Builders Stage agenda revealed for Disrupt 2026 |

The Builders Stage is returning toTechCrunch Disrupt 2026bringing together founders, startup operators, andinvestors for practical conversations on what it takes to build and scale successful companies.

Hear from startup and venture leaders shaping the tech ecosystem, including Grant Lee, CEO and co-founder of Gamma;LeahSolivan, founder and general partner at Precedent.vc; Robby Stein, VP of Product at Google;and more. Through candid conversations and real-world case studies, speakers will share actionable insights on fundraising, hiring, go-to-market strategy, AI, and the operational decisions that fuel startup growth.

Joinmore than 10,000 founders,investors, startup operators, and technology leaders atMoscone CenterinSan Francisco on October 13-15.Register today and save up to $330before ticket pricesincrease.

Built for founders who are ready to scale

Building a startup is one thing. Building a company that can scale is another challenge entirely. The Builders Stage isone of sixindustry-focused stages atDisrupt 2026dedicated to helping founders navigate the challenges of growth, from raising capital and hiring top talent to building go-to-market engines and preparing for the jump from seed to Series A.

Every session delivers practical strategies you can put to workimmediately, plus opportunities to engage directly with speakers during live Q&A.Secure your pass to Disrupt2026todayand save up to $330 before ratesincrease.

Without further ado,here’syour first look at the Builders Stage agenda, withmore speakersand sessions to be announced as we get closer to the event.

Builders Stage agenda

How to Win When You’re Not Building AI

WithShan ShanInvestment Manager, BaillieGifford; and Yuri Sagalov, Managing Director at General Catalyst

AI may dominate the world of venture, but many enduring companieswon’tbe those that sell AImodels or agents. This session is for founders competing for attentioninan AI-obsessed market. Panelists break down whatactuallymattersnow: efficient growth, retention, revenue quality, and disciplined execution, and why fundamentals, nothype, still build breakout businesses.

What Happens When OpenAI Ships Your Roadmap

WithMichel TricotCEOandCo-founder,Airbyte;RobToewsPartner, Radical Ventures;andLindaTongCEO, Webflow

Nearly allAI founders have the same worry these days: What if OpenAI or Anthropiclaunchesa product that competes with mine? Even strong products are at risk of becoming features ofthe largerplayers. This session explores where defensibility exists and what founders can do if they do face competition from rapidly evolving AI giants.

Winning Pre-Seed Without a Product

With Puneet Agarwal, Managing Partner, True Ventures;AustinClementsManaging Partner, SlausonandCo;andSandhya VenkatachalamFounderandManaging Partner, Axiom Partners

Founders areincreasingly expected to compete for capital before they even have a product. At the pre-seed stage,investors are betting on story, conviction, and founder-market fit. This session breaks down how to build credibility before revenueexistssoinvestors will cut that first check.

From MVP to Billions of Users: How Product Decisions Must Change at Scale

WithRobbie SteinVP, Product, Google

The instincts that win when building your firstminimumviableproduct can break you at a billion-user scale. In this fireside,Robby Steinshares how product decision-making changes when every updateimpactsbillions of users. Hear how teams balance speed with trust and innovation with reliability at one of the world’s largest product organizations.

Hiring When AI Is a Co-Founder

WithJoshReevesCEO and Co-founder,Gusto;more speakers to be announced

Early-stage companies are no longer just building withAI;they’rehiring it. As AI agents take on engineering, support, and operations, the definition of an early team is being rewritten. This session explores how founders decide what humans should own versus what gets delegated to AI, and how high-growth startups are building hybrid teams without losing speed, accountability, or culture.

M&A Is Now an Early-Stage Strategy

WithKarlAlomarManaging Partner, M13;Aklil IbssaHead of Corporate Development and M&A, Coinbase; andLindsey MignanoFounder, Mignano Law Group

The smartest founders todayaren’tjust building forIPOs;they’realso building withpossible acquisitionsinmind from day one. As exits shift and capital tightens, understanding M&A early has become a competitive advantage. This session breaks down how founders can create the possibility of suchan optionthrough product strategy and partnerships.It delvesinto how big-dollar startup outcomes actually happen, even for small companies.

The Series Ain2027

Jahanvi SardanaPartner,Index Ventures;ShailendraSinghManaging Director, Peak XV;and Janelle Teng Wade, Partner, Bessemer Venture Partners

Series A is getting harder, with VCs growingmore demanding.For founders planning to raiseinthe next one to two years, this session breaks down what “fundable” will actually meanin2027.Hear how topinvestors are redefining the metrics, teams, and traction thatmatter now, what outdated fundraising playbooks no longer work, and how companies can separate from the packinthe next funding cycle.

The 90-Day GTM: Why $0–$10M ARR Is the New Baseline (and How to Actually Get There)

WithRyanMeadowsChief Revenue Officer, Lovable; andTomaszTunguz, General Partner and Founder, Theory Ventures;more speakers to be announced

The definition of traction has changed. What once took years is now expectedinmonths, and $0 to $10 million ARR isincreasingly becoming the newearly-stagebaseline. This session breaks down how AI-enabled execution, faster distribution, and shiftinginvestor expectations are compressing GTM timelines, and the tactical levers founders needinthe first90 daysto accelerate revenue and stand out fast.

The RealTokenmaxxing: How the Best AI Companies Navigate a Multi-Model World

WithMo JomaaPartner, Capital G;and ZuzannaStamirowskaCEOandCo-founder,Pathway;more speakers to be announced

The frontier ismoving faster than anysinglemodel can keep up with, and the teams building themost successful AI products areincreasingly orchestrating across manymodels rather thanbetting onjust one. This panel brings together founders and operators at the center of that shift to discuss how they evaluate newmodels, manage cost and reliability at scale, and architect products that can evolve as quickly as the underlying technology.

PMF Red Flags: How to Tell If You Really Have It

WithRajeev DhamManaging Director, Sapphire Ventures;and Rahul VohraFounder and Head of Superhuman Mail;more speakers to be announced

Inan AI hype cycle, product-market fit signals are easier to fake and harder to trust. Founders are mistaking early excitement,usagespikes, and pilot wins for durable traction. This session breaks down what false PMFactually lookslike, howinvestors and operators separate real retention fromhype-drivenadoption, and the signals thatindicatewhether a company has true pull or just temporarymomentum.

The Zero-to-1K Playbook: How to Get Your First 1,000 Customers Without a Marketing Budget

WithGrant LeeCEOandCo-founder, Gamma;LeahSolivan, Founder and General Partner, Precedent.vc; and Elia Wallen, Founder and CEO, Engine

Early customer acquisition is not about marketingspend;it’sabout founder-led distribution and relentless execution.Most startups at zero to one do not have budget, brand, or scale, only urgency and creativity. This session breaks down how founders are landing their first customers through community building, product-led growth, founder-led sales, strategic outbound, and word-of-mouthmomentum.

Yes,It’sHard to Be a Founder:AnHonest Conversation

WithNellDaly,Co-founderandManaging Partner, Revenge Capital;DavidH. rosemaryAssociate Professor, Harvard Medical School;andJackWithinshaw,Co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer,Airspeeder

Company building is as psychologically demanding as it is strategic, andmost founder narratives understate that reality.Inthis candid conversation, founders and mental performance experts unpack the hidden costs of high-growth environments, from burnout and decision fatigue to the identity strainof sustained pressure, and share the systems, habits, and mental frameworks that help leaders endure and perform at a high level.

SoYou’ve Got a Hit Product. How Does Your Company Do It Again?

WithFilip KaliszanCEO and Co-founder,Verkada; andAaron Jacobson, Partner, New Enterprise Associates; more speakers to be announced

Most startups stall out because they build asinglegreat productinstead of a repeatable multi-product engine. Joina venture capitalist and two founders as they reveal the precise operational playbook for capital allocation, systemizinginternalinnovation, and engineering a compounding “Second Act” before the core product’s growth curve flattens.

Hiring, Compensation and CultureintheMost Competitive Market Ever

WithMatt BirnbaumFounder, Wylder.co; andAtli ThorkelssonVP, Talent Network, RedpointVentures;more speakers to be announced

No question about it, the growth of AI startups has made hiring and retention for all tech companiesmore difficult. From competing for AI talent to secondary sales, founders are rethinking the humaninfrastructure of their startups. As hiring,incentives, and employee expectations rapidly evolve, this session explores how companies are adapting compensation, culture, and team-building strategies to attract andretaintop talentina fundamentally changed startup environment.

How to Create Viral Growth and CapitalizeonIt

WithZach Yadegari,Founder, Cal AI

Startups can go from zero to viralovernight, butsustaining thatmomentum is a completely different challenge.Inthis fireside,ZachYadegari shares how Cal AI navigated rapid growth, product pressure, and the realities of buildingina distribution-driven market. Hear the lessons behind turning breakout attentioninto durable retention andlong-termcompany building.

The High-Conviction Filter: What We Learned From the Battlefield

With Alexa von Tobel,InspiredCapital; and Chi-Hua Chien, Co-founder and Managing Partner, Goodwater Capital; more speakers to be announced

What separates the breakout companies from the rest at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026?Inthis candid debrief, Startup Battlefield judges unpack the trends and founder qualities that stood outinreal time, from shiftinginvestor expectations to the narratives that resonatedmost this year. The conversation will also explore how startup storytelling is evolving and what happens after the spotlight,including the realities ofmaintainingmomentum and surviving the critical 12months after a major launch, funding round, or Startup Battlefield appearance.

Jointhe conversations and make the connections at Disrupt

Ifyou’reready to build smarter, scale faster, and learn from the leaders shaping the future of startups,secure your pass to TechCrunch Disrupt2026todayand save up to $330 before ratesincrease.