Disrupt 2025 Agenda
New sessions are added weekly. Check back in to explore more sessions.
26 October
October 27th
How to Raise a Series A in 2026
In this no-fluff panel, top VCs reveal what really gets them to offer a term sheet with a healthy valuation —from metrics that matter to the pitch mistakes that kill deals. Learn how to position your company for its first priced, institutional investment.
From Vibes to Velocity: How AI Tools Can Help You Achieve Your Development Goals
With the recent surge in popularity of vibe coding, developers are looking at every option to help them work faster, think bigger, and commit more secure, high-quality code. GitHub Product Manager, Tim Rogers is pioneering agentic coding at scale with GitHub Copilot, the AI-powered peer programming tool used by more than 15M people to scale their impact. During this breakout session, Tim will give the audience a first-hand look at how GitHub’s latest innovations, insights, and AI-powered tools are changing the future of software development and advancing developer workflows in an increasingly autonomous world.
How Much Salary and Equity Should You Really Offer Early Employees?
Early hires shape your startup’s future—but only if you can attract and keep them. This panel dives into building equity and benefits packages that compete with big tech without breaking your burn rate. Hear real-world strategies to align incentives, boost retention, and build a team that scales.
How to Train Your Model: Taming AI Agents Without Breaking Them
Every AI model faces a fundamental tension: make it too harmless and it becomes less helpful, too helpful and it becomes dangerous. This interactive discussion explores real-world decisions in AI training – from constitutional AI to red-teaming strategies and enforcement approaches. We’ll examine case studies of blending safety and functionality, debate steering techniques that preserve model personality, and crowdsource solutions for common training dilemmas. Attendees will leave with frameworks for balancing safety constraints with performance goals, practical approaches to model character development, and strategies for building AI that’s both helpful and harmless.
The Self-Driving Reality Check
Autonomous vehicles have been “just around the corner” for years—until now. Tekedra Mawakana, Co-CEO of Waymo, takes the Disrupt Stage to talk about where AVs actually stand, what it’s taken to get to real deployments, and why the race isn’t just about tech, it’s about trust. From regulation to rider experience to competition with Tesla and Tesla-adjacent hype, this conversation gets real about what’s next in mobility.
How to Get Acquired in Tech (Without Selling Out): M&A Tips for Founders and Builders
Coinbase just pulled off the biggest acquisition in crypto history — and its 6th acquisition in 6 months. So what separates the builders getting acquired from the ones getting ghosted? This no-BS session breaks down how to make your project irresistible: from product-market fit to community traction. Learn how to position your project for a strategic acquisition, partnership, or investment — without compromising decentralization. If you’re building onchain or in tech and wondering whether M&A is a path to scale, this is your playbook. And if you’re an investor, you’ll get a cheat sheet for spotting teams building toward high-value outcomes.
Building in a Time of Uncertainty
Uncertainty is the new normal—but it’s also an opportunity. In this fireside chat, Ryan Petersen, CEO of global logistics unicorn Flexport, shares his hard-won insights. With $2.3B raised, Flexport’s shipping technology sits at the intersection of international business and policy, giving Petersen almost prescient economic insights. He’s been vocal about everything from tariff policy to AI. He’s also experienced personal volatility, famously leaving his CEO role and then returning less than a year later. Founders, take notes: this is how you build when the rules keep changing.
Where VCs Are Placing Their Bets in 2026
Curious where the smart money is heading next? This panel brings together top VCs to share their 2026 investment priorities, emerging sectors, and what innovations are catching their eye. Early-stage founders, this one is for you, get a rare glimpse into the trends and technologies that could shape your business in the year ahead.
How Long Should a Startup Stay Private?
Startups today can grow to huge valuations, cash out their employees, and stay private longer than those of previous eras. But that also means that late-stage startups are facing a whole new set of rules. George unpacks the shifting VC landscape, what the next generation of scaled startups needs to know, and how capital is being deployed in an era of tighter money and higher expectations. From IPO windows to secondary markets to the evolving role of growth investors, this fireside chat goes deep on what it really takes to build enduring companies in today’s market — and what’s coming next.
Future of Space Economy in the Low Earth Orbit
Low Earth Orbit (LEO) is no longer just for satellites; it’s the new frontier for manufacturing, energy, and data infrastructure. This session explores the emerging LEO economy, regulatory shifts, and key investment trends. Attendees will gain actionable insight into partnering with space startups, leveraging orbital platforms for Earth-based industries, and preparing for the commercialization of near-Earth space.
What VCs Really Want to Hear in Your Pitch
Investors hear hundreds of pitches — but only a few stand out. Hear directly from VCs on what they love, what makes them cringe, and the subtle signals founders often miss. This panel reveals insider tips to help you craft a pitch that grabs attention, builds trust, and wins the right checks.
AI at the Brink: Strategic Playbook for National Security
Advanced AI poses dual-use risks with potentially catastrophic consequences, from bioweapons to cyberattacks. As global competition accelerates progress, managing technological risks is a national and international security priority. This session explores strategic frameworks for the AI age, including Mutually Assured AI Malfunction , technical evaluations, non-proliferation, and supply chain security. Dan Hendrycks (CAIS) will be joined by key voices, potentially including Superintelligence Strategy co-authors Eric Schmidt and Alexander Wang.
How AI is Forcing Late-stage Startups to Rewire GTM – or Be Left Behind
AI is rewriting the playbook for how startups reach and win customers — and late-stage companies are feeling the pressure to adapt fast. In this panel, two top VCs and a seasoned founder break down how AI is transforming go-to-market strategies, from sales and marketing to customer success. We’ll get into what’s working, what’s hype, and how to build AI into your GTM engine without losing focus. If you’re scaling and wondering how AI fits into your next phase of growth, this is the conversation you don’t want to miss.
What Sequoia Sees Coming Next
As one of the most influential VCs of the modern era, Roelof Botha has seen it all; booms, busts, and billion-dollar breakout bets. In this fireside chat, the Sequoia Capital managing partner opens up about how today’s most ambitious founders are navigating AI, geopolitics, and a shifting capital landscape.
Building What Comes Next
Wainwright knows how to spot a wave — and ride it. From pioneering luxury resale at The RealReal to jumping into personalized nutrition with Ahara, she’s made a career out of building ahead of the curve. In this fireside chat, Wainwright opens up about what it takes to start over, scale fast, and stay resilient through market shifts and personal pivots. We’ll dig into the lessons learned from category creation, the risks of reinvention and why experience might just be the ultimate startup edge.
Moonshots, AI, and the Future of Alphabet
From self-driving cars to internet balloons to AI-fueled breakthroughs, Astro Teller leads the lab where Alphabet incubates the nearly impossible. In this rare Disrupt stage appearance, he shares what’s actually working inside X, why “failing fast” isn’t just a mantra, and how moonshots may evolve in the AI age. If you think your startup is ambitious, wait until you hear what he’s launching next.
Future of Space Economy in the Low Earth Orbit [encore]
Low Earth Orbit (LEO) is no longer just for satellites; it’s the new frontier for manufacturing, energy, and data infrastructure. This session explores the emerging LEO economy, regulatory shifts, and key investment trends. Attendees will gain actionable insight into partnering with space startups, leveraging orbital platforms for Earth-based industries, and preparing for the commercialization of near-Earth space.
Embracing AI for a Better Digital Future
We’re at a crossroads for AI, where the norms and innovations we cement now could define whether AI is additive instead of addictive, inclusive instead of harmful. As AI reshapes digital experiences, leaders must pioneer a new path. Matt can explore how AI works “under the hood” at Pinterest-powering its positivity, personalization for users, and advertiser performance and internal productivity, and how Pinterest charts a different course from other platforms through its vision for tuning AI for good. In a landscape often dominated by “engagement by enragement” models, Pinterest proves that AI can be both powerful and responsible, drive innovation and keep users’ well-being at the forefront.
Everything You Need to Know Before an Exit
Go public, get acquired, or double down and stay private? In today’s unpredictable market, founders need to think about exit strategy earlier — and more strategically — than ever. This panel brings together two top VCs and a seasoned CFO to unpack how to set your company up for every option. We’ll talk timing, metrics that matter, investor expectations, and what it really takes to navigate M&A, IPO prep, or just keep building through the storm. Whether you’re 12 months out or just starting to scale, this conversation is all about making smart moves now for whatever comes next.
October 28th
How to Nail Product Market Fit
Building a product is hard. Building one that has customers chomping at the bit to get it, is priced well and can deliver on its promises is far harder, and always messy. But once you achieve the holy grail of product market/fit, your startup will rocket to growth, funding and success. Hear from a founder who’s lived it and two investors who have helped many others achieve it. This panel breaks down how to test smarter, iterate with intention so you can stop guessing and start growing.
Agentic AI for Startups: Automate, Adapt, and Accelerate Growth
Agentic AI is revolutionizing how startups scale by enabling automation, personalized user experiences, and data-driven agility. In this session, we’ll break down how startups can identify high-impact AI opportunities, build practical agentic AI workflows, and measure outcomes. Using real startup case studies, attendees will gain a hands-on blueprint for integrating agentic AI to streamline operations, enhance customer engagement, and accelerate growth — empowering founders and teams to outpace competition with AI-driven strategies.
Creative Machines and Where AI Meets Imagination
AI is no longer just optimizing workflows; it’s co-creating art, media, and experiences in ways we’re only beginning to understand. Wonder Dynamics CEO Nikola Todorovic joins a panel of creative technologists to explore how AI is reshaping the creative process, blurring the lines between artist and algorithm, and opening up new frontiers for storytellers, designers, and dreamers alike.
Scaling Search and AI for Millions: Lessons from Reddit Search
Let’s talk about what it really takes to build AI at scale in a way that users trust. This conversation dives into Reddit’s approach to scaling Search and ML systems for millions globally—balancing relevance, safety, and bias mitigation. We’ll explore tough questions around community expectations, ethical tradeoffs, and real-world implementation. Bring your startup’s challenges and join a candid, collaborative discussion.
Writing the Future with AI?
What happens when AI learns to write with purpose, personality, and persuasion? Writer CEO May Habib joins us to talk about the evolving relationship between language and machines and what the rise of generative content means for the future of brand, business, and beyond.
Do Startups Still Need Silicon Valley?
While Silicon Valley is still the startup capital, how important is access to it anymore? This panel debates whether founders must plant roots in the Valley to succeed or if opportunity is so strong elsewhere that they don’t need it. Hear perspectives from investors and founders redefining what it means to build, scale, and fund a company in today’s decentralized tech world. While Silicon Valley is still the startup capital, how important is access to it anymore? This panel debates whether founders must plant roots in the Valley to succeed or if opportunity is so strong elsewhere that they don’t need it. Hear perspectives from investors and founders redefining what it means to build, scale, and fund a company in today’s decentralized tech world.
Why the Next Frontier Is Search
In a world overflowing with data, finding what matters is everything. Pinecone founder Edo Liberty unpacks why infrastructure, not algorithms, might be the biggest unlock in AI, and what’s coming next in the race to power smarter applications at scale.
What's Next for Netflix and for Streaming Itself
As CPO of Netflix, Eunice Kim is steering the future of entertainment for hundreds of millions of users. In this fireside chat, Kim will break down how Netflix is evolving its product strategy—from personalized discovery to global growth, from ad tiers to gaming. We’ll explore how Netflix is adapting to a shifting content landscape, what it means to innovate at massive scale, and what design surprises Netflix has up its sleeve. For anyone building consumer experiences, this will be a masterclass.
The Winning Formula: Turning Your Business Into a Trusted, Scalable Community To Drive Growth
Join Kindred Co-founders Justine Palefsky and Tasneem Amina as they share how they turned a high-performing tech platform into a community-led movement that redefined home swapping.They’ll explore the strategic blueprint behind building trust at scale to drive exponential growth to include: Turning members into brand ambassadors through a values-driven approach. Using community as a lever for growth and retention. Building for emotional need, not just technical performance. Justine and Tas didn’t just launch a travel product — they revived an outdated category. This talk is for any founder or operator looking to grow an authentic community with integrity, relevance, and resonance.
How to Train Your Model: Taming AI Agents Without Breaking Them [encore]
Every AI model faces a fundamental tension: make it too harmless and it becomes less helpful, too helpful and it becomes dangerous. This interactive discussion explores real-world decisions in AI training – from constitutional AI to red-teaming strategies and enforcement approaches. We’ll examine case studies of blending safety and functionality, debate steering techniques that preserve model personality, and crowdsource solutions for common training dilemmas. Attendees will leave with frameworks for balancing safety constraints with performance goals, practical approaches to model character development, and strategies for building AI that’s both helpful and harmless.
Intelligence in Motion and the Future of Physical AI
AI in the physical world hasn’t had its ChatGPT moment…yet.. Waabi CEO Raquel Urtasun and Apptronik CEO Jeff Cardenas join us to explore what it takes to bring intelligence into motion, whether it’s behind the wheel or on two legs. From simulation to sensors to scaling safely, this panel explores the breakthroughs driving the next generation of physical machines.
Building What’s Next with the Minds Behind Twitter and Meta
Join Adam Bain (former COO, Twitter), Dick Costolo (former CEO, Twitter) and David Fischer (former Chief Revenue Officer, Meta) of 01 Advisors for an insider fireside chat on what it really takes to build, scale, and fund early-stage startups today. From product to growth to fundraising, get candid advice and fresh perspectives from three industry veterans shaping the next wave of tech success.
Synthetic Voices and Real Impact
From audiobooks to avatars, synthetic speech is having a moment. ElevenLabs is helping lead the charge. CEO Mati Staniszewski joins us to explore what it takes to build AI that speaks like us and how voice technology is reshaping the creative industries, accessibility, and entertainment.
Rethinking Startup Capital Without VCs
VCs aren’t the only game in town. Join us as we explore alternative fundraising paths with an angel investor, a family office vice president, and a founder who bootstrapped to success. Learn how to tap into capital that aligns with your vision, keeps you in control, and gets you to the next stage—on your terms.
The Winning Formula: Turning Your Business Into a Trusted, Scalable Community To Drive Growth
Join Kindred Co-founders Justine Palefsky and Tasneem Amina as they share how they turned a high-performing tech platform into a community-led movement that redefined home swapping.They’ll explore the strategic blueprint behind building trust at scale to drive exponential growth to include: Turning members into brand ambassadors through a values-driven approach. Using community as a lever for growth and retention. Building for emotional need, not just technical performance. Justine and Tas didn’t just launch a travel product — they revived an outdated category. This talk is for any founder or operator looking to grow an authentic community with integrity, relevance, and resonance.
Building Intelligence for Modern Defense
From stealth mode to center stage, Mach Industries is bringing AI into one of the world’s most complex and controversial sectors: defense. CEO Ethan Thornton joins us to talk about what it takes to build in high-stakes environments, where speed and autonomy matter most, and why next-gen infrastructure starts with rethinking the fundamentals.
Driving Intelligence
From self-driving cars to self-learning systems, Alex Kendall is rethinking how machines perceive and act in the world. The Wayve CEO joins us to explore how real-world autonomy is shaping the next chapter of AI, and why breakthroughs on the road may unlock progress far beyond it.
October 29th
From Ads to Films: Creating with Code
Creatives aren’t being replaced, they’re being rearmed. Alejandro Matamala Ortiz, co-founder of Runway, shares how creative work is being reshaped by machine learning, what AI-native tools mean for visual storytelling, and why this is just the beginning of a new creative era.
Preparing Now for Your Later Stage Raise
Raising later-stage rounds takes more than luck — it’s about strategy from day one. Join these 2 exceptional VCs and an experienced founder as they share how to build metrics, storytelling, and relationships that position your startup for future funding success. Learn the key moves that set you up to close bigger rounds with confidence.
AI Evaluation 101: Addressing Challenges to Real-World AI Applications
This session looks at GenAI under the hood, breaking down how neural networks generate language. We discuss challenges to real-world AI deployment, and why evaluation is key to ensuring success. We’ll compare automated, judge-based and human-rated methods for assessing AI performance. Attendees will learn how to build evaluations for their use-cases to assess AI vs. human performance on their tasks.
Scaling Search and AI for Millions: Lessons from Reddit Search [encore]
Let’s talk about what it really takes to build AI at scale in a way that users trust. This conversation dives into Reddit’s approach to scaling Search and ML systems for millions globally—balancing relevance, safety, and bias mitigation. We’ll explore tough questions around community expectations, ethical tradeoffs, and real-world implementation. Bring your startup’s challenges and join a candid, collaborative discussion.
With Vibe Coding, Do Early Stage Startups Still Need to Hire 10x Engineers?
Vibe coding products have completely changed the speed, cost and technical skill needed to build products, from prototypes to shipping. This is especially true for early stage startups. Some makers of these products have even declared that no one needs to learn to code anymore. If so, that means startups don’t need to fill their early rosters with the famed 10x coders. But how much of that is hype and how much is reality? Our panelists will dive into how the developer tool world is changing and what comes next.
Survive, Scale, Reinvent: Lessons from a Cloud OG
Aaron Levie built Box before cloud was cool and he’s still standing while competitors have come and gone. Known for his sharp takes and startup instincts, Levie joins us to unpack how to keep innovating inside a public company, what AI really changes for enterprise software, and why reinvention is the name of the game in tech right now. Expect real talk and a playbook for building companies that last.
AI Evaluation 101: Addressing Challenges to Real-World AI Applications [encore]
This session looks at GenAI under the hood, breaking down how neural networks generate language. We discuss challenges to real-world AI deployment, and why evaluation is key to ensuring success. We’ll compare automated, judge-based and human-rated methods for assessing AI performance. Attendees will learn how to build evaluations for their use-cases to assess AI vs. human performance on their tasks.
Seed Money Secrets Every Founder Should Know
Raising your first round is tough—but far from impossible. This panel brings together experienced investors to break down what it really takes to close a seed round. From crafting the right pitch to ensuring you are greenlighting the right partners, get actionable advice to turn investor interest into capital.
AI and National Security in the High-Stakes Race to Innovate
From defense labs to Wall Street and naval operations, AI is reshaping how countries protect themselves and project power. DARPA’s Kathleen Fisher, Point72’s Sri Chandrasekar, and Navy CTO Justin Fanelli dive into the cutting-edge AI breakthroughs driving security innovation. They’ll discuss what it means for entrepreneurs, investors, and the future of global stability.