Builders Stage agenda revealed for Disrupt 2026

Summary

TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 will feature the Builders Stage, focusing on startup scaling with sessions on fundraising, hiring, AI, and go-to-market strategies. Speakers include leaders from Gamma, Precedent.vc, Google, and more, offering practical insights for founders.

Key Takeaways

1. The Builders Stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 will offer practical strategies for scaling startups, covering fundraising, hiring, go-to-market, and AI.
2. The event will feature founders, startup operators, and investors discussing actionable insights through candid conversations and real-world case studies.
3. Attendees can expect sessions on navigating AI competition, building defensibility, attracting AI talent, and securing pre-seed funding without a product.

Statement Breakdown

• Claimed Facts: 60% of statements the article presents as facts
• Opinions: 30% of statements classified as editorial or subjective
• Claims: 10% of statements surfaced for additional reader evaluation

Credibility & Bias Reasoning

Credibility assessment: The article presents a detailed agenda for an event, citing specific speakers and their affiliations. While it promotes the event, the information provided is factual regarding the schedule and participants. The claims are largely verifiable through the event's official listings.

Bias assessment: Event Promotion. The article's primary purpose is to promote TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 and its Builders Stage. It highlights the benefits of attending and encourages registration, framing the content positively to attract attendees.

Note: This article serves as promotional material for an upcoming event. While it provides factual details about the agenda and speakers, its primary goal is to encourage attendance. Evaluate information with this promotional intent in mind.

Credibility flag: Promotional Content

Claimed Facts (10)

• This is a factual statement about the event's return and its stated purpose.
• This provides specific details about the event's location, dates, and expected attendance.
• This factually describes the Builders Stage's role within the larger Disrupt 2026 event.
• This is a factual description of the session format and interactive elements.
• This is presented as a factual observation about the venture landscape.
• This is presented as a factual observation about the common concerns of AI founders.
• This is a factual statement about the current trend in AI startup scaling and capital demands.
• This is a factual statement about the impact of AI startup growth on the broader tech hiring market.
• This is a factual statement about current pre-seed funding expectations.
• This is presented as a factual observation about product development scaling.

Opinions (10)

• This is a subjective statement about the intended audience for a specific session.
• This statement expresses the intended scope and purpose of a session, which is an opinion on what it will cover.
• This describes the content of a session, which is an opinion on what the speaker will share.
• This statement outlines the exploratory nature of a session, reflecting an opinion on its focus.
• This is an opinion statement about investor priorities at the pre-seed stage.
• This describes the content of a session, which is an opinion on what the speaker will share.
• This statement outlines the exploratory nature of a session, reflecting an opinion on its focus.
• This is a subjective statement about the transformative impact of AI on product development.
• This is a subjective statement about the strategic thinking of current founders.
• This is a subjective statement about the current Series A funding environment.

Claims (8)

• This is a broad, unsubstantiated claim that requires further evidence to be considered a fact.
• This is a strong, generalized claim about timelines and benchmarks that lacks specific data to support its universality.
• This is a speculative statement about the pace of AI development and the strategies of successful companies, presented without concrete evidence.
• This is a generalized statement about a shift in conversation that is presented as fact without specific data.
• This describes advanced AI capabilities in a broad and somewhat futuristic manner, lacking specific, verifiable examples for each claim.
• This is a generalized statement about the difficulty of assessing PMF during a 'hype cycle,' which is subjective and lacks specific evidence.
• This is a generalized assertion about founder behavior and misinterpretations, presented without specific examples or data.
• While the session aims to provide clarity, the description itself is a promise of analysis that is not yet delivered and relies on subjective interpretations of 'false PMF' and 'hype-driven adoption'.

Key Sources

• TechCrunch Events — Event Organizer
• Jessica Barrera — Author
• Grant Lee — CEO and co-founder of Gamma
• Leah Solivan — Founder and general partner at Precedent.vc
• Robby Stein — VP of Product at Google
• Shan Shan — Investment Manager, Baillie Gifford
• Yuri Sagalov — Managing Director at General Catalyst
• Michel Tricot — CEO and Co-founder, Airbyte
• Rob Toews — Partner, Radical Ventures
• Linda Tong — CEO, Webflow
• Jas Khaira — Global Head, Blackstone N1
• Matt Birnbaum — Founder, Wylder.co
• Ioana Hreninciuc — Runware
• Atli Thorkelsson — VP, Talent Network, Redpoint Ventures
• Puneet Agarwal — Managing Partner, True Ventures
• Austin Clements — Managing Partner, Slauson and Co
• Sandhya Venkatachalam — Founder and Managing Partner, Axiom Partners
• Josh Reeves — CEO and Co-founder, Gusto
• Maria Angelidou-Smith — CPO, Reddit
• Karl Alomar — Managing Partner, M13
• Lindsey Mignano — Founder, Mignano Law Group
• Jahanvi Sardana — Partner, Index Ventures
• Shailendra Singh — Managing Director, Peak XV
• Janelle Teng Wade — Partner, Bessemer Venture Partners
• Ryan Meadows — Chief Revenue Officer, Lovable
• Tomasz Tunguz — General Partner and Founder, Theory Ventures
• Ben Broca — Founder, Polsia
• Mo Jomaa — Partner, Capital G
• Zuzanna Stamirowska — CEO and Co-founder, Pathway
• Shay Grinfield — Greenfield Partners
• Rajeev Dham — Managing Director, Sapphire Ventures
• Rahul Vohra — Founder and Head of Superhuman Mail