Techcrunch Disrupt 2025 Finalizes The Builders Stage Agenda With Top Scaling Voices

Startups don’t build themselves, and nan Builders Stage astatine TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 — taking spot October 27–29 astatine San Francisco’s Moscone West — is wherever founders, operators, and investors get existent astir what it really takes. This shape is each tactics, nan nitty-gritty of turning an thought into a business that works.

We’ve already announced dense hitters for illustration Elad Gil, Dick Costolo, and Ryan Petersen — and now nan lineup is getting moreover bigger. New speakers, including Discord’s Jason Citron, and caller sessions, for illustration unrecorded demos of nan latest robots, are joining nan agenda. Expect caller insights connected everything from closing your first word expanse to scaling your go-to-market motor to uncovering wherever AI genuinely fits successful your business.

Expect candid conversations, hard-won lessons, and unrecorded Q&A pinch nan group who’ve built and backed category-defining companies. If you want to standard smarter, nan Builders Stage is wherever it happens. Register now and prevention up to $668 connected your summons earlier rates spell up later this month.

Discover nan afloat lineup for nan Builders Stage astatine Disrupt 2025

Raising smart

Elad Gil, CEO, Gil & Co.

Before astir of nan world had knowledgeable ChatGPT, Elad Gil had already written seed checks to startups for illustration Perplexity, Character.AI, and Harvey. That’s connected apical of early bets connected companies for illustration Airbnb, Airtable, Anduril, Brex, Checkr, Coinbase, Deel, Figma, Flexport, GitLab, Gusto, Instacart, Notion, Opendoor, Pinterest, Rippling, Square, Stripe … you get nan idea.

Gil, who has besides founded aggregate companies for illustration Mixerlabs (bought by Twitter) and Color Health, ever seems to cognize what’s next. And he’s already moving connected nan adjacent things coming for AI and investing.

Image Credits:Slava Blazer / TechCrunch

Building What’s Next pinch nan Minds Behind Twitter and Meta

Adam Bain and Dick Costolo, co-founders and managing partners, and David Fischer, partner, astatine 01 Advisors

Join these 3 powerhouse investors from 01 Advisors for an insider fireside chat astir what it really takes to build, scale, and money early-stage startups today. From merchandise to maturation to fundraising, you’ll get candid proposal and caller perspectives from manufacture veterans shaping nan adjacent activity of tech success.

How to Pitch When You’re astatine nan Inception Stage

Navin Chaddha, managing partner, Mayfield; and Charles Hudson, managing partner, Precursor Ventures

Raising pre-seed and seed-stage superior astatine nan inception shape intends pitching without a product, users, aliases traction — conscionable a imagination and a laminitis story. In this panel, Navin Chaddha of Mayfield and Charles Hudson of Precursor Ventures stock what they look for successful nan earliest-stage founders and really to guidelines retired erstwhile you person small much than an idea. Learn really to build trust, show a compelling story, and debar nan astir communal mistakes founders make erstwhile trying to onshore that captious first check.

Image Credits:Kimberly White / Getty Images

Seed Money Secrets Every Founder Should Know

Gabby Cazeau, partner, Harlem Capital; Marlon Nichols, co-founder and managing wide partner, MaC Venture Capital; and Maria Palma, partner, Freestyle Capital

Raising your first information is tough, but acold from impossible. This sheet brings together knowledgeable investors to break down what it really takes to adjacent a seed round. From crafting nan correct transportation to ensuring you are greenlighting nan correct partners, get actionable proposal to move investor liking into capital.

How to Raise a Series A successful 2026

Thomas Krane, managing director, Insight Partners; Katie Stanton, laminitis and wide partner, Moxxie Ventures; and Sangeen Zeb, wide partner, GV

In this unfiltered panel, apical VCs uncover what really gets them to connection a word expanse pinch a patient valuation — from metrics that matter to nan transportation mistakes that termination deals. Learn really to position your institution for its first priced, organization investment.

What VCs Really Want to Hear successful Your Pitch

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

Investors perceive hundreds of pitches, but only a fewer guidelines out. Hear straight from VCs connected what they love, what makes them cringe, and nan subtle signals founders often miss. This sheet reveals insider tips to thief you trade a transportation that grabs attention, builds trust, and wins nan correct checks.

Image Credits:Kimberly White / Getty Images

Rethinking Startup Capital Without VCs

Erik Allebest, co-founder and CEO, Chess.com; Kay Makishi, Lupoff/Stevens Family Office; and Gale Wilkinson, managing partner, VITALIZE Venture Capital

VCs aren’t nan only crippled successful town. Join america arsenic we research replacement fundraising paths pinch an angel investor, a family agency vice president, and a laminitis who bootstrapped to success. Learn really to pat into superior that aligns pinch your vision, keeps you successful control, and gets you to nan adjacent shape connected your terms.

Preparing Now for Your Later Stage Raise

Lila Preston, caput of maturation equity, Generation Investment Management; Andrea Thomaz, CEO and co-founder, Diligent Robotics; and Zeya Yang, partner, IVP

Raising later-stage rounds takes much than luck — it’s astir strategy from time one. Join these 3 exceptional VCs and an knowledgeable laminitis arsenic they stock really to build metrics, storytelling, and relationships that position your startup for early backing success. Learn nan cardinal moves that group you up to adjacent bigger rounds pinch confidence.

Where VCs Are Placing Their Bets successful 2026

Nina Achadjian, partner, Index Ventures; Jerry Chen, wide partner, Greylock; and Viviana Faga, wide partner, Felicis 

Curious wherever nan smart money is heading next? This sheet brings together apical VCs to stock their 2026 finance priorities, emerging sectors, and what innovations are catching their eye. Early-stage founders, this 1 is for you! Get a uncommon glimpse into nan trends and technologies that could style your business successful nan twelvemonth ahead.

Scaling smart

Building successful a Time of Uncertainty

Ryan Petersen, laminitis and CEO, Flexport

Uncertainty is nan caller normal, but it’s besides an opportunity. In this fireside chat, Ryan Petersen, CEO of world logistics unicorn Flexport, shares his hard-won insights. With $2.3 cardinal raised, Flexport’s shipping exertion sits astatine nan intersection of world business and policy, giving Petersen almost prescient economical insights. He’s been vocal astir everything from tariff argumentation to AI. He’s besides knowledgeable individual volatility, famously leaving his CEO domiciled and past returning little than a twelvemonth later. Founders, return note: This is really you build erstwhile nan rules support changing.

Image Credits:Slava Blazer / TechCrunch

Creating Communities and Companies That Last

Jason Citron, laminitis and erstwhile CEO, Discord; and Tade Oyerinde, laminitis and chancellor, Campus

What happens erstwhile you creation astir people, not institutions? Jason Citron, laminitis and erstwhile CEO of Discord, and Tade Oyerinde, laminitis and chancellor of Campus, will talk really they built companies that tapped into organization to break done nan noise. From Discord’s emergence arsenic a world hub for millions to Campus’ eager ngo to reinvent college, they’ll research merchandise design, lessons successful scaling amid competition, and really founders tin equilibrium imagination pinch adaptability.

How to Nail Product-Market Fit

Rajat Bhageria, laminitis and CEO, Chef Robotics; Ann Bordetsky, partner, NEA; and Murali Joshi, partner, ICONIQ

Building a merchandise is hard. Building 1 that customers are chomping astatine nan spot to get, that’s priced right, and that delivers connected its promises is moreover harder, and it’s ever messy. But erstwhile you deed nan beatified grail of product-market fit, your startup is connected a accelerated way to growth, funding, and traction. Hear from a laminitis who’s lived it and 2 investors who’ve helped galore others get there. This sheet breaks down really to trial smarter and iterate pinch volition truthful you tin extremity guessing and commencement growing.

Image Credits:Haje Kamps / TechCrunch

How Much Salary and Equity Should You Really Offer Early Employees?

Randi Jakubowitz, caput of operations and talent, 645 Ventures; Rebecca Lee Whiting, fractional wide counsel for early-stage startups, Epigram Legal P.C.; and Yin Wu, laminitis and CEO, Pulley

Early hires style your startup’s future, but only if you tin pull and support them. This sheet dives into building equity and benefits packages that compete pinch Big Tech without breaking your pain rate. Hear real-world strategies to align incentives, boost retention, and build a squad that scales.

With Vibe Coding, Do Early-Stage Startups Still Need to Hire 10x Engineers?

David Cramer, co-founder and CPO, Sentry; Lauri Moore, partner, Bessemer Venture Partners; and Zach Lloyd, laminitis and CEO, Warp

Vibe-coding products person wholly changed nan speed, cost, and method accomplishment needed to build products, from prototypes to shipping. This is particularly existent for early-stage startups. Some makers of these products person moreover declared that nary 1 needs to study to codification anymore. If so, that intends startups don’t request to capable their early rosters pinch nan famed 10x coders. But really overmuch of that is hype and really overmuch is reality? Our panelists will dive into really nan developer instrumentality world is changing and what comes next. 

The Pros and Cons of Hiring AI Agents arsenic Early Employees

Jaspar Carmichael-Jack, co-founder and CEO, Artisan; Sarah Franklin, CEO, Lattice; and Caleb Peffer, co-founder and CEO, Firecrawl

Most startups coming are utilizing AI successful immoderate capacities: vibe-coding prototypes aliases caller features, heavy investigation via their favourite chat earlier income calls. Many are besides building AI products, aliases astatine slightest including AI options and features. So, should you embed AI astatine nan guidelines operations of your businesses, for illustration hiring AI agents alternatively of humans for sales? For customer support? To automate your billing? Learn really to prime nan correct usage cases, build smarter workflows, and get nan biggest effect pinch constricted resources.

Do Startups Still Need Silicon Valley?

Anh-Tho Chuong, co-founder and CEO, Lago; Tawni Cranz, operating partner, SignalFire; and David Hall, managing partner, Rise of nan Rest seed fund, Revolution 

While Silicon Valley is still nan startup capital, really important is entree to it anymore? This sheet debates whether founders must works roots successful nan Valley to win aliases if opportunity is truthful beardown elsewhere that they don’t request it. Hear perspectives from investors and founders redefining what it intends to build, scale, and money a institution successful today’s decentralized tech world.

Building a GTM Engine That Actually Works

Max Altschuler, laminitis and wide partner, GTMfund; Marc Manara, caput of startups, OpenAI; and Alison Wagonfeld, VP trading and main trading officer, Google Cloud

A slayer merchandise needs a slayer go-to-market strategy. This sheet explores champion accepted practices successful building a GTM function, arsenic good arsenic really early-stage startups tin harness AI to build a GTM usability that drives growth, wins customers, and scales efficiently. Hear from founders and GTM experts connected hiring, messaging, income tactics, and nan cardinal metrics that beryllium your attack is working.

Live Demo of Moxi nan Humanoid Robot

Hospitals are complex, high-pressure workplaces, and robotics and AI are being developed to return connected regular tasks that free up unit for diligent care. Humanoid robots for illustration Moxi, built by Diligent Robotics, are already deployed successful hospitals to negociate deliveries and easiness regular workloads. In this unrecorded demo, you’ll spot really Moxi navigates hallways, avoids obstacles, and interacts pinch group successful existent time. The convention will research nan opportunities and challenges of bringing socially intelligent robots into healthcare and wherever nan exertion is headed next.

Image Credits:Diligent Robotics

From scaling strategies to startup strategy — it’s each astatine Disrupt 2025

You will summation invaluable insights from these tech giants unrecorded connected nan Builders Stage, and you’ll study from different apical voices crossed 5 manufacture stages, breakouts, and sessions astatine Disrupt 2025 — each alongside 10,000+ startup, tech, and VC leaders this October. Register coming and prevention up to $668 connected your walk earlier rates summation astatine nan extremity of this month.