The Builders Stage Is Back — And It's Getting Real
TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 is less than four months away, and the Builders Stage agenda just dropped. If you've been to Disrupt before, you know this stage is the one where founders actually leave with something useful — not platitudes about "disruption" or hand-wavy visions of the future. This year's lineup is no different.
The event runs October 13–15 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, and TechCrunch is expecting more than 10,000 founders, investors, and operators to show up. That's a lot of people trying to figure out how to scale when the rules keep changing.
Here's what stands out from the agenda, and why a few of these sessions might actually be worth your time.
AI Hype vs. Actual Fundamentals
One of the first sessions that caught my eye is "How to Win When You're Not Building AI," featuring Shan Shan from Baillie Gifford. Let's be honest — we're in a moment where every pitch deck mentions AI, even if the product has nothing to do with it. This panel is explicitly for founders who aren't selling AI models or agents but still need to compete for attention in an AI-obsessed market.
The framing here is refreshingly grounded: efficient growth, retention, revenue quality, and disciplined execution. Fundamentals over hype. As someone who's sat on the other side of too many pitch tables, I can tell you this is exactly the conversation founders need to hear right now.
The OpenAI Problem Every AI Founder Worries About
Then there's "What Happens When OpenAI Ships Your Roadmap," with Michel Tricot (Airbyte), Rob Toews (Radical Ventures), and Linda Tong (Webflow). This is the anxiety that keeps AI founders up at night — what if the platform you're building on decides to eat your lunch?
The session tackles defensibility head-on. Where does it actually exist when the underlying model is a commodity? And what do you do if OpenAI or Anthropic launches something that directly competes with your product? These aren't theoretical questions anymore. They're real strategic decisions founders need to make right now.
Pre-Seed Without a Product — Yeah, It's a Thing Now
"Winning Pre-Seed Without a Product" brings together Puneet Agarwal (True Ventures), Austin Clements (Slauson and Co), and Sandhya Venkatachalam (Axiom Partners). The premise is uncomfortable but real: founders are increasingly 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 revenue exists so investors will cut that first check.
I'll be honest — this sounds like a hard sell. But the data doesn't lie. Some of the biggest companies in Silicon Valley raised their first checks with nothing but a deck and a conviction that felt almost delusional to outsiders. The question isn't whether you need a product; it's whether you can articulate why your vision is worth funding before anyone has seen what you're building.
From MVP to Billions of Users — The Product Shift Nobody Talks About
Robby Stein, VP of Product at Google, is doing a fireside on how product decision-making changes when every update impacts billions of users. The instincts that win at MVP stage can absolutely break you at scale.
This is the session I'd flag for any founder who's already past product-market fit and thinking about what comes next. Speed versus trust. Innovation versus reliability. These aren't abstract tradeoffs — they're the daily decisions that separate companies that scale from companies that plateau.
Hiring When AI Is Basically Your Co-Founder
"Hiring When AI Is a Co-Founder" with Josh Reeves (Gusto) is one of those sessions that captures exactly where we are right now. Early-stage companies aren't just building with AI — they're hiring 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.
I think most founders haven't thought through this deeply enough. The temptation is to automate everything. But culture? Accountability? Those still need human bones to hold them up.
M&A Is Now an Early-Stage Strategy
"M&A Is Now an Early-Stage Strategy" with Karl Alomar (M13), Aklil Ibssa (Coinbase), and Lindsey Mignano (Mignano Law Group) is another session worth paying attention to. The smartest founders today aren't just building for IPOs — they're also building with possible acquisitions in mind 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 such an option through product strategy and partnerships.
I know this sounds counterintuitive. Most founders want to build the next unicorn, not get acquired. But the reality is that acquisition exits are becoming more common, and understanding how to position your company for that possibility — without losing sight of your long-term vision — is a skill worth developing.
The Series A in 2027 — What Fundable Actually Means
"The Series A in 2027" brings together Jahanvi Sardana (Index Ventures), Shailendra Singh (Peak XV), and Janelle Teng Wade (Bessemer). Series A is getting harder, with VCs growing more demanding.
For founders planning to raise in the next 1–2 years, this session breaks down what "fundable" will actually mean in 2027. Hear how top investors are redefining the metrics, teams, and traction that matter now, what outdated fundraising playbooks no longer work, and how companies can separate from the pack in the next funding cycle.
This is the session I'd recommend for any founder who's thinking about raising Series A but isn't sure what the bar looks like anymore. The rules have changed, and the old playbooks don't work.
The 90-Day GTM: Why $0–$10M ARR Is the New Baseline
"The 90-Day GTM: Why $0–$10M ARR Is the New Baseline" with Ryan Meadows (Lovable), Tomasz Tunguz (Theory Ventures), and more speakers to be announced is another session that captures the moment.
The definition of traction has changed. What once took years is now expected in months, and $0–$10M ARR is increasingly becoming the new early-stage baseline. This session breaks down how AI-enabled execution, faster distribution, and shifting investor expectations are compressing GTM timelines.
The tactical levers founders need in the first 90 days to accelerate revenue and stand out fast — this is exactly what founders need to hear right now.
The Real Tokenmaxxing: Navigating a Multi-Model World
"The real Tokenmaxxing: How the Best AI Companies Navigate a Multi-Model World" with Mo Jamma (Capital G), Zuzanna Stamirowska (Pathway), and more speakers to be announced is one of those sessions that captures exactly where the industry is heading.
The frontier is moving faster than any single model can keep up with, and the teams building the most successful AI products are increasingly orchestrating across many models rather than betting on just one. This panel brings together founders and operators at the center of that shift to discuss how they evaluate new models, 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
"PMF Red Flags: How to Tell If You Really Have It" with Rajeev Dham (Sapphire Ventures), Rahul Vohra (Superhuman Mail), and more speakers to be announced is another session worth paying attention to.
In an AI hype cycle, product-market fit signals are easier to fake and harder to trust. Founders are mistaking early excitement, usage spikes, and pilot wins for durable traction. This session breaks down what false PMF actually looks like, how investors and operators separate real retention from hype driven adoption.
The signals that indicate whether a company has true pull or just temporary momentum — this is exactly what founders need to hear right now.
The Zero-to-1K Playbook: First 1,000 Customers Without a Marketing Budget
"The Zero-to-1K Playbook: How to Get Your First 1,000 Customers Without a Marketing Budget" with Grant Lee (Gamma) and Leah Solivan (Precedent.vc) is one of those sessions that captures exactly where we are right now.
Early customer acquisition is not about marketing spend; it's about 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-mouth momentum.
Yes, It's Hard to Be a Founder: An Honest Conversation
"Yes, It's Hard to be a Founder: An Honest Conversation" with Nell Daly (Revenge Capital), David H. Rosmarin (Harvard Medical School), and Jack Withinshaw (Airspeeder) is one of those sessions that captures exactly where we are right now.
Company building is as psychologically demanding as it is strategic, and most founder narratives understate that reality. In this candid conversation, founders and mental performance experts unpack the hidden costs of high growth environments, from burnout and decision fatigue to the identity strain of sustained pressure.
The systems, habits, and mental frameworks that help leaders endure and perform at a high level — this is exactly what founders need to hear right now.
So You've Got a Hit Product. How Does Your Company Do It Again?
"So You've Got a Hit Product. How Does Your Company Do It Again?" with Filip Kaliszak (Verkada) and more speakers to be announced is another session worth paying attention to.
Most startups stall out because they build a single great product instead of a repeatable multi-product engine. Join a venture capitalist and two founders as they reveal the precise operational playbook for capital allocation, systemizing internal innovation, and engineering a compounding "Second Act" before the core product's growth curve flattens.
Hiring, Compensation and Culture in the Most Competitive Market Ever
"Hiring, Compensation and Culture in the Most Competitive Market Ever" with Matt Birnbaum (Wylder.co), Atli Thorkelsson (Redpoint Ventures), and more speakers to be announced is another session worth paying attention to.
No question about it, the growth of AI startups has made hiring and retention for all tech companies more difficult. From competing for AI talent to secondary sales, founders are rethinking the human infrastructure 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 and retain top talent in a fundamentally changed startup environment.
How To Create Viral Growth and Capitalize On It
"How To Create Viral Growth and Capitalize On It" with Zach Yadegari (Cal AI) is one of those sessions that captures exactly where we are right now.
Startups can go from zero to viral overnight, but sustaining that momentum is a completely different challenge. In this fireside, Zach Yadegari shares how Cal AI navigated rapid growth, product pressure, and the realities of building in a distribution-driven market.
The lessons behind turning breakout attention into durable retention and long-term company building — this is exactly what founders need to hear right now.
The High-Conviction Filter: What We Learned from the Battlefield
"The High-Conviction Filter: What We Learned from the Battlefield" with Alexa Von Tobel (Inspired Capital) and more speakers to be announced is another session worth paying attention to.
What separated the breakout companies from the rest at Disrupt 2026? In this candid debrief, Battlefield judges unpack the trends and founder qualities that stood out in real time, from shifting investor expectations to the narratives that resonated most this year.
The conversation will also explore how startup storytelling is evolving and what happens after the spotlight, including the realities of maintaining momentum and surviving the critical 12 months after a major launch, funding round, or Battlefield appearance.
Why This Stage Matters More Than Ever
The Builders Stage at Disrupt 2026 is one of six industry-focused stages, dedicated 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 work immediately.
Plus opportunities to engage directly with speakers during live Q&A. That's the part that makes Disrupt different from most conferences — you're not just listening to panels. You're having conversations with the people who've actually done the things you're trying to figure out.
If you're a founder, investor, or operator trying to scale in 2026 and beyond, this is the stage to watch. The agenda is solid, the speakers are credible, and the topics are exactly what founders need to hear right now.
Register for Disrupt 2026 and save up to $330 before ticket prices increase. The event runs October 13–15 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.
