Disrupt 2025 finalizes Builders Stage agenda with top scaling voices

Startups don’t build themselves, and the Builders Stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 — taking place October 27–29 at San Francisco’s Moscone West — is where founders, operators, and investors get real about what it actually takes. This stage is all tactics, the nitty-gritty of turning an idea into a business that works.

We’ve already announced heavy hitters like Elad Gil, Dick Costolo, and Ryan Petersen — and now the lineup is getting even bigger. New speakers, including Discord’s Jason Citron, and new sessions, like live demos of the latest robots, are joining the agenda. Expect fresh insights on everything from closing your first term sheet to scaling your go-to-market engine to finding where AI truly fits in your business.

Expect candid conversations, hard-won lessons, and live Q&A with the people who’ve built and backed category-defining companies. If you want to scale smarter, the Builders Stage is where it happens. Register now and save up to $668 on your ticket before rates go up later this month.

Discover the full lineup for the Builders Stage at Disrupt 2025

Raising smart

Elad Gil, CEO, Gil & Co.

Before most of the world had experienced ChatGPT, Elad Gil had already written seed checks to startups like Perplexity, Character.AI, and Harvey. That’s on top of early bets on companies like Airbnb, Airtable, Anduril, Brex, Checkr, Coinbase, Deel, Figma, Flexport, GitLab, Gusto, Instacart, Notion, Opendoor, Pinterest, Rippling, Square, Stripe … you get the idea.

Gil, who has also founded multiple companies like Mixerlabs (bought by Twitter) and Color Health, always seems to know what’s next. And he’s already working on the next things coming for AI and investing.

Building What’s Next with the Minds Behind Twitter and Meta

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

Join these three powerhouse investors from 01 Advisors for an insider fireside chat about what it really takes to build, scale, and fund early-stage startups today. From product to growth to fundraising, you’ll get candid advice and fresh perspectives from industry veterans shaping the next wave of tech success.

How to Pitch When You’re at the Inception Stage

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

Raising pre-seed and seed-stage capital at the inception stage means pitching without a product, users, or traction — just a vision and a founder story. In this panel, Navin Chaddha of Mayfield and Charles Hudson of Precursor Ventures share what they look for in the earliest-stage founders and how to stand out when you have little more than an idea. Learn how to build trust, tell a compelling story, and avoid the most common mistakes founders make when trying to land that critical first check.

Seed Money Secrets Every Founder Should Know

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

Raising your first round is tough, but far from impossible. This panel brings together experienced investors to break down what it really takes to close a seed round. From crafting the right pitch to ensuring you are greenlighting the right partners, get actionable advice to turn investor interest into capital.

How to Raise a Series A in 2026

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

In this unfiltered panel, top VCs reveal what really gets them to offer a term sheet with a healthy valuation — from metrics that matter to the pitch mistakes that kill deals. Learn how to position your company for its first priced, institutional investment.

What VCs Really Want to Hear in Your Pitch

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

Investors hear hundreds of pitches, but only a few stand out. Hear directly from VCs on what they love, what makes them cringe, and the subtle signals founders often miss. This panel reveals insider tips to help you craft a pitch that grabs attention, builds trust, and wins the right checks.

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 the only game in town. Join us as we explore alternative fundraising paths with an angel investor, a family office vice president, and a founder who bootstrapped to success. Learn how to tap into capital that aligns with your vision, keeps you in control, and gets you to the next stage on your terms.

Preparing Now for Your Later Stage Raise

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

Raising later-stage rounds takes more than luck — it’s about strategy from day one. Join these three exceptional VCs and an experienced founder as they share how to build metrics, storytelling, and relationships that position your startup for future funding success. Learn the key moves that set you up to close bigger rounds with confidence.

Where VCs Are Placing Their Bets in 2026

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

Curious where the smart money is heading next? This panel brings together top VCs to share their 2026 investment priorities, emerging sectors, and what innovations are catching their eye. Early-stage founders, this one is for you! Get a rare glimpse into the trends and technologies that could shape your business in the year ahead.

Scaling smart

Building in a Time of Uncertainty

Ryan Petersen, founder and CEO, Flexport

Uncertainty is the new normal, but it’s also an opportunity. In this fireside chat, Ryan Petersen, CEO of global logistics unicorn Flexport, shares his hard-won insights. With $2.3 billion raised, Flexport’s shipping technology sits at the intersection of international business and policy, giving Petersen almost prescient economic insights. He’s been vocal about everything from tariff policy to AI. He’s also experienced personal volatility, famously leaving his CEO role and then returning less than a year later. Founders, take note: This is how you build when the rules keep changing.

Creating Communities and Companies That Last

Jason Citron, founder and former CEO, Discord; and Tade Oyerinde, founder and chancellor, Campus

What happens when you design around people, not institutions? Jason Citron, founder and former CEO of Discord, and Tade Oyerinde, founder and chancellor of Campus, will discuss how they built companies that tapped into community to break through the noise. From Discord’s rise as a global hub for millions to Campus’ ambitious mission to reinvent college, they’ll explore product design, lessons in scaling amid competition, and how founders can balance vision with adaptability.

How to Nail Product-Market Fit

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

Building a product is hard. Building one that customers are chomping at the bit to get, that’s priced right, and that delivers on its promises is even harder, and it’s always messy. But once you hit the holy grail of product-market fit, your startup is on a fast track to growth, funding, and traction. Hear from a founder who’s lived it and two investors who’ve helped many others get there. This panel breaks down how to test smarter and iterate with intention so you can stop guessing and start growing.

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

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

Early hires shape your startup’s future, but only if you can attract and keep them. This panel dives into building equity and benefits packages that compete with Big Tech without breaking your burn rate. Hear real-world strategies to align incentives, boost retention, and build a team 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, founder and CEO, Warp

Vibe-coding products have completely changed the speed, cost, and technical skill needed to build products, from prototypes to shipping. This is especially true for early-stage startups. Some makers of these products have even declared that no one needs to learn to code anymore. If so, that means startups don’t need to fill their early rosters with the famed 10x coders. But how much of that is hype and how much is reality? Our panelists will dive into how the developer tool world is changing and what comes next. 

The Pros and Cons of Hiring AI Agents as Early Employees

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

Most startups today are using AI in some capacities: vibe-coding prototypes or new features, deep research via their favorite chat before sales calls. Many are also building AI products, or at least including AI options and features. So, should you embed AI at the root operations of your businesses, like hiring AI agents instead of humans for sales? For customer support? To automate your billing? Learn how to pick the right use cases, build smarter workflows, and get the biggest impact with limited 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 the Rest seed fund, Revolution 

While Silicon Valley is still the startup capital, how important is access to it anymore? This panel debates whether founders must plant roots in the Valley to succeed or if opportunity is so strong elsewhere that they don’t need it. Hear perspectives from investors and founders redefining what it means to build, scale, and fund a company in today’s decentralized tech world.

Building a GTM Engine That Actually Works

Max Altschuler, founder and general partner, GTMfund; Marc Manara, head of startups, OpenAI; and Alison Wagonfeld, VP marketing and chief marketing officer, Google Cloud

A killer product needs a killer go-to-market strategy. This panel explores best traditional practices in building a GTM function, as well as how early-stage startups can harness AI to build a GTM function that drives growth, wins customers, and scales efficiently. Hear from founders and GTM experts on hiring, messaging, sales tactics, and the key metrics that prove your approach is working.

Live Demo of Moxi the Humanoid Robot

Hospitals are complex, high-pressure workplaces, and robotics and AI are being developed to take on routine tasks that free up staff for patient care. Humanoid robots like Moxi, built by Diligent Robotics, are already deployed in hospitals to manage deliveries and ease daily workloads. In this live demo, you’ll see how Moxi navigates hallways, avoids obstacles, and interacts with people in real time. The session will explore the opportunities and challenges of bringing socially intelligent robots into healthcare and where the technology is headed next.

From scaling tactics to startup strategy — it’s all at Disrupt 2025

You will gain invaluable insights from these tech giants live on the Builders Stage, and you’ll learn from other top voices across five industry stages, breakouts, and sessions at Disrupt 2025 — all alongside 10,000+ startup, tech, and VC leaders this October. Register today and save up to $668 on your pass before rates increase at the end of this month.