Startups
TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 reveals Builders Stage lineup focused on practical scaling strategies
The dedicated founders' track features 17 sessions and industry leaders tackling fundraising, hiring, AI, and go-to-market tactics at the October event in San Francisco.
TechCrunch — AI
TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 is bringing back its Builders Stage—a dedicated track designed for founders, operators, and investors navigating the messy reality of startup growth. Running October 13–15 at San Francisco's Moscone Center, the stage will feature hands-on conversations about fundraising, talent acquisition, product strategy, and the operational shifts required to move from seed to scale.
A stage built for scaling founders#
The Builders Stage is one of six industry-focused areas at the conference, addressing the gap between launching a product and building a company that can sustain growth. Sessions will cover the critical transitions founders face: raising their first institutional checks, hiring amid intense competition for AI talent, defining product-market fit without mistaking hype for traction, and understanding when merger and acquisition strategy matters from day one.
Each session emphasizes actionable insights over abstract theory. Attendees will hear from operators at scale—including Robby Stein (VP of Product at Google), Josh Reeves (CEO of Gusto), and Filip Kaliszan (CEO of Verkada)—alongside venture investors who deploy capital into early-stage founders daily.
The 17 sessions on the agenda#
Capital and valuations: Panels on Series A in 2027 tackle the tightening funding environment and what "fundable" actually means now, while sessions on winning pre-seed without a product and the 90-day GTM path reveal how baseline expectations have shifted.
AI-era operations: Multiple sessions center on AI's reshaping of startup infrastructure—including how founders balance hiring humans versus deploying AI agents, evaluating multiple AI models simultaneously (rather than betting on one), and competing when OpenAI or Anthropic might launch a feature that matches your roadmap.
Growth and product: Discussions range from zero-to-1K customer acquisition without a marketing budget to sustaining momentum after viral growth, managing product decisions at billion-user scale, and identifying false product-market fit signals.
Founder well-being: A notable session titled "Yes, It's Hard to be a Founder" brings together mental health experts and founders to discuss burnout, decision fatigue, and the hidden psychological toll of company building—a candid counterpoint to typical startup lore.
