring out breakout founders and guiding firms to scale. With greater than $120 billion in fairness worth created via his investments, Chaddha believes the earliest phases are when founder values matter most. “We put money into individuals first, markets second, and product third,” he’s stated. “We search for founders who’re mission-driven and wired for resilience.”
Actionable insights on elevating your first spherical
Whether or not you’re presently elevating or planning for the long run, this session will equip you with actual, actionable recommendation on navigating early enterprise with readability and conviction. Don’t miss it reside, along with 200+ periods going down throughout 5 business phases. Register now to avoid wasting as much as $675 earlier than costs improve after July!
Techcrunch occasion
San Francisco
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October 27-29, 2025
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