The Builders Stage agenda for Disrupt 2026 has been revealed

The builders’ stage goes back to TechCrunch disabled 2026bringing together founders, startup operators, and investors for practical conversations about what it takes to build and scale successful companies.

Hear from leaders of startups and ventures shaping the tech ecosystem, including Grant Lee, CEO and co-founder of Gamma; Leah Sullivan, Founder and General Partner at Precedent.vc; Robbie Stein, vice president of product at Google; And more. Through candid conversations and real-life case studies, speakers will share actionable insights on fundraising, recruiting, go-to-market strategy, artificial intelligence, and operational decisions that fuel startup growth.

Join more than 10,000 founders, investors, startup operators and technology leaders at the Moscone Center in San Francisco from October 13-15. Sign up today and save up to $330 Before ticket prices rise.

Designed for founders ready to scale

Building a startup is one thing. Building a company that can scale is another challenge entirely. The construction phase is One of six industry-focused stages at Disrupt 2026is dedicated to helping founders overcome growth challenges, from raising capital and recruiting top talent to building go-to-market engines and preparing to move from seed to Series A.

Each session offers practical strategies you can implement right away, as well as opportunities to interact directly with the speakers during live Q&A. Secure your pass to Disrupt 2026 today Save up to $330 before prices increase.

Without further ado, here’s your first look at the Builders Stage agenda, with More speakers Sessions will be announced as we get closer to the event.

Construction phase agenda

How to win when you’re not building AI

with Shan ShanInvestment Director Baillie Gifford and more speakers will be announced

AI may dominate the enterprise world, but many enduring companies will not be those selling AI models or agents. This session is for founders competing for attention in an AI-obsessed market. Panelists explain what really matters now: effective growth, retention, revenue quality, disciplined execution, and why fundamentals, not hype, continue to build outstanding businesses.

What happens when OpenAI ships your roadmap

with Michelle TricoCEO and co-founder of Airbyt; Rob Toyspartner at Radical Ventures; and Linda TongCEO of WebfloTh

Almost all AI founders have the same worry these days: What if OpenAI or Anthropic launches a product that competes with mine? Even strong products run the risk of becoming features of larger players. This session explores where defensibility exists and what founders can do if they face competition from rapidly evolving AI giants.

Winning seed without a product

With Puneet Agarwal, Managing Partner of True Ventures; Austin ClementsManaging Partner, Slauson and Co; and Sandhya Venkatachalamfounder and managing partner of Axiom Partners

Founders are increasingly expected to compete for capital before they have a product. In the pre-seed phase, investors bet on the story, conviction and market fit of the founder. This session explains how to build credibility before revenue exists so investors cancel the first check.

From MVP to billions of users: How product decisions must change at scale

with Ruby SteinVice President of Product, Google

The winning instincts you have when creating your minimum viable product can break you on a billion-user scale. In this article, Robbie Stein shares how product decision making changes when each update impacts billions of users. Find out how you balance the difference between speed, trust, innovation and reliability in one of the world’s largest product organizations.

Hiring when AI is a co-founder

with Josh ReevesGusto CEO, Co-Founder and more speakers to be announced

Early-stage companies no longer rely solely on AI; They hire her. As AI agents take over engineering, support, and operations tasks, the definition of an early team is being rewritten. This session explores how founders decide what humans should own versus what is delegated to AI, and how high-growth startups are building hybrid teams without losing speed, accountability, or culture.

Mergers and acquisitions are now an early stage strategy

with Carl AgeManaging Partner, M13; Absa wreathHead of Corporate Development and Mergers and Acquisitions at Coinbase; and Lindsey Mignanofounder of Mignano Law Group

The smartest founders today don’t just work on IPOs; They’re also building with potential acquisitions in mind from day one. As exits shift and capital tightens, understanding mergers and acquisitions early becomes a competitive advantage. This session explains how founders can create the potential for such an option through product strategy and partnerships. It delves into how big-dollar startup results happen, even for small businesses.

Series A in 2027

Jahanvi Sardanapartner at Index Ventures; Shailendra SinghManaging Director, Peak XV; and Janelle Teng Wade, partner at Bessemer

Series A is becoming more difficult, with increasing venture capital requirements. For founders planning to raise money over the next year or two, this session explains what “fundable” will actually mean in 2027. Hear how top investors are redefining the metrics, teams, and traction that matter now, what old fundraising rules of the game no longer work, and how companies could break away from the pack in the next funding cycle.

90-Day GTM: Why $0-$10M APR is the New Baseline (And How to Actually Get There)

with Ryan MeadowsChief Revenue Officer, Mehboob; Tomasz Tungoz, General Partner and Founder, Theory Ventures; More speakers will be announced

The definition of preposition has changed. What once took years is now expected within months, and $0-$10M APR is increasingly becoming the new early-stage baseline. This session explains how AI-powered execution, faster distribution, and changing investor expectations are compressing GTM timelines, and the tactical tools founders need in the first 90 days to accelerate revenue and differentiate quickly.

Real Tokenmaxxing: How the best AI companies navigate a multi-paradigm world

with Not a nightPartner, Capital G; Zuzana StamirovskaCEO and Co-Founder of Pathway; More speakers will be announced

Frontiers are moving faster than any single model can keep up, and teams building the most successful AI products are increasingly coordinating across many models rather than betting on just one. This panel brings together founders and operators at the heart of this transformation to discuss how to evaluate new models, manage cost and reliability at scale, and design products that can scale as quickly as the underlying technology.

PMF red flags: How to tell if you really have it

with Rajeev Dhampartner at Sapphire Ventures; Rahul Vohrafounder and president of Superhuman Mail; More speakers will be announced

In the AI ​​hype cycle, product market fit signals are easier to fake and harder to trust. Founders conflate early excitement, high usage, and pilot victories as lasting traction. This session explains what fake PMF actually looks like, how investors and operators separate true retention from hype-driven adoption, and the signs that indicate whether a company has real traction or just temporary momentum.

The Zero to 1K Playbook: How to Get Your First 1,000 Customers with No Marketing Budget

with Grant LeeCEO and Co-Founder, Jama and Leah Sullivan, Founder and General Partner, Precedent.vc

Early customer acquisition is not about spending on marketing; It’s about founder-led distribution and consistent execution. Most zero-to-one startups don’t have a budget, brand, or size, just urgency and creativity. This session explains how founders get their first customers through community building, product-led growth, founder-led sales, strategic exports, and word-of-mouth momentum.

Yes, it’s hard to be a founder: an honest conversation

with Neil Dalyco-founder and managing partner of Revenge Capital; David H. RosemaryAssociate Professor, Harvard Medical School; and Jack Winshawco-founder and chief commercial officer of Airspeeder

Building a company requires as much psychological effort as it does strategy, and most founders’ narratives underestimate this reality. In this candid conversation, founders and mental performance experts reveal the hidden costs of high-growth environments, from burnout and decision fatigue to the identity strains of constant pressure, and share the mental systems, habits, and frameworks that help leaders endure and perform at a high level.

So you’ve got a successful product. How is your company doing it again?

with Philip CalizanCEO and Co-Founder of Verkada; More speakers will be announced

Most startups stop because they build one great product instead of a repeatable multi-product engine. Join a venture capitalist and two founders as they reveal the precise operational playbook for allocating capital, orchestrating internal innovation, and engineering the “Second Law” of compounding before the underlying product’s growth curve flattens.

Hiring, compensation and culture in the most competitive market ever

with Matt Birnbaumfounder of Wylder.co; Atlee ThorkelsonVice President, Talent Network, Redpoint Ventures; More speakers will be announced

There is no doubt that the growth of AI startups has made recruiting and retaining all technology companies more difficult. From competing for AI talent to secondary sales, founders are rethinking the human infrastructure of their startups. With hiring, incentives, and employee expectations evolving rapidly, this session explores how companies are adapting compensation, culture, and team building strategies to attract and retain top talent in a fundamentally changing startup environment.

How to create and capitalize on viral growth

with Zach Yadegari, Founder, Cal I

Startups can go from nothing to scale overnight, but maintaining that momentum is a whole different challenge. In this article, Zach Yadgary shares how Cal AI has navigated rapid growth, product pressure, and the realities of building in a distribution-driven market. Hear the lessons behind turning outstanding attention into permanent retention and building a company for the long term.

The High Conviction Candidate: What We’ve Learned from the Battlefield

With Alexa Von Tobel, Inspired Capital and more speakers to be announced

What separated the startups from the rest at Disrupt 2026? In this candid interrogation, Battlefield judges break down the trends and founder traits that emerged in real time, from changing investor expectations to the narratives that resonated most this year. The conversation will also explore how startup storytelling evolves and what happens after the spotlight, including the realities of maintaining momentum and surviving the crucial 12 months after a major launch, funding round, or Battlefield debut.

Join the conversations and make connections at Disrupt

If you’re ready to build smarter, scale faster, and learn from the leaders shaping the future of startups, Secure your pass to TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 today Save up to $330 before prices increase.