TechCrunch Disrupt 2026: Day One Highlights and Agenda

Preface

TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 is underway at Moscone West in San Francisco, bringing together 10,000+ startup founders, investors, and technology leaders for a day of pitches, discussions, and connections. The event spans Startup Battlefield, six industry stages, roundtables, breakout sessions, and an exhibition featuring 300+ startups. Its program explores subjects ranging from artificial intelligence and energy to finance, climate technology, and company building.

This overview reorganizes the Day 1 information into a guide to the event’s formats, featured pitches, sessions, and networking opportunities. It includes the named speakers and organizations in the supplied agenda, as well as practical details such as registration hours and the locations of key activities. Together, these details show how Disrupt brings early-stage companies, established technology leaders, and investors into the same conversations.

Lazy bag

Day 1 combines startup showcases and expert discussions with practical opportunities for founders and investors to meet. Startup Battlefield features early-stage companies in categories including Built World and Sustainability, while speakers examine AI, fundraising, hiring, energy, financial services, and scaling. The program also offers small-group roundtables, an exhibitor hall, dedicated networking spaces, and company-hosted events around San Francisco. Registration takes place at Moscone West, and attendees can use the event app to manage contacts, schedule meetings, and check the agenda. The central theme is the connection between bold technology ideas and the people, capital, and real-world challenges that shape their path to market.

Main Body

Event setting and access. Day 1 of TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 takes place at Moscone West in San Francisco, where more than 10,000 attendees gather to explore startup ideas and meet people across the technology ecosystem. The venue combines conference stages with an Expo Hall, pitch areas, and spaces for scheduled or informal conversations. Registration hours are 7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Attendees can visit the registration desk in the Level 1 lobby to register in person or collect a scannable event badge. The badge uses Klik technology to exchange contact information when attendees scan one another. Contacts can also be accessed and retained through the event app after the conference.

Exhibitors and event formats. The Expo Hall features 300+ exhibiting startups presenting technologies from different industries. The event program includes six industry stages, interactive roundtables, Q&A breakouts, investor-founder meetings, and AI-powered matchmaking. These formats serve different purposes: stage sessions provide talks and panels for larger audiences, while roundtables and breakouts allow participants to discuss particular challenges in more focused settings. The hall also provides a common space for discovering products and starting conversations with founders.

Startup Battlefield and rapid pitches. The Pitch Showcase Stage, at the back of the Expo Hall, hosts short, one-minute lightning pitches from startups representing their home countries and regions. Startup Battlefield is a central feature of Disrupt, described as a “World Series of pitch competitions.” Following review of thousands of applicants, TechCrunch selected the top 20 early-stage startups to pitch to experienced venture capitalists. The competitors are vying for a $100,000 equity-free prize and the Disrupt Cup.

Two Startup Battlefield 200 categories highlighted in the Day 1 program focus on distinct sets of challenges. The Built World category features early-stage companies working in real estate, construction, architecture, smart cities, and infrastructure. Their technologies address the physical environments where people live, work, and spend time. The Sustainability category spotlights companies developing responses to environmental and climate challenges. Areas include renewable energy, carbon capture, circular economy platforms, sustainable agriculture, and clean water. The category’s pitches are delivered in two minutes, asking founders to make a concise case for both the technology and its potential impact.

Featured stage discussions. The day’s agenda addresses both technical developments and the work of building companies. Sessions include “The Startup Battlefield — Space and Physical AI,” with judges Anu Bharadwaj (ICONIQ), Sara Deshpande (Maven Ventures), Benjamin Narasin (Tenacity Venture Capital), Aatish Nayak (Kleiner Perkins), and Michael Palank (MaC Venture Capital). “Building the Impossible” features RJ Scaringe (Rivian), while “The Startup Battlefield — Energy and Manufacturing” includes Caleb Appleton (Bison Ventures), Feyza Haskaraman (Felicis), Sho Sho Leigha Ho (General Catalyst), and Leah Solivan (Precedent.vc).

Other sessions examine AI’s technical and commercial trajectory. “Can AI Keep Scaling?” features Andrew Feldman (Cerebras Systems), and “Beyond Screens” features Max Hodak (Science Corporation). In a live recording of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, the team discusses current startup, venture, and technology developments and what they may mean for founders and investors heading into 2027.

AI, product, and company building. Several sessions look at how AI is changing product plans, hiring, and company strategy. “What Happens When OpenAI Ships Your Roadmap” features Rob Toews (Radical Ventures), Linda Tong (Webflow), and Michel Tricot (Airbyte). “The Rise of Agentic AI: Lessons for Hardware Founders” includes Ziad Asghar (Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.) and Florence Ion (PCMag). Matt Birnbaum (Wylder.co), Ioana Hreninciuc (Runware), and Atli Thorkelsson (Redpoint Ventures) discuss compensation, equity, and retention in “Competing for AI Talent.” Stephan Bitton (Google Cloud) presents “The Builder’s Playbook: What Founders Need to Win the Agentic Era.”

Product-market fit and scale are also on the agenda. “PMF Red Flags: How to Tell If You Really Have It” features Anu Bharadwaj (ICONIQ), Rajeev Dham (Sapphire Ventures), and Rahul Vohra (Superhuman). Robby Stein (Google) discusses product decisions in “From MVP to Billions of Users: How Product Decisions Must Change at Scale.” Sessions on AI and work include “When Machines Clock In,” hosted by NYSE Wired, with Brian Baumann (New York Stock Exchange), Dr. Adam Campbell (Gatik), Samir Menon (Dexterity AI), and Sankaet Pathak (Foundation Future Industries, Inc.). “Hiring When AI Is a Co-founder” brings together Michelle Johnson (Insight Partners), John Koelliker (Leland), and Josh Reeves (Gusto).

Finance, infrastructure, and energy. The agenda considers how AI may affect money movement and financial services. Nikhil Chandhok (Circle), Rodney Robinson (TabaPay, Inc.), and Carlotta (Lotti) Siniscalco (Emergence Capital) appear in “The Future of Money Movement in the Agentic Economy.” “AI, Trust & Verification in Financial Services” features Hannah Bozian (American Express), Pedro Sanzovo (Plaid), and Victoria Zuo (QED Investors), while Abhishek Fatehpuria (Robinhood) discusses the modern financial consumer.

The Smart Systems industry stage focuses on energy and infrastructure. Sessions include “Where the AI Infrastructure Boom Is Creating Winners,” with Ben Longmier (Ambrosia Energy) and Bill Thayer (Bloom Energy); “When the Energy Gets Smart: What Vertical AI Actually Delivers at Scale,” with Deepak Garg (SEW.AI) and Paul Lau (SMUD); and “How Twilio’s Founder Is Tackling the Power Problem,” featuring Jeff Lawson (Twilio). The grid’s changing needs are explored in “Bringing Fusion to the Grid,” with David Kirtley (Helion) and Brandon Sorbom (Commonwealth Fusion Systems), and “Rewiring the Grid for the Electric Age,” with Apoorv Bhargava (Weave Grid, Inc.), Kristin Eberhard (Rewiring America), and Tim Heidel (VEIR).

Breakouts and roundtables. Breakout sessions are located at the end of the Expo Hall and combine expert panels with time for attendees to ask questions. Topics range from “What is Physical AI, Anyway?”—featuring Susan Schofer (SOSV HAX), Parikshit Sharma (SOSV SF), Duncan Turner (SOSV HAX), and Pae Wu (SOSV SF)—to “The New Job of the Data Team is Providing Context to AI,” with George Fraser (Fivetran + dbt Labs). Other discussions cover quantum technology, trust in AI, and the economics of inference. The session “Taiwan Powering the Next AI Revolution: Connect, Invest & Scale” features Michelle Chan (Phison Electronics USA), BoGaun Chen (ITRI International), Erica Lin (ITRI International), and Mingche Wang (ITRI International).

Roundtables offer smaller-group discussion and require pre-registration through the event app. Their subjects include physical AI, IPO preparation, modernizing established industries, commerce, healthcare, enterprise AI, and data for AI training. Participants include Radha Basu (iMerit), Eléonore Crespo (Pigment), Sofia Fatakhova (Chime), Rob Biederman (Asymmetric Capital Partners), Jackson Feder (MetaProp), and Srishti Chaudhary (Walmart eCommerce). Other listed sessions address trusted agentic AI, specialty post-training data, introductions, physical AI in real-world settings, venture fundraising, and cybersecurity. The program names Dr. Maha Achour (Kodamai), Pankaj Kedia (2468 Ventures), Yasser Shaaban (Humain), Dani London (Base10 Partners), Cal Amir (Introduction Lab), Logan Farrell (Rugged Robotics), Austin Yount (Brick & Mortar Ventures), Matt Burns (Insight Media Group), Roman Hölzl (RobCo), Weston Moyer (MVP Ventures), and Stephen Ward (Brightmind Partners).

Networking and events across San Francisco. The Networking Lounge, powered by Signify Business Cash World Elite Mastercard® by Wells Fargo, is open from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Attendees can use the event app to schedule meetings or meet co-founders, investors, and mentors informally. The Deal Flow Cafe opens at 9:00 a.m. and provides founders and investors with a quiet place to talk over coffee. Company-hosted side events extend the conference beyond Moscone West, with the listed evening events including The Irish Shark Tank, hosted by Enterprise Ireland; SafetyWing Happy Hour at Harrington’s, hosted by SafetyWing; and Born2Global Founder Networking Night, hosted by WayFounder.

Overall, Day 1 brings together pitches, expert perspectives, and practical opportunities to make connections. The program ranges from early-stage companies addressing built-environment and climate challenges to discussions of AI, finance, energy, and business growth. Attendees can use the agenda and event app to navigate sessions, register for roundtables, and arrange meetings, while the Expo Hall and surrounding events provide additional places to encounter founders and investors.

Key Insights Table