With TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 in less than 3 days, we’re loading up Moscone West with 200+ can’t-miss sessions — including breakout sessions led by top leaders across the tech and startup ecosystem. Breakout sessions are tailored for hands-on learning and tactical takeaways. These first-come, first-served rooms put you shoulder-to-shoulder with operators, founders, and investors building what’s next.
Don’t miss your chance to pocket ticket savings and join these breakouts! Register now to save up to $444 on your pass, and get 60% off a second before prices increase when event doors open on October 27.
The complete Disrupt 2025 breakout session agenda
The Untapped Opportunity Hidden in Business Workflows
Umair Javed, CEO, tkxel; Marcus Torres, CPO, Quickbase; and Umair Bashir, fractional CTO, Signal
The biggest growth levers often hide in plain sight—inside everyday processes. Learn how to spot and productize “boring” workflow pain points into sticky software that drives ROI and fast payback periods. Perfect for founders hunting wedge use cases in large, legacy categories.
From Vibes to Velocity: How AI Tools Can Help You Achieve Your Development Goals
Tim Rogers, staff product manager, GitHub Copilot
Go beyond demos and put AI to work in your SDLC. We’ll dig into real patterns for using agents and copilots to reduce toil, speed reviews, and unblock teams—without sacrificing code quality or security.
Build First, Fund Later: The Founder’s Guide to Bootstrapping Breakout Startups
Tarun Raisoni, co-founder and CEO, Gruve
Techcrunch event
San Francisco
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October 27-29, 2025
Capital efficiency is a superpower. Learn pragmatic tactics for finding your first ICP, landing lighthouse customers, and funding early growth from revenue—so you raise on your terms.
How to Get Acquired in Tech (Without Selling Out): M&A Tips for Founders and Builders
Aklil Ibssa, head of corporate dev and M&A, Coinbase; and Yonas Beshawred, co-founder and CEO, StarSling
The inside view on readiness, outreach, and deal mechanics—from packaging financials to integration planning—so your company commands premium outcomes without losing the mission.
Fundraising Mistakes That Will Kill Your Round (and How to Avoid Them)
Kamila Khasanova, founder and CEO, On Top Strategy; Sam Li, co-founder and CEO, Thoropass; Ashley Paston, partner, General Catalyst; and Dr. Richard Munassi, Managing Director, Tampa Bay Wave
Four vantage points — comms, founder, VC, and accelerator — break down deal-killers (muddy narrative, wrong metrics, mismatched targets) and the fix-it habits that get to “yes.”
Fundraising Process Workshop with TC editor turned VC Josh Constine
Josh Constine, venture partner, SignalFire
Hands-on teardown of your fundraise: story arc, proof points, data room, and outreach sequencing—direct from a former TC editor who’s seen thousands of pitches.
AI at the Brink: Strategic Playbook for National Security
Daniel Hendrycks, executive director, Center for AI Safety
Where frontier-model risk meets real-world stakes. Practical frameworks for evaluating, red-teaming, and governing high-impact systems when failure isn’t an option.
Startup Lessons You Won’t Find in a Playbook
Santi Subotovsky, general partner, Emergence Capital; and Melissa Wong, co-founder and CEO, Zipline
Unvarnished lessons from scaling enterprise software and consumer ops. Expect real talk on hiring execs, navigating slow sales cycles, and staying alive when the plan meets reality.
Agentic AI for Startups: Automate, Adapt, and Accelerate Growth
Anmol Rastogi, head of product management, AI & ML – Amazon Business; and Anjali Mann, technical program manager, Microsoft
Where agents shine today (and where they break). Patterns to deploy agents in ops, support, and sales while keeping humans in the loop for quality.
Leading for Impact: Engineering at the speed of AI
Eno Reyes, CTO, Factory; and Andrew Berman, CEO, Runlayer; Suraj Patel, vp ventures and corporate development, MongoDB, Dima Dzhulgakov, co-founder, Fireworks AI
Explore how engineering founders are redefining startup leadership, shaping product-driven growth, and building the skills to steer their companies to long-term success with insights from leaders at Factory, Fireworks, and Runlayer.
Rewriting Healthcare Workflows with AI
Zubair Ahsan, co-founder and CEO, Max AI; Kanyi Maqubela, managing partner, Kindred Ventures; and Varun Krishnamurthy, co-founder and CEO, Assured Health
This panel will explore how healthcare organizations are reinventing workflows post-scribes and AI documentation, transforming intake, billing, credentialing, and patient care.
Inside the Family Office Playbook: How the Wealthiest Invest in Startups and Venture Funds
Mariane Bekker, managing partner, Founders Bay; Amanda Daniels, founder, vice president, and investor, 5840 Holdings; Brett Horton, chief investment officer, Paris-Roubaix Group; and Daniel Idzkowski, CIO, I.D.I.T. Family Office
Decoding mandates, diligence, and pacing inside family offices — so founders and emerging managers know how (and when) to engage this growing capital source.
CVC: What’s Different? What’s Their Superpower?
Nicolas Sauvage, president, TDK Ventures
TDK Ventures president Nicolas Sauvage demystifies modern CVCs, revealing how to identify the 20% that deliver strategic and financial value, move with speed, and accelerate founder success.
Startups, Stories, and the Fight for Attention
Jenna Birch, founder, SISU; Allie Cefalo, partner, marketing, Kleiner Perkins; and Chantelle Darby, founder, Darby PR
Cutting through noise with earned, owned, and partner channels. Build a narrative that compounds across PR, social, and community without burning cycles.
Embracing AI for a Better Digital Future
Meghana Dhar, tech advisor and investor; and Matt Madrigal, CTO, Pinterest
Pragmatic paths to deploy AI that users actually love: measurement, safety, and what changes when AI touches every surface area — from discovery to commerce.
Being Heard in the Age of AI
Qianwen Chen, CEO, EchoHer; Fay Kallel, chief product and design officer, Headspace; and Chenxi Wang, general partner, Rain Capital
In a feed saturated by AI-generated content, how do brands, creators, and products still feel human? Tactics for signal, trust, and measurable lift.
Powering AI: The Race to Scale Gigawatts of New Energy
Mike Schroepfer, founder and partner, Gigascale Capital; and Garth Sheldon-Coulson, co-founder and CEO, Panthalassa
This panel will reveal how the world’s largest new energy platform can power AI and share lessons on scaling breakthrough clean-tech from R&D to market.
AI & Agents: Shaping How We Build, Live & Connect
Patrick Murphy, co-founder and CEO, Maket; Alyx van der Vorm, founder and CEO, Clyx; and Jeremiah Owyang, general partner, Blitzscaling Ventures, and Thomas Foley, revenue leader, Composio
Real agent use cases spanning build tools, real estate, and social — plus the infra and product decisions that turn novelty into daily utility.
Discovery to Disruption: Turning Research into Venture-Backable Companies
Pratik Nimbalkar, CEO, Plaid Semiconductors; Jared O, co-founder and CEO, SirenOpt; Chon Tang, managing partner, Berkeley SkyDeck Fund; Asad Tirmizi, CEO, T-robotics
The translational playbook: validating markets, securing non-dilutive capital, and sequencing milestones so deep tech passes VC filters without losing scientific edge.
SOSV: Where Deep Tech is Headed (It’s Not JUST AI)
Westley Dang, principal, Philipp Sander, investment analyst, Po Bronson, general partner, and Sierra Brooks, senior scientist and analyst, SOSV
IndieBioSF investors reveal how deep-tech founders can turn breakthrough science into scalable, world-changing companies in biomanufacturing, materials, energy, and health.
Get in the room before it’s full and prices hike at the door
Break into the rooms where startups level up. Disrupt’s exclusive breakout sessions are first-come, first-served — and open to every passholder. Lock in your spot now, save up to $444 before prices jump on October 27, and score 60% off a second pass while you can. Register now.
