Get ready for TechCrunch Disrupt 2024, our signature event for startups of all stages, happening at Moscone West in San Francisco from October 28-30. This year, we’re expecting a massive turnout of 10,000 leaders from the startup and VC community.
As part of the program, we’re thrilled to unveil the complete agenda for the Builders Stage. It’s the culmination of months of hard work and just one of six stages featured at this year’s event, with many more announcements on the horizon.
About the Builders Stage
The Builders Stage serves as a hub for dozens of panels and interviews dedicated to the essential elements of building and financing tech startups. This year, we’re doubling down on our commitment to providing top-tier programming featuring innovation across all stages of a team’s journey. Expect deep dives into operations, talent acquisition, fundraising, and other crucial topics tailored for the new wave of startup pioneers. Plus, don’t miss sessions such as “How to Find, and Keep, Product-Market Fit,” “What You Need to Raise a Series A Today,” “When to Cash Out, When to Keep Fighting” and so many more.
The Builders Stage Agenda
How the Chainsmokers Bring Value Beyond Their Celebrity Status
with Alex Pall (Mantis VC), Drew Taggart (Mantis VC), and Dan Lorenc (Chainguard)
While a lot of celebrities invest in startups, the Chainsmokers are different. Instead of angel investing, Drew Taggart and Alex Pall launched a formal fund, Mantis Venture Capital; invest out of a formal closed-end fund; and back companies in industries their celebrity prowess can’t always help in, like security startups and analytics platforms. In this session, Taggart and Pall will be joined by Dan Lorenc, the founder of Chainguard, to talk about how they are an asset to their B2B startups.
What You Need to Raise a Series A Today
with Renata Quintini (Renegade Partners), Corinne Riley (Greylock) and Elizabeth Yin (Hustle Fund)
If you aren’t building the next foundation model AI company, raising a Series A today is likely harder than it has been in some time. To help founders building at the seed stage prepare for their first lettered round, we have investors explain what they — and their firms — are looking for in their next Series A deals.
How to Find, and Keep, Product-Market Fit
with Spenser Skates (Amplitude), April Underwood (Adverb) and Tamar Yehoshua (Glean)
Every startup knows that they need to find product-market fit. But once they do find true resonance between what they are offering and what there is demand for, how should a startup ensure that they do not lose the product-market fit they have gained? Finding PMF is one thing; maintaining it is another.
Why AI Regulation Is Every Startup’s Business
with Martin Casado (Andreessen Horowitz)
Martin Casado has lived the experience that every founder dreams of. He invented a new technology that radically altered the way computer networks are built and sold his startup for $1.26 billion when it was barely out of stealth (the second startup he sold). He’s since gone on to have an influential career as a VC at Andreessen Horowitz, leading its infrastructure investment practice. He’s now sounding the alarm on AI regulation saying that startups, in particular, need to get involved.
How to Launch a New Product Against Entrenched Incumbents
with Paul Lambert (Quilt), Gurinder Nagra (Furno Materials) and Brigid O’Brien (RA Capital)
Founders seldom have the luxury of entering an empty market, but what happens when the incumbents are unusually entrenched? What does it take to start a company in an industry dominated by big players and technologies that have barely changed in recent years? Hear from two founders and an investor about the trials of taking on multinational conglomerates while building hardware and preparing for scale.
Family Offices Want Startup Exposure, but What Are They Looking For?
with Eti Lazarian (Elle Family Office) and Bruce Lee (Keebeck Wealth Management)
Family offices have gotten increasingly active in investing in startups both directly and through their VC investors. But what are they looking for? While no two family offices are the same, this session will dig into family office investing trends and where they have been spending time in the startup ecosystem. We’ll also dive into what kind of risk these investors are looking to take on and what makes a startup a good fit for this category of backer.
The Boom in National Interest Startups
with Rebecca Gevalt (Dcode Capital), Topher Haddad (Albedo) and Kai Kloepfer (Biofire)
One fascinating trend these days is an area that has many names: national-interest startups, American dynamism, New World. These startups are creating technologies in areas that are meant to be built, used, and create jobs in the country of origin, like the U.S. They cover everything from aerospace and critical infrastructure to government, manufacturing and national safety. This panel will dig into how far — and how fast — Silicon Valley can rebuild a nation’s foundations.
How Startups Can Save the World
with Areeb Malik (Glacier), Hyuk-Jeen Suh (SkyRiver Ventures) and Allison Wolff (Vibrant Planet)
Startup work and venture capital investing are usually judged through the lens of their financial results. The bigger a startup gets, the more it’s worth. But some upstart tech companies are also working on making the world better while making money. So we want to know how far the “doing good” can go while not giving up on the critical “making money” side of building tech companies.
How to Build a Company While Protecting Your Mental Health
with Andy Dunn (Bonobos, Pie)
Everyone knows that it is stressful to build a company. And it’s just as commonly known that endless chronic work can lead to burnout. So, why don’t we talk more about founder mental health? Now that our culture is more comfortable discussing mental health in general, it’s time we brought the topic to Disrupt 2024 for a thorough interrogation.
How to Hire in 2025
with Heather Doshay (SignalFire), Lauren Illovsky (CapitalG) and Roger Lee (Comprehensive.io)
Gone are the days when recruiters seemed more plentiful than leaves in the wind; employees in nearly every startup function are therefore facing a more conservative labor market. How can founders capitalize on their increased labor buying power while also treating their staff with respect and retaining key talent? Founders, take note, this one is for you.
Don’t Be a Lemming: The Anti-hype Panel
with Pegah Ebrahimi (FPV Ventures), Matt Rogers (Mill) and Natalie Sportelli (Bullish)
What’s the difference between true opportunity and hype? Answering that question correctly is the difference between success and failure in the tech industry. And it’s a far more difficult question than it might appear. When everyone is convinced a specific tech is the future, founders — and even VCs — tend to pursue that tech en mass. But as anyone who’s been through a Valley boom-and-bust cycle knows, collective excitement — hype — isn’t the best indicator.
Pitch Deck Teardown
with Sofia Dolfe (Index Ventures), Deena Shakir (Lux Capital) and Marcie Vu (Greycroft)
An articulate, alluring pitch presentation is a big part of successful fundraising, and yet it’s relatively uncommon for founders to get candid feedback on how they communicated the problem, their solution and their path to success. During the Pitch Deck Teardown on October 30, VCs will offer their live feedback on decks submitted by audience members.
How to Raise in 2025 if You’ve Taken a Flat, Down, or Extension Round
with Nikhil Basu Trivedi (Footwork), Dayna Grayson (Construct Capital), Elliott Robinson (Bessemer Venture Partners)
Ideas such as you need $100 million worth of trailing revenue to go public, and $1 million worth of annual recurring revenue to raise a Series A are so old that they are practically perched atop Abe Lincoln’s head. In today’s market, what a startup needs to raise depends on its sector, founder profile, and, yes, momentum. So what do you need to raise that Series A?
How to Build Tech that Wins Over Customers
with Wassym Bensaid (Rivian)
Rivian’s chief software officer Wassym Bensaid knows a thing or two about building a product from scratch in a high-stakes environment. The software and systems engineering veteran played a central role in Rivian’s recent push to drive down costs while improving its EVs. It was a massive and existential effort that led the EV maker to rework the guts of the vehicles, including the electrical architecture and a redesigned software user interface. It wasn’t always easy. Learn from Bensaid on what it takes to build a product from scratch, including how to navigate conflict and challenges — an essential tool for any startup founder.
Do DEI Initiatives Have a Future
with Arian Simone (Fearless Fund)
Fearless Fund is one of many organizations facing the heat for having programs focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion. As a result, the future of many of these initiatives is uncertain. But the fight isn’t over yet. Join us for a fireside chat about what happens when civil rights comes to venture capital, only at this year’s Disrupt.
Free but Not Cheap, the Open Source Dilemma
with Aeva Black (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency), Luis Villa (Tidelift) and Bogomil Balkansky (Sequoia Capital)
Open source software is everywhere and in everything. Many startups are pursuing explicitly open source business models. But every company out there that builds software has at least some dependency on open source code. Recent security issues, however, have made it plain that open source software is a target for state-level hackers. So, how can we keep building and using code that is built communally, but without the risk of back doors and other security holes?
When to Cash Out, When to Keep Fighting
with Naveen Rao (Databricks), Kamakshi Sivaramakrishnan (Snowflake) and Dharmesh Thakker (Battery Ventures)
Startup founders are often presented with the chance to sell their companies before they reach full maturity. In today’s world with IPOs often delayed past historical norms, it may be tempting for founders to look for a parent company for their startups. But when does it make sense to sell, and when should a founder keep blazing their own path?
Don’t miss Disrupt 2024
This agenda is just for the Builders Stage. We’ll have five additional stages focusing on AI, SaaS, fintech, space, and much more. Don’t miss the chance to gain invaluable insights from top industry experts at Disrupt 2024. Secure your pass by registering here.
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