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Today, Day 1, TechCrunch Disrupt 2025<\/strong><\/a> goes full throttle \u2014 10,000 founders, investors, and builders flooding Moscone West for a nonstop run of ideas, demos, and deals. The energy is electric, the conversations are everywhere, and the breakthroughs are only just beginning.<\/p>\n From the Startup Battlefield<\/strong><\/a> to the AI Disruptors 60<\/strong>, from space entrepreneurs to the founders redefining how and when startups go public, this is where the next decade of tech is being written \u2014 live. Every hallway conversation, every roundtable, every coffee chat can spark a new partnership or the next big company. Check out the list of speakers.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Haven\u2019t registered yet? You still can \u2014 but don\u2019t wait. Grab your ticket now<\/strong><\/a> and walk straight into the action: five powerhouse stages, hundreds of exhibiting startups, investor meetups, Braindate networking, and side events lighting up San Francisco all week long.<\/p>\n Doors open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Explore 300+ exhibiting startups showcasing cutting-edge technologies across industries. See who is exhibiting<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n The stages are set \u2014 and today\u2019s speakers are tackling everything from space tech and startup growth to scaling strategies and going public. Here\u2019s a look at what\u2019s happening across Disrupt\u2019s stages today. Check out the full agenda<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n The spotlight stays on the Startup Battlefield 200, the \u201cWorld Series of pitch competitions.\u201d TechCrunch has vetted the top 20 early-stage startups to pitch in front of the world\u2019s most seasoned VCs for a $100,000 equity-free prize and the coveted Disrupt Cup.<\/p>\n The Startup Battlefield<\/strong><\/a> \u2013 Session 1: Judges include Allison Baum Gates (SemperVirens VC), Cathy Friedman (GV), Katelin Holloway (Seven Seven Six), Charles Hudson (Precursor Ventures), and Nicolas Sauvage (TDK Ventures).<\/p>\n Techcrunch event<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSan Francisco<\/span> The Startup Battlefield \u2013 Session 2:<\/strong> Eryk Dobrushkin (Index Ventures), Jen Hoskins (NVIDIA), Thomas Krane (Insight Partners), Jon McNeill (DVx Ventures), and Katie Stanton (Moxxie Ventures).<\/p>\n The Self-Driving Reality Check <\/strong>\u2014 Tekedra Mawakana (Waymo)<\/p>\n What Sequoia Sees Coming Next<\/strong> \u2014 Roelof Botha (Sequoia Capital).<\/p>\n Moonshots, AI, and the Future of Alphabet <\/strong>\u2014 Astro Teller (The Moonshot Factory).<\/p>\n At the intersection of technology and exploration, startups are reimagining the future of space.<\/p>\n Aerospace Startup Showcase: Solving the Hardest Problems in Space<\/strong> \u2014 Dr. Tom Cwik (Jet Propulsion Laboratory), Dr. Debra Emmons (The Aerospace Corporation), Katelin Holloway (Seven Seven Six), and Mandy Vaughn (GXO, Inc.).<\/p>\n From Robinhood to Aetherflux: Baiju Bhatt\u2019s Next Frontier<\/strong> \u2014 Baiju Bhatt (Aetherflux)<\/p>\n Investing at the Edge of Space<\/strong> \u2014 Morgan Beller (NFX), Celeste Ford (Stellar Ventures), and Chris Morales (Point72 Ventures).<\/p>\n Made in Space: Varda\u2019s Plan to Build the Next Great Supply Chain<\/strong> \u2014 William Bruey (Varda Space Industries).<\/p>\n AI at the Edge: Startups Powering the Future of Space<\/strong> \u2014 Dr. Debra L. Emmons (The Aerospace Corporation), Dr. Lucy Hoag (Violet Labs), and Adam Maher (Ursa Space Systems).<\/p>\n Laying the Groundwork for a New Space Economy<\/strong> \u2014 Max Haot (Vast), Kelly Hennig (Stoke Space), Bridgit Mendler (Northwood Space), and Even Rogers (True Anomaly).<\/p>\n For founders at every stage, this track dives into the frameworks and strategies driving IPO readiness and post-exit success.<\/p>\n How Long Should a Startup Stay Private?<\/strong> \u2014 David George (Andreessen Horowitz)<\/p>\n Rethinking the Exit: Kodiak AI\u2019s Founder on Going Public<\/strong> \u2014 Don Burnette, (Kodiak AI)<\/p>\n What Comes After Breakout Success?<\/strong> \u2014 Santi Subotovsky (Emergence Capital) and Eric Yuan (Zoom).<\/p>\n How AI Is Forcing Late-Stage Startups to Rewire GTM \u2014 or Be Left Behind<\/strong> \u2014 Jane Alexander (CapitalG), Vanessa Larco (Premise), and Nirav Tolia (Nextdoor).<\/p>\n Everything You Need to Know Before an Exit<\/strong> \u2014 Jai Das (Sapphire Ventures), Dan Springer (Ironclad), and Roseanne Wincek (Renegade Partners).<\/p>\n The raw, unfiltered reality of startup life \u2014 lessons in scaling, fundraising, and thriving through the chaos.<\/p>\n How to Raise a Series A in 2026<\/strong> \u2014 Thomas Krane (Insight Partners), Katie Stanton (Moxxie Ventures), and Sangeen Zeb (GV).<\/p>\n Flying into the Future: AI Is Fueling Aviation<\/strong> \u2014 Natasha Del Toro (Del Toro Productions), Tanya Eves, and Doug King (Epic Aircraft).<\/p>\n How Much Salary and Equity Should You Really Offer Early Employees?<\/strong> \u2014 Randi Jakubowitz (645 Ventures), Rebecca Lee Whiting (Epigram Legal), and Yin Wu (Pulley).<\/p>\n Build What\u2019s Next: Startups, DeepMind & Google Cloud<\/strong> \u2014 Tulsee Dosah (Google DeepMind) and Darren Mowry (Google Cloud)<\/p>\n Building a GTM Engine that Actually Works<\/strong> \u2014 Max Altschuler (GTMfund), Marc Manara (OpenAI), and Alison Wagonfeld (Google Cloud).<\/p>\n Who\u2019s Defining AI\u2019s Future in 2025? The AI Disruptors 60 Unveiled<\/strong> \u2014 Shay Grinfeld (Greenfield Partners) and Renen Hallak (Vast Data).<\/p>\n What VCs Really Want to Hear in Your Pitch<\/strong> \u2014 Medha Agarwal (defy.vc), Jyoti Bansal (Harness), and Jennifer Neundorfer (January Ventures).<\/p>\n Building in a Time of Uncertainty<\/strong> \u2014 Ryan Petersen, ( Flexport)<\/p>\n Head over to the Expo Hall to catch some of our exhibiting startups as they present their pitches.<\/p>\n 9:30 a.m. \u2013 11:30 a.m.: Startup Battlefield 200 Sustainability Pitches<\/p>\n 11:30 a.m. \u2013 12:05 p.m.: Pavilion Pitch Session \u2013 KOSME<\/p>\n 1:00 p.m. \u2013 1:30 p.m.: Pavilion Pitch Session \u2013 Japan \u2014 JETRO (Japan External Trade Organization)<\/p>\n 1:30 p.m. \u2013 3:00 p.m.: Startup Battlefield 200 Built World Pitches<\/p>\n 3:30 p.m. \u2013 4:15 p.m.: Pavilion Pitch Session \u2013 Korea \u2014 KOTRA (Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency)<\/p>\n 4:15 p.m. \u2013 4:45 p.m.: Pavilion Pitch Session \u2013 Sultanate of Oman<\/p>\n Engage with a panel in a 50-minute Q&A session. This is on a first-come, first-served basis. All ticket types are welcome. See the full agenda<\/strong><\/a> for times and session details.<\/p>\n The Untapped Opportunity Hidden in Business Workflows<\/strong> \u2014 Umair Bashir (Signal), Umair Javed (tkxel), and Marcus Torres (Quickbase)<\/p>\n From Vibes to Velocity: How AI Tools Can Help You Achieve Your Development Goals<\/strong> \u2014 Tim Rogers (GitHub)<\/p>\n Build First, Fund Later: The Founder\u2019s Guide to Bootstrapping Breakout Startups<\/strong> \u2014 Tarun Raisoni (Gruve)<\/p>\n How to Get Acquired in Tech (Without Selling Out): M&A Tips for Founders and Builders<\/strong> \u2014 Yonas Beshawred (StarSling) and Aklil Ibssa (Coinbase)<\/p>\n Fundraising Mistakes That Will Kill Your Round, and How to Avoid Them<\/strong> \u2014 Kamila Khasanova (On Top Strategy), Sam Li (Thoropass), Dr. Richard Munassi (Tampa Bay Wave), and Ashley Paston (General Catalyst)<\/p>\n Fundraising Process Workshop with TC Editor Turned VC Josh Constine<\/strong> \u2014 Josh Constine (SignalFire)<\/p>\n AI at the Brink: Strategic Playbook for National Security<\/strong> \u2014 Daniel Hendrycks (Center for AI Safety)<\/p>\n Startup Lessons You Won\u2019t Find in a Playbook<\/strong> \u2014 Santi Subotovsky (Emergence Capital) and Melissa Wong (Zipline).<\/p>\n These small-group sessions give founders and investors the chance to tackle real-world challenges up close. Remember: pre-registration on the event app is required for entry.<\/p>\n The Future of Banking and Fintech: the AI Wave<\/strong> \u2014 Nnamdi Okike (645 Ventures)<\/p>\n Prototyping, Tuning & Scaling GenAI Applications with Open Models<\/strong> \u2014 Aishwarya Srinivasan (Fireworks AI)<\/p>\n The Winning Formula: Turning Your Business Into a Trusted, Scalable Community to Drive Growth<\/strong> \u2014 Tasneem Amina (Kindred) and Justine Palefsky (Kindred)<\/p>\n From Inception to Enterprise: Selling AI Agents that Scale<\/strong> \u2014 Allison Baum Gates (SemperVirens Venture Capital)<\/p>\n Future of Construction: The Role of AI and Data in the Field and the Office<\/strong> \u2014 Austin Yount, Brick & Mortar Ventures.<\/p>\n Berkeley Connect: Experience the World\u2019s #1 Startup Ecosystem<\/strong> \u2014 Siwen Deng (Evergreen Saponins) and Keith McAleer (UC Berkeley Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship & Technology)<\/p>\n How to Train Your Model: Taming AI Agents Without Breaking Them<\/strong> \u2014 Kyla Guru (Anthropic)<\/p>\n Community IS the Product<\/strong> \u2014 Brian Hamachek (Vently), Gargi Kand (Vently), and Nick Khonaysser (Vently)<\/p>\n Physical AI: Designing, Funding, and Scaling the Future<\/strong> \u2014 Kahini Shah (Obvious Ventures)<\/p>\n Future of Space Economy in the Low Earth Orbit<\/strong> \u2014 Abhi Kumar (UC Berkeley).<\/p>\n Investor Insights <\/strong>\u2014 Itamar Novick (Recursive Ventures) and Brian Sparkes (Silicon Valley Venture, LLC)<\/p>\n Future of Space Economy in the Low Earth Orbit (encore)<\/strong> \u2014 Abhi Kumar (UC Berkeley)<\/p>\n IPO Success: Charting the Course from Private to Public<\/strong> \u2014 Charly Kevers (Carta) and Daniel Tay (Morgan Stanley)<\/p>\n Building in the Line of Fire: What It Takes to Win in Public Sector AI<\/strong> \u2014 Ross Fubini (XYZ Venture Capital) and Ben Van Roo (Legion Intelligence)<\/p>\n Building AI-Ready Data Infrastructure with a Lean Team<\/strong> \u2014 Michel Tricot (Airbyte)<\/p>\n Your EQ is your AI<\/strong> \u2014 Alex Malebranche (Cloudflare)<\/p>\n Networking Lounge powered by Braindate:<\/strong> Open 9:00 a.m. \u2013 5:00 p.m. Find your next co-founder, investor, or mentor through curated or spontaneous meetups.<\/p>\n Deal Flow Cafe:<\/strong> Opens at 9:00 a.m. Exclusive to founders and investors, providing a quiet space to make deals over coffee.<\/p>\n From 9:00 to 9:30 a.m., start your morning with Equity Live<\/strong>, a special onstage recording of TechCrunch\u2019s flagship podcast. Join the TechCrunch team for a lively dive into the business of startups, tech, and venture capital \u2014 all unfolding in real time from the Builders Stage.<\/p>\n Company-hosted Side Events<\/strong><\/a> are happening throughout San Francisco this week, extending the Disrupt energy well beyond Moscone West. Here\u2019s what\u2019s happening tonight \u2014 panels, parties, and meetups designed to connect founders, investors, and innovators across every corner of tech. Make sure to RSVP your spot to any of these.<\/p>\n Pitch&Drink with P2S.VC: Hosted by Pre-seed to succeed (AltaIR Capital, Yellow Rocks!, Smart Partnership Capital, I2BF Global Ventures)<\/p>\n Unlock Your Investor Potential: How Tech Workers Can Become LPs Using Vested Stock Units: Hosted by Musa Capital<\/p>\n Future Shock Deep Tech Meetup w\/ SOSV & KIAC: Hosted by SOSV<\/p>\n The \u201cUnofficial TechCrunch Disrupt 2025\u201d Afterparty at Werqwise SF: Hosted by Silicon Valley Venture, LLC<\/p>\n Exclusive Gathering of Founders beyond Seed and Series A, Accredited Investors and VCs \u2013 Side Event at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025: Hosted by Equity X Investments, Vataseason and Plus Ultra Capital Partners<\/p>\n South Asian Collective @ Disrupt Week: Hosted by American South Asian Network (ASAN)<\/p>\n Beyond the Hype: Voices from the Future of Humane AI \u2013 Short Film Screening & Panel: Hosted by Building Humane Tech<\/p>\n Ping Pong After Panels: Hosted by Scrut Automation<\/p>\n TechCrunch Disrupt Unofficial Welcome Party: Bullish or Bust? A Rooftop AI Debate with Baseten, Premji Invest, and Treble PR: Hosted by Treble PR<\/p>\n Founders Happy Hour and Fireside Chat: Avoiding Identity and Compliance Scope Creep \ud83d\udc7b: Hosted by Descope & Delve<\/p>\n JetBrains Night in San Francisco: Hosted by JetBrains<\/p>\n Night Zero: Unofficial Opening Party at TechCrunch Disrupt Week: Hosted by Fox Rothschild and Silicon Valley Bank<\/p>\n Think it\u2019s too late to join? Not a chance. Get your ticket here<\/strong><\/a>. There\u2019s still so much more to experience at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025<\/strong> \u2014 including more Startup Battlefield pitches, game-changing sessions, and unforgettable connections. Tickets are available through the final day.<\/strong> Secure yours now and be part of the future of tech.<\/p>\nExpo Hall<\/h2>\n
Stage sessions<\/h2>\n
Disrupt Stage<\/h3>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tOctober 27-29, 2025<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\nSpace Stage<\/h3>\n
Going Public Stage<\/h3>\n
Builders Stage<\/h3>\n
Pitch Showcase Stage<\/h3>\n
Breakout Stage<\/h3>\n
Roundtables<\/h3>\n
Networking Opportunities<\/h2>\n
Equity Live<\/h2>\n
Disrupt 2025 Side Events<\/h2>\n
Still time to join Disrupt 2025<\/h2>\n