Founders: See what TechCrunch Disrupt 2023 has in store for you

Early-stage founders, TechCrunch Disrupt 2023 is so close to kickoff! Are you ready for an exciting mix of new ways to help your business grow bigger, better and faster? Here’s a brief rundown of some of the founder-focused activities waiting for you.

Don’t have a pass yet? Buy your ticket now and save up to $400. Prices go up at the door.

Look what’s happening at TechCrunch Disrupt 2023

Founders, make the Builders Stage your first stop. You’ll find nuts-and-bolts topics to help you build and fund your startup. Then check out the programming featured on seven industry-specific stages. Explore opportunities for cross-sector collaboration! Here’s the full agenda for the complete programming guide.

Builders Stage

• How to Build a Capital-Intensive Startup in a Tough Venture Market, with Sophie Bakalar (Collaborative Fund), Nikki Pechet (Homebound) and Chris Power (Hadrian).
• How to Construct an Equitable Cap Tablewith Ashley Mayer (Coalition Operators), Amanda Robson (Cowboy Ventures) and Richie Serna (Finix).

AI Stage

• Stronger, Faster…Safer? Anthropic co-founder Dario Amodei on Letting AI Find Its Best Self
• Between Hype and a Hard Place: Gary Marcus on AI’s Next Steps

Fintech Stage

• Making Money Move with Embedded Finance, with Peter Hazlehurst (Synctera), Laura Spiekerman (Alloy) and Amanda Swoverland (Unit).
• Startup Banking in a Post-SVB World, with Immad Akhund (Mercury), Wendy Cai-Lee (Piermont Bank) and Melissa Smith (JPMorgan).

Hardware Stage

Join 10k+ tech and VC leaders for growth and connections at Disrupt 2025

Netflix, Box, a16z, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Sequoia Capital, Elad Gil — just some of the 250+ heavy hitters leading 200+ sessions designed to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. Don’t miss the 20th anniversary of TechCrunch, and a chance to learn from the top voices in tech. Grab your ticket before Sept 26 to save up to $668.

Join 10k+ tech and VC leaders for growth and connections at Disrupt 2025

Netflix, Box, a16z, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Sequoia Capital, Elad Gil — just some of the 250+ heavy hitters leading 200+ sessions designed to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. Don’t miss the 20th anniversary of TechCrunch, and a chance to learn from the top voices in tech. Grab your ticket before Sept 26 to save up to $668.

• Empowering the Future, with Gill Pratt (Toyota Motor Corporation) and Marc Raibert (The AI Institute).
• Getting a Leg Up, with Damion Shelton and Melonee Wise (Agility Robotics).

SaaS Stage

• Certified SaaS, with Christina Cacioppo (Vanta) and Job van der Voort (Remote).
• Scale at all Cost?, with Jill Chase (CapitalG) and Guillermo Rauch (Vercel).

Security Stage

• Ransom-where? The U.S. Cities Fighting Back Against Hackers, with Allan Liska (Recorded Future) and MK Palmore (Google Cloud).
• The Insecurity of Things, with Amit Serper (Sternum IOT).

Space Stage

• The Future of Sending Human Beings into Space, with Laura Crabtree (Epsilon3), Jared Isaacman (Polaris) and Aaron Stein (War on the Rocks).
• AI and Warfare, with Rajeev Chand (Wing Venture Capital), Benjamin Jensen (Center for Strategic and International Studies), Tara Murphy (Govini) and Torsten Reil (Helsing).

Sustainability Stage

• Raising in a New Climate, with Po Bronson (IndieBio and SOSV), Arvind Gupta (Mayfield) and Libby Wayman (Breakthrough Energy Ventures).
• Is Sustainable Fast Fashion Possible?, with Jim Ajioka (Colorifix), Beth Esponnette (Unspun) and Julie Willoughby (Circ).

Roundtable discussions and breakout sessions at TechCrunch Disrupt 2023

Learn more about specific topics, engage with the startup experts leading the conversations and get your burning questions asked and answered. Roundtables are 30-minute discussions. Breakouts are 30-minute presentations followed by a 20-minute Q&A. Here are a couple examples of each.

Roundtable discussions

• Telling the TAM Story: How to Get VCs Excited About Your Market Opportunity, Especially in Less Sexy Spaces, with Rob Biederman (Asymmetric Capital Partners).
• The Art of Choosing the Right Investor: A Guide for Startup Founders, with Sergey Gribov (Flint Capital).

Breakout sessions

• Building Early-Stage Products as a Nontechnical Founder: What to and Not to Do, with Andy Powell (Oak’s Lab).
• AI for Social Good: How Technologists and Nonprofits Can Partner to Deliver Lasting Impact, with Jen Carter (Google.org).

Networking at TechCrunch Disrupt 2023

Disrupt is prime networking territory. Attendees span the most influential corners of the startup community, from visionaries and prominent funders to cutting-edge innovators in the Fortune Global 500.

Connecting starts with the Disrupt event app — an essential connection and scheduling tool. But that’s just the beginning. We’re creating more organic networking opportunities where you can experience moments of magic in a variety of settings.

• Get your network mojo moving on Disrupt eve, September 18, at the The Women in Tech (Crunch) reception.
• Head to the Deal Flow Café, our brand-new investor-to-founder networking area.
• Meet like-minded travelers in the many engaging workshops, discussions, meetups and Q&A sessions in the expo.
• Recharge and reconnect at the TechCrunch+ Lounge, where TechCrunch+ members with one- and two-year subscriptions can network and chat with our writers and other special guests. Not a member yet? Subscribe here.

Fun plus networking? We’ve got you covered. The After Hours Events lineup features a variety of activities, including industry meetups, workshops, fun runs and happy hours.

• Celebrating Innovation TechCrunch Disrupt Founders Happy Hour, presented by Descope and DevRev.
• Media Meets Founders Mixer, presented by Genesis.
• SVB Game Night and Happy Hour

Check the schedule for all the events.

TechCrunch Disrupt 2023 runs September 19–21 in San Francisco. Founders, put yourself first. Buy your pass now and save up to $400. Passes cost more at the door.

Is your company interested in sponsoring or exhibiting at TechCrunch Disrupt 2023? Contact our sponsorship sales team by filling out this form.