The Disrupt 2025 Builders Stage agenda now stay and taking form

Startups don’t construct themselves. The Builders Stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, going down October 27-29 at San Francisco’s Moscone West, is the place buyers, operators, and founders come to speak techniques — the nitty-gritty of getting one thing off the bottom and making it work. This 12 months, we’re bringing a few 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 in search of real-world insights from individuals who’ve really constructed and backed category-defining firms, that is the place it occurs.

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

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

A primary take a look at the Builders Stage agenda

See under what’s locked in up to now, and keep tuned. The Disrupt 2025 agenda is just getting larger, with extra high names and daring conversations on the best way.

Elevating Good

A Dialog with Investor Extraordinaire Elad Gil 

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 high of early bets on firms 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 firms like Mixer Labs (purchased by Twitter) and Shade Well being, all the time appears to know what’s subsequent. And he’s already engaged on the following 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, associate, at 01 Advisors

Be a part of these three powerhouse buyers from 01 Advisors for an insider hearth chat on what it actually takes to construct, scale, and fund early-stage startups right now. From product to progress to fundraising, you’ll get candid recommendation and contemporary views from business veterans shaping the following wave of tech success.

Seed Cash Secrets and techniques Each Founder Ought to Know
Gabby Cazeau, associate, Harlem Capital, Marlon Nichols, co-founder and managing common associate, MaC Enterprise Capital, and Maria Palma, associate, Freestyle Capital

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

The best way to Increase a Sequence A in 2026
Sangeen Zeb, common associate, GV, and extra audio system to be introduced

On this unfiltered panel, high 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. Discover ways to place your organization for its first priced, institutional funding.

What VCs Actually Need to Hear in Your Pitch
Medha Agarwal, common associate, defy.vc, Jyoti Bansal, CEO and co-founder, Harness, and Jennifer Neundorfer, common associate, January Ventures

Traders hear tons of of pitches, however only some stand out. Hear straight from VCs on what they love, what makes them cringe, and the refined alerts founders typically miss. This panel reveals insider ideas that will help you craft a pitch that grabs consideration, builds belief, and wins the fitting 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 associate, VITALIZE Enterprise Capital

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

Getting ready Now for Your Later Stage Increase
Lila Preston, head of progress fairness, Era Funding Administration, Andrea Thomaz, CEO and co-founder, Diligent Robotics, and Zeya Yang, associate, 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 find out how to construct metrics, storytelling, and relationships that place your startup for future funding success. Be taught the important thing strikes that set you as much as shut larger rounds with confidence.

The place VCs Are Putting Their Bets in 2026
Nina Achadjian, associate, Index Ventures, Jerry Chen, common associate, Greylock, and Viviana Faga, common associate, Felicis 

Curious the place the good cash is heading subsequent? This panel brings collectively high 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 tendencies 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, however it’s additionally a chance. On this hearth chat, Ryan Petersen, CEO of worldwide logistics unicorn Flexport, shares his hard-won insights. With $2.3 billion raised, Flexport’s transport expertise intersects worldwide enterprise and coverage, giving Petersen nearly prescient financial insights. He’s been vocal about the whole lot 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 principles preserve altering. 

The best way to Nail Product-Market Match
Rajat Bhageria, founder and CEO, Chef Robotics, Ann Bordetsky, associate, NEA, and Murali Joshi, associate, ICONIQ

Constructing a product is tough. Constructing one which prospects are champing on the bit to get, that’s priced proper, and delivers on its guarantees is even tougher, 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 buyers who’ve helped many others get there. This panel breaks down find out how to check smarter and iterate with intention so you may cease guessing and begin rising.

How A lot Wage and Fairness Ought to You Actually Provide Early Workers?
Randi Jakubowitz, head of operations and expertise, 645 Ventures, Rebecca Lee Whiting, fractional common 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 may entice and preserve them. This panel dives into constructing fairness and advantages packages that compete with massive tech with out breaking your burn fee. Hear real-world methods to align incentives, increase retention, and construct a staff that scales.

With Vibe Coding, Do Early-Stage Startups Nonetheless Have to Rent 10x Engineers?
David Cramer, co-founder and CPO, Sentry, Lauri Moore, associate, Bessemer Enterprise Companions, and a speaker to be introduced

Vibe coding merchandise have utterly modified the velocity, price, and technical ability 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. If that’s the case, which means startups don’t have to 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 software 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 right now 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? Discover ways to choose the fitting use circumstances, construct smarter workflows, and get the largest influence with restricted assets.

Do Startups Nonetheless Want Silicon Valley?
Anh-Tho Chuong, CEO and co-founder, Lago, Heather Doshay, associate, head of expertise, SignalFire, and David Corridor, managing associate, Rise of the Relaxation seed fund, Revolution 

Whereas Silicon Valley continues to be the startup capital, how essential 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 robust elsewhere that they don’t want it. Hear views from buyers and founders redefining what it means to construct, scale, and fund an organization in right now’s decentralized tech world.

Constructing a GTM Engine that Really Works
Max Altschuler, founder and common associate, 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 operate that drives progress, wins prospects, and scales effectively. Hear from founders and GTM specialists on hiring, messaging, gross sales techniques, 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 stay at Disrupt 2025 alongside 10,000+ startup, tech, and VC leaders this October, however you may as well save as much as $675 in your move right now. Register right here to lock in your financial savings.