The Disrupt 2025 Builders Stage agenda now reside and taking form

Startups don’t construct themselves. The Builders Stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, happening October 27-29 at San Francisco’s Moscone West, is the place traders, operators, and founders come to speak ways — the nitty-gritty of getting one thing off the bottom and making it work. This 12 months, we’re bringing a number of the sharpest minds within the sport to the stage, together with legendary investor Elad Gil, former Twitter CEO Dick Costolo, and Flexport founder Ryan Petersen. If you happen to’re searching for real-world insights from individuals who’ve truly constructed and backed category-defining corporations, that is the place it occurs.

Whether or not you’re wrestling together with your first time period sheet, constructing a GTM engine that truly converts, or questioning if AI ought to be your subsequent rent, the Builders Stage has solutions. Count on candid conversations, recent methods, and no-fluff recommendation from the parents who’ve been via the hearth — plus viewers Q&A throughout each session, so you will get your hardest questions answered, reside.

Scale smarter with actionable insights from the leaders sitting entrance and middle on the Builders Stage. Register now and save as much as $675 in your ticket.

A primary have a look at the Builders Stage agenda

See under what’s locked in to this point, and keep tuned. The Disrupt 2025 agenda is just getting greater, with extra prime names and daring conversations on the best way.

Elevating Good

Earlier than many of the world had skilled ChatGPT, Elad Gil had already written seed checks to startups like Perplexity, Character.AI, and Harvey. That’s on prime of early bets on corporations like Airbnb, Airtable, Anduril, Brex, Checkr, Coinbase, Deel, Figma, Flexport, GitLab, Gusto, Instacart, Notion, Opendoor, Pinterest, Rippling, Sq., Stripe … you get the thought.

Gil, who has additionally based a number of corporations like Mixer Labs (purchased by Twitter) and Colour Well being, all the time appears to know what’s subsequent. And he’s already engaged on the subsequent issues coming for AI and investing.

Constructing What’s Subsequent with the Minds Behind Twitter and Meta

Adam Bain and Dick Costolo, co-founders and managing companions, and David Fischer, accomplice, at 01 Advisors

Be a part of these three powerhouse traders from 01 Advisors for an insider fireplace chat on what it actually takes to construct, scale, and fund early-stage startups in the present day. From product to progress to fundraising, you’ll get candid recommendation and recent views from business veterans shaping the subsequent wave of tech success.

Seed Cash Secrets and techniques Each Founder Ought to Know

Gabby Cazeau, accomplice, Harlem Capital; Marlon Nichols, co-founder and managing normal accomplice, MaC Enterprise Capital; and Maria Palma, accomplice, Freestyle Capital

Elevating your first spherical is hard, however removed from unimaginable. This panel brings collectively skilled traders to interrupt down what it actually takes to shut a seed spherical. From crafting the proper pitch to making sure you might be greenlighting the proper companions, get actionable recommendation to show investor curiosity into capital.

Elevate a Sequence A in 2026

Sangeen Zeb, normal accomplice, GV, and extra audio system to be introduced

On this unfiltered panel, prime VCs reveal what actually will get them to supply a time period sheet with a wholesome valuation — from metrics that matter to the pitch errors that kill offers. Learn to place your organization for its first priced, institutional funding.

What VCs Actually Need to Hear in Your Pitch

Medha Agarwal, normal accomplice, defy.vc; Jyoti Bansal, CEO and co-founder, Harness; and Jennifer Neundorfer, normal accomplice, January Ventures

Buyers hear a whole bunch of pitches, however just a few stand out. Hear straight from VCs on what they love, what makes them cringe, and the refined indicators founders typically miss. This panel reveals insider ideas that will help you craft a pitch that grabs consideration, builds belief, and wins the proper checks.

Rethinking Startup Capital with out VCs

Erik Allebest, co-founder and CEO, Chess.com; Kay Makishi, Lupoff/Stevens Household Workplace; and Gale Wilkinson, managing accomplice, VITALIZE Enterprise Capital

VCs aren’t the one sport on the town. Be a part of us as we discover different fundraising paths with an angel investor, a household workplace vp, and a founder who bootstrapped to success. Learn to faucet into capital that aligns together with your imaginative and prescient, retains you in management, and will get you to the subsequent stage in your phrases.

Making ready Now for Your Later Stage Elevate

Lila Preston, head of progress fairness, Technology Funding Administration; Andrea Thomaz, CEO and co-founder, Diligent Robotics; and Zeya Yang, accomplice, IVP

Elevating later-stage rounds takes greater than luck — it’s about technique from day one. Be a part of these two distinctive VCs and an skilled founder as they share easy methods to construct metrics, storytelling, and relationships that place your startup for future funding success. Study the important thing strikes that set you as much as shut greater rounds with confidence.

The place VCs Are Inserting Their Bets in 2026

Nina Achadjian, accomplice, Index Ventures; Jerry Chen, normal accomplice, Greylock; and Viviana Faga, normal accomplice, Felicis 

Curious the place the sensible cash is heading subsequent? This panel brings collectively prime VCs to share their 2026 funding priorities, rising sectors, and what improvements are catching their eye. Early-stage founders, this one is for you! Get a uncommon glimpse into the developments and applied sciences that would form your corporation within the 12 months forward.

Scaling Good

Constructing in a Time of Uncertainty

Ryan Petersen, founder and CEO, Flexport

Uncertainty is the brand new regular, but it surely’s additionally a possibility. On this fireplace chat, Ryan Petersen, CEO of worldwide logistics unicorn Flexport, shares his hard-won insights. With $2.3 billion raised, Flexport’s transport know-how intersects worldwide enterprise and coverage, giving Petersen nearly prescient financial insights. He’s been vocal about all the things from tariff coverage to AI. He’s additionally skilled private volatility, famously leaving his CEO position after which returning lower than a 12 months later. Founders, take notes: That is the way you construct when the foundations hold altering. 

Nail Product-Market Match

Rajat Bhageria, founder and CEO, Chef Robotics; Ann Bordetsky, accomplice, NEA; and Murali Joshi, accomplice, ICONIQ

Constructing a product is tough. Constructing one which clients are champing on the bit to get, that’s priced proper, and delivers on its guarantees is even more durable, and it’s all the time messy. However when you hit the holy grail of product-market match, your startup is on a quick monitor to progress, funding, and traction. Hear from a founder who’s lived it and two traders who’ve helped many others get there. This panel breaks down easy methods to take a look at smarter and iterate with intention so you’ll be able to cease guessing and begin rising.

How A lot Wage and Fairness Ought to You Actually Supply Early Workers?

Randi Jakubowitz, head of operations and expertise, 645 Ventures; Rebecca Lee Whiting, fractional normal counsel for early-stage startups, Epigram Authorized P.C.; and Yin Wu, CEO and founder, Pulley

Early hires form your startup’s future, however provided that you’ll be able to appeal to and hold them. This panel dives into constructing fairness and advantages packages that compete with Massive Tech with out breaking your burn charge. Hear real-world methods to align incentives, enhance retention, and construct a group that scales.

With Vibe Coding, Do Early-Stage Startups Nonetheless Must Rent 10x Engineers?

David Cramer, co-founder and CPO, Sentry; Lauri Moore, accomplice, Bessemer Enterprise Companions; and a speaker to be introduced

Vibe-coding merchandise have fully modified the pace, value, and technical talent wanted to construct merchandise, from prototypes to transport. That is very true for early-stage startups. Some makers of those merchandise have even declared that nobody must study to code anymore. In that case, meaning startups don’t must fill their early rosters with the famed 10x coders. However how a lot of that’s hype and the way a lot is actuality? Our panelists will dive into how the developer device world is altering and what comes subsequent. 

Ought to You Rent AI as Early Workers?

Caleb Peffer, co-founder and CEO, Firecrawl, and extra audio system to be introduced

Most startups in the present day are utilizing AI in some capacities: vibe-coding prototypes or new options, deep analysis by way of their favourite chat earlier than gross sales calls. Many are additionally constructing AI merchandise, or no less than together with AI choices and options. So, do you have to embed AI on the root operations of your companies, like hiring AI brokers as an alternative of people for gross sales? For buyer assist? To automate your billing? Learn to decide the proper use instances, construct smarter workflows, and get the largest impression with restricted assets.

Do Startups Nonetheless Want Silicon Valley?

Anh-Tho Chuong, CEO and co-founder, Lago; Heather Doshay, accomplice, head of expertise, SignalFire; and David Corridor, managing accomplice, Rise of the Relaxation seed fund, Revolution 

Whereas Silicon Valley continues to be the startup capital, how necessary is entry to it anymore? This panel debates whether or not founders should plant roots within the Valley to succeed or if alternative is so sturdy elsewhere that they don’t want it. Hear views from traders and founders redefining what it means to construct, scale, and fund an organization in in the present day’s decentralized tech world.

Constructing a GTM Engine that Really Works

Max Altschuler, founder and normal accomplice, GTMfund, and extra audio system to be introduced 

A killer product wants a killer go-to-market technique. This panel breaks down how early-stage startups can construct a GTM perform that drives progress, wins clients, and scales effectively. Hear from founders and GTM specialists on hiring, messaging, gross sales ways, and the important thing metrics that show your method is working.

Need to see extra?

Not solely will you achieve invaluable insights from these tech giants reside at Disrupt 2025 alongside 10,000+ startup, tech, and VC leaders this October, however it’s also possible to save as much as $675 in your cross in the present day. Register right here to lock in your financial savings.