Early Badge Pickup

Women of Tech(Crunch)

Network and connect with female founders & investors attending Disrupt over cocktails and appetizers. BY INVITATION ONLY

Registration Open Hours

Startup Battlefield 200 Sneak Peek

Get your exclusive opportunity to network with the Startup Battlefield 200 founders and get a head-start on identifying the next crop of unicorns.OPEN TO INVESTOR TICKET TYPES ONLY

Live on Stage: TechCrunch's Equity

Join us for a live recording of Equity, the podcast about the business of startups. We’ll unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines, wade through the hype to keep you up to date on the world of business, tech and VC.

How To Build Your Early VC Network: Turning Social Capital Into Financial Capital

If you haven’t heard of Nik, Josh or Gefen, where have you been? They are founders that are not only building very interesting companies but have taken a forward approach toward making noise on social media. We want to dive into how being a public person can help founders build a future public company. This should be a panel that will be not only informative but also lots of fun.

Nik Milanovic

Founder, This Week in Fintech; General Partner, The Fintech Fund,

Joshua Ogundu

CEO, Campfire

Gefen Skolnick

Founder, Couplet Coffee

How to Supercharge Growth, Utilize Cloud, and Reduce Burn @ Breakout Session #2

Building and running a startup has become even more daunting and challenging. How can you build fast while also managing your burn in the current investment landscape? Come hear from successful startups as they discuss:– Personal stories and battle scars in the journey to accelerate scale– Managing volatility and the unknown in a changing investment landscape– The importance of metrics and being smart about how and where you build– Solutions for Bootstrap, Pre-Seed, Seed, and Series A startups and how you can get support and scale up

Martin Mao

CEO & Co-founder, Chronosphere

Karthik Ranganathan

CTO & Co-founder, Yugabyte

Ash Shehryar

Founder, Chief Design Officer, Pronto Media Group

The Great Expectations of Crypto and Blockchain @ Breakout Session #1

The “crypto winter” has sparked debate about the real-world use cases of crypto and blockchain. For the technology to reach its full potential and become truly transformational for consumers and businesses, we need to focus on building useful solutions with viable business models and prioritizing interoperability, transparency, accessibility, user experience and inclusion.Join the Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) and MoneyGram in an important conversation around the current challenges and opportunities in the crypto and blockchain space, as well as a first-of-its-kind solution that creates a bridge between the cash and crypto economies through a global on/off-ramp service for digital wallets.

Denelle Dixon

CEO & Executive Director, Stellar Development Foundation

Alka Gupta

Venture Partner, Fin Capital

Alex Holmes

Chairman & CEO, MoneyGram

Live Pitch Session

HypeFeast: How Hype Fuels the Economy and the Unique Opportunity Startups Have to Take Advantage @ Roundtable #1

We can’t escape “hype.” When we look to the past 30+ years, to the likes of the Beanie Baby craze, the anticipation surrounding Y2K, and our obsession with crypto and NFTs, it’s clear that we’ve become obsessed. And startups especially are known for tapping into our penchant for hype, using techniques like manufactured scarcity to stimulate desire for products. But have companies inflated “hype” to be bigger than the products themselves? At what cost? Is there a better way to harness the power of hype? At this roundtable SYLVAIN Founder and CEO Alain Sylvain, will argue that consumers are the ones who create the hype — brands and their founders just plant the seeds. He’ll discuss a framework for cultivating consumer hype in effective and sustainable ways. And through open discussion, founders will be encouraged to share their experiences with the highs and lows of hype in order to learn from each other.

Alain Sylvain

Founder & CEO, SYLVAIN

Marc’s Lore

Billionaire Marc Lore sold his startup to an everything store, twice. After inking deals with Amazon and Walmart, the Quidsi and Jet.com co-founder has launched Wonder, tackling a common problem, food delivery, in an unconventional way.

Marc Lore

Founder, Chairman & CEO, Wonder Group

My Daughter the Cyborg @ Roundtable #3

In a world of self-driving cars and reusable rockets, we have the technological capability to step-change human health. Marrying human to machine is the next great technological frontier, and for CIONIC Founder Jeremiah Robison a mission that is driven by his daughter’s mobility disability. CIONIC is a bionic clothing company revolutionizing human augmentation, and has created a soft, wearable robot that looks and feels like an athletic legging. It uses AI and Functional Electrical Stimulation to literally move someone’s leg for them. Participants at this roundtable will learn where to begin when innovating at the frontier of human and machine, how to scale a product that’s never before existed, and peek into the future of augmented human mobility.

Jeremiah Robison

Founder and CEO, CIONIC

Three Ways to Leapfrog Your Competition Using Quantum Computing – Without a PhD

Quantum computing is everywhere you look – in mainstream press, tech news, investor newsletters. It’s described as transformational and disruptive; the quantum revolution is coming, and you’re told you will be left behind if you don’t get ahead. But how can someone without a PhD in quantum physics or an organization far from quantum computing research benefit? In this session we’ll give an accessible overview of quantum computing and outline three simple steps for anyone to take advantage of this transformational new technology – no PhD required!

Michael Biercuk

CEO & Founder, Q-CTRL

Bankrolling the Blockchain with a16z Crypto

Venture firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) is the largest and one of the best-known funding sources for web3 startups. Alongside a16z founder Marc Andreessen, general partner Chris Dixon has been integral to the firm’s rise as a giant in the crypto VC world — he was an early investor in startups including Coinbase, Uniswap and Oculus VR. Hear from Dixon about how a16z crypto is putting its massive $7.6 billion pool of capital to work by backing early-stage web3 companies.

Chris Dixon

Founder & Managing Partner, a16z crypto

From IPO Frenzies to Delays: What’s Changing with Equity @ Roundtable #6

The cooling IPO market and changing workforce have founders reshaping their views on how to structure equity compensation plans, provide liquidity to employees, and use equity to attract and retain talent. We’ll have an honest discussion about the shifting dynamics, today’s challenging environment, and ways to address it head-on.

Vieje Piauwasdy

Senior Director, Equity Strategy, Secfi

Turning Start-Up Acquisitions into Success for Legacy Business

Hear from leaders at CDK Global — a standard-bearer of automotive retail software — on why the need to look outside a company for new ideas should be seen as a clear benefit and not a detractor to its core business…and employees. Legacy businesses have deep roots in their respective industries, but acquisitions allow new branches of service and product to sprout in new directions. How can you identify a partner that will allow your start-up to fuel similar growth?

Dave Latham

VP of Product CDK Roadster, CDK Global

Mahesh Shah

EVP and Chief Product and Technology Officer, CDK Global

Breaking Into the Healthcare Monolith: Strategies for working with Payors and Providers @ Roundtable #5

How do you build a health-tech startup that can achieve high growth? What can startups do to make their technologies more compelling to the biggest players in healthcare: payors and health systems? In this session we will discuss the pain points of getting into healthcare, as well as strategies to open doors to these organizations for pilots and sustainable revenue. You’ll leave this round table discussion with a list of best practices from InterSystems’ 40+ years in the healthcare industry.

Neal Moawed

Global Head of Industry Research, InterSystems

How Will I Know? How to Pick the Right Time (and Way) to Launch From Stealth Mode @ Roundtable #2

So, you have a product (or an idea), you’ve got Angels and some early customers, and now you’re thinking about launching. When? And, how? It’s tempting to want to launch ASAP, and lots of companies take that plunge. We took a different approach to launch. We went against the grain by challenging ourselves to be storytellers, building a culture we could be proud of, and selling while in stealth mode. The world shifted in 2020 and so did our strategy. Like lots of early-stage companies, we had to think fast and place some early bets on our go-to-market strategy. We’ll talk about the lessons we learned, how we set goals, built infrastructure, and thought about growing from a 4-person company to a 40-person company, and what we would do differently. Join us for a roundtable discussion with fellow Founders who went against the grain and took a different approach to launch their companies from stealth mode.

Andrej Safundzic

CEO and Co-founder, Lumos

Starting Early: The How-tos of Investing in Student Founders @ Roundtable #4

Melissa will be speaking about the importance of investing in student founders to rescue the future of tech — namely: closing the persistent gender and diversity gap, geographic inequalities and network asymmetries facing founders. At this roundtable we’ll discuss: – Why universities are a crucial touchpoint for transforming representation and diversity & inclusion across VC and startups;– Ways to structure university-based or alumni-focused mentoring programs and accelerators/incubators, to uplift diverse founders and promote a range of business types;– Ways to structure campus-first initiatives like seed funds, alumni angel groups or crowdfunded small business loan programs, to place emerging tech hub cities and growing local ecosystems on the map.

Melissa Li

Head of Community and Managing Partner, Dorm Room Fund

Startup Battlefield 200 Fast Pitch Session

Please join us for soapbox-style pitches from the Startup Battlefield 200 Healthtech companies, hosted by TechCrunch Editor-at-large Mike Butcher.

Meet the Speaker: How to Build Your Early VC network

Join this small group discussion with select speakers in the TechCrunch+ Lounge. *You must have a current TC+ annual or 2-year subscription to access the TechCrunch+ Lounge*

Nik Milanovic

Founder, This Week in Fintech; General Partner, The Fintech Fund,

Joshua Ogundu

CEO, Campfire

Gefen Skolnick

Founder, Couplet Coffee

Networking Break!

Building the Visual Economy Through Developer-Led Innovation

Over the last decade and accelerated by the pandemic, a huge part of the economy has shifted online driven mainly by technological advancements that offer comparable and even better online visual experiences than the physical ones. Unlike shifts that have been driven by executive leadership, this one has been driven by developers and entrepreneurs that have led the way in adopting cutting edge practices. Learn how developer driven innovation through approaches like API-first, headless, and composable architectures can help you engage better, faster and more effectively with your customers.

Saranya Babu

Chief Marketing Officer, Cloudinary

How To Secure Those Hard To Find Hires

Hiring is not easy even in the best of times. With a tight tech talent market and an increasingly remote-friendly — and therefore globally competitive — corporate landscape, founders have never had more places to hire from and more competitors to measure up against. So we’re going to have Chris Herd from Firstbase who is an advocate for remote work and Emil Yeargin, VP of Talent at Gusto, which is not only hiring itself but also helps other companies manage their staff. And Janine O’Neill from Sequoia who knows a thing or not about hiring for startups. We’ll go deep on hiring today with an especial focus on hard-to-fill roles.

Chris Herd

Founder & CEO, Firstbase

Janine O'Neill

Talent Director, Sequoia

Emil Yeargin

Vice President, Talent, Gusto

TechCrunch Startup Battlefield – Session 1

TechCrunch’s iconic startup competition is back, as entrepreneurs from around the world pitch expert judges and vie for the Startup Battlefield Cup and $100,000.

Josephine Chen

Partner, Sequoia Capital

Kanyi Maqubela

Managing Partner, Kindred Ventures

Jordan Nof

Co-founder & Managing Partner, Tusk Venture Partners

Bryan Offutt

Partner, Index Ventures

Ulili Onovakpuri

Managing Director, Kapor Capital

The CPO-to-CEO Pipeline @ Roundtable #8

The product function has never been as important as it is today. As we see it continuously evolve and expand in importance, are product leaders poised to develop into the next generation of CEOs? Join a discussion with advisors who offer their expertise in evaluating future CEOs, hearing how other product leaders have made this transition. Additionally, compare notes with others on what this trend, along with the expanding mandate of the product role, could mean for the function.

Anna Auerbach

Consultant, Egon Zehnder

Karena Man

Consultant, Egon Zehnder

What Happens When We Don’t Have Diverse Voices in the Room to Help Shape the Future? @ Breakout Session #1

Wemimo Abbey, the diverse co-founder behind Esusu, shares the Inspirational story behind his innovative startup and the challenges he and his co-founder faced along the way. As minorities, they encountered unique challenges, and with the help of J.P. Morgan, the founders overcame them to ultimately reach their goals. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion isn’t just a check in the box, why is it so important? In this session we will discuss the benefits of including minority voices in startups and how to ensure DEI.

Wemimo Abbey

CEO & Founder, Esusu Financial Inc.

Leyonna Barba

Managing Director, J.P. Morgan’s Middle Market Banking and Specialized Industries Business, J.P. Morgan

Finding True Love in Tech Partnerships: The Dos and Don’ts @ Breakout Session #2

In a world with thousands of specialized start-ups and companies, how do you select the ones that will best complement your needs, and support your business as it scales? Join us as Stash, Mambu, Marqeta, Mastercard, Stride, and Alloy share tips for finding reliable partners, fostering strong collaboration, and creating dynamic environments for innovation.

Kevin Issadore

Head of Business Development, North America, Marqeta

Brandon Krieg

CEO & Cofounder, Stash

Tim Montgomery

Senior Vice President, North America Digital Partnerships, Mastercard

Chelsea Puckett

SVP of Strategic Payments Systems, Stride Bank

Parilee Wang

Head of Product, Alloy

Ted Westhelle

Senior Manager, North American Digital Sales, Mambu

Design and scale using behavioral science @ Roundtable #1

We are building technology for the future, but have forgotten that our users still rely on a brain that hasn’t changed in 40,000 years. To design and scale successful products, learn how to leverage the power of behavioral science, and cater to the ancient decision maker inside all of us.

Shirin Oreizy

Founder & CEO, Next Step

Democratizing Retail with AI-powered Marketplaces @ Roundtable #3

On the heels of a global pandemic and economic downturn, the fashion and retail industry has demonstrated more than ever a need to be disrupted. Gone are the days of individual brick and mortar stores, with indie designers and small business owners are struggling to adapt to SEO and social media driven growth tactics as consumers live more and more of their shopping online. Queenly’s CTO and cofounder Kathy Zhou will walk the audience through how she’s built a centralized managed marketplace to solve these problems for the growing formal wear industry, including personalized recommendations, domain-specific search engines, as well as creating a tailoring CV and ML data pipeline for a formerly offline industry.

Kathy Zhou

CTO and Co-founder, Queenly

From Capital and Counsel, to Partnerships and Profits: How to Maximize Your Investor Relationships

In today’s market, capital is critical for startups to scale, but founders can also look to investors to open doors to the right partners, and help provide operational services to get you in the right place to build. Hear from Samsung Next alongside one of Entrepreneur’s 100 Powerful Women, a World Economic Forum Tech Pioneer, and serial entrepreneur about how to turbo-charge post-investment support and services.

Daniel Jacker

CEO & Cofounder, ZaiNar

Emily Koster

Director of Communications, Samsung Next

Gloria Lau

CEO & Cofounder, Alpha Medical

Rebecca Liao

CEO & Cofounder, Saga

Winning The War On Ransomware

Ransomware attacks are escalating at an alarming rate. We’ll hear from experts about what winning the war on ransomware looks like and how startups can play their part.

Brett Callow

Threat Analyst, Emsisoft

Katie Moussouris

Founder & CEO, Luta Security

How to Approach Personalization in a Post-cookie World @ Roundtable #4

The personalization industry is long overdue for an overhaul and a change of direction. Between lackluster “personalized” product recommendations and rising concerns about data privacy, customers are losing faith that online businesses have their best interests at heart. At the same time, businesses are trying to figure out the best way to meet these high customer expectations, while also selling their products. Join Alexandre Robicquet as he shares his fresh perspective on how to approach personalization in a way that helps customers find their next favorite products – allowing both consumers and businesses to walk away happy.

Alexandre Robicquet

Co-Founder & CEO, Crossing Minds

Startup Exits: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly @ Roundtable #2

Startup founders and investors work for years to reach a successful exit. After going through five exit opportunities culminating in four acquisitions, Sam has seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. One exit died at the 11th hour. One deal closed but ended up being a bust financially. One deal resulted in five offers. Do you choose the buyer offering tons of stock, or the one offering all cash? Another deal resulted in a 9-figure acquisition, but probably left money on the table. Sam also just acquired a company, so he’s seen both buy-side and sell-side. We’ll discuss salability, due diligence, and the inside story of what worked and what didn’t in order to help entrepreneurs position themselves for the best possible exit.

Sam Wong

Startup Coach & Fractional Founder, Fundable Startups

Speaker Q&A: How to Secure Those Hard To Find Hires

Come with your questions for these expert speakers. With these two we’ll go deep on hiring, with a special focus on hard-to-fill roles.

Chris Herd

Founder & CEO, Firstbase

Emil Yeargin

Vice President, Talent, Gusto

Start Small, Dream Big Luncheon at Disrupt

Every dog has its day. Yours could be today. Join us for lunch, network and make new connections with other startup founders. Grab exclusive swag and snap a few pics in our photo booth. David Stafford, Sr. Director at Dropbox, will share how Dropbox started small, won Startup Battlefield and scaled up. Plus learn how the Dropbox for Startups Program can help take your business from idea to unicorn with the right tools to grow.BY INVITATION ONLY

Networking Break!

Investor Luncheon

Meet and network with fellow investors attending TechCrunch Disrupt at this Investor LuncheonOPEN TO INVESTOR TICKET TYPES ONLY

Where Matters: Building On The Location Layer Of The Internet

Years of pandemic living have made us appreciate ‘IRL’ experiences more than ever before. Recent advances in geospatial technology can meaningfully enhance those experiences – powering personalized push notifications, surfacing rich context about relevant points of interest, recommending top places nearby, and so much more. Join Foursquare’s CEO Gary Little in a sit down with Myriam Joire to discuss the future and best practices of geospatial technology to improve user experiences while preserving consumer privacy.

Myriam Joire

Host and Founder, Mobile Tech Podcast / Managing Editor, Pocketnow,

Gary Little

CEO, Foursquare

Meet the Speaker: How to Create Robust Security Programs for Your Startup

Join this small group discussion with select speakers in the TechCrunch+ Lounge. *You must have a current TC+ annual or 2-year subscription to access the TechCrunch+ Lounge*

Brett Callow

Threat Analyst, Emsisoft

Katie Moussouris

Founder & CEO, Luta Security

Networking Break!

NFTs for Real World Problems @ Roundtable #1

NFTs are still associated to digital files, but in reality they can be used to solve problems around: authenticity, resale and community engagement across art, fashion and even real estate. In this roundtable, we’ll chat about real use cases being developed through alphaa.io for art and luxury goods certification. Including POS integrations for legacy brands shifting paper certificates of authenticity to NFTs, building utility and generating resale royalties. Also how exclusive digital environments and products can be offered through NFTs to loyal followers and fund the production of physical objects and experiences. Creating a tool to empower creators across the board to retain control of their work and fund any project.

Manuela Seve

CEO, alphaa.io

The Secrets of Managing Data for 5,000 Companies @ Breakout Session #1

As a data movement company that powers analytics and operational systems for some of the world’s most innovative brands (like Square, Okta, JetBlue), Fivetran offers a bird’s-eye view into real-world data management challenges. In this session, Fivetran will be joined by a Fortune 500 customer to discuss simple, actionable insights on building a solid data foundation that enables teams and organizations to be more efficient and grow revenue.

George Fraser

CEO, Fivetran

Mark Kidwell

Chief Data Architect, Analytics Data Platform, Autodesk

Why nine out of ten startups fail @ Roundtable #7

Two-time entrepreneur Dheeraj Pandey (former co-founder and CEO of Nutanix and current CEO and co-founder of DevRev) will talk about what he learned from founding a company and taking it to a successful IPO, plus the top reasons why startups fail. He will also share his framework around strategy for founders to attain Product Market Fit (PMF).

Dheeraj Pandey

CEO & Cofounder, DevRev

How to Recession-proof Your SaaS Startup @ Roundtable #3

During economic downturns, resources are in short supply and companies must find ways to reduce costs while continuing to deliver on business goals. In such situations, B2B SaaS companies are in a prime position not to just stay afloat but to find avenues of growth. How? Consuming critical capabilities as SaaS allows for quick and easy scaling of services – net-net, organizations can better utilize their resources for innovation, reduce costs (time, money), and deliver on company goals in times of economic distress. In this roundtable, we’ll discuss why SaaS startups must rethink their strategy during times of economic downturn, and evolve their GTM strategies to focus on revenue growth while reducing their overall TCO.

Haseeb Budhani

Co-founder & CEO, Rafay Systems

How to Evolve Your Business Through Recurring Revenue @ Breakout Session #2

With subscription offerings coming to nearly every vertical from fast food to car manufacturing, it’s clear that subscriptions are more than fad; they’re an evolutionary step every business should consider. Employing an innovative recurring revenue model offers a differentiated customer experience and revenue predictability, thereby increasing business resiliency, which is especially important in uncertain times. Regardless of where you are on your company’s journey, from a startup seeking financing to a late-stage business seeking valuation, your revenue model should be an important part of any business strategy.

Dan Hardman

Managing Director, Co-Head of Technology and Disruptive Commerce Group, JP Morgan Chase

Adam Tesan

Chief Revenue Officer, Chargeebee

Dmitriy Yakubov

Head of Partnerships, Checkout.com

Can Game Streaming Go Mainstream?

As Netflix fights to maintain dominance in the increasingly competitive streaming market, they’re also looking to expand their media ambitions. The streaming giant has tapped former Facebook Gaming head Mike Verdu to charge ahead in the world of mobile game streaming. We look forward to discussing Verdu’s efforts inking publisher deals, testing ideas and looking to make a dent in an unproven market.

Mike Verdu

Vice President, Games, Netflix

How To Raise Dollars When Investors Are More Cautious, The Founder Perspective

While it’s always good to hear from venture capitalists when it comes to dollars and cents, how founders are navigating the capital market is just as important. So we’re gathering Amanda DoAmaral of Fiveable, Sara Du of Alloy Automation and Arman Hezarkhani of Parthean to talk us through what worked for them and how their perspective has been updated in light of the changing economy.

Amanda DoAmaral

Co-founder & CEO, Fiveable

Sara Du

Co-founder & CEO, Alloy Automation

Arman Hezarkhani

Founder & CEO, Parthean

Startup Battlefield 200 Fast Pitch Session

Please join us for soapbox-style pitches from the Startup Battlefield 200 Hardware & Robotics companies, hosted by TechCrunch Hardware Editor Brian Heater.

Navigating Silicon Valley. – OG advice for African founders. @ Roundtable #6

Great product, great traction. New to the Bay Area and looking to raise? Let’s discuss how to navigate creating relationships and building your own network in Silicon Valley.A key part of unlocking funding for underrepresented founders is building relationships and networks. Many still have challenges doing this optimally. What should an ambitious founder from Africa do? Is the experience different from what other founders have been through? Let’s have a very open transparent discussion on how to show up, and build authentic and powerful approaches to Silicon Valley networking. This is a roundtable discussion – come share your thoughts and learn from other perspectives too!

Jake Bright

Venture Partner, Fast Forward Venture Studio

Ayanna Kerrison

Investor, Precursor Ventures

Joshua Ogundu

CEO, Campfire

Ham Serunjogi

CEO & Co-founder, Chipper Cash

Speaker Q&A: How to Recession Proof Your Company

Come with your questions for our expert speakers. Mayfield Fund Partner Ursheet Parikh talks about what he learned from multiple financial downturns as an investor and a founder.

Ursheet Parikh

Partner, Mayfield Fund

Making Venture More Accessible @ Roundtable #2

Has the actual flow of capital and the make-up of teams at VC funds caught up to the press releases and sound bites? Despite increased awareness about the inequities in venture funding, many barriers remain for both women-and POC-led startups seeking financing— and for job seekers hoping to land a coveted opportunity at a VC firm. And while a record number of VCs have shared their intentions to better support underrepresented founders, VC remains an exclusive insider’s club. Meanwhile, as the trend of athlete VCs continues to rise, many of these often diverse investors are leading by example by backing diverse founders and teams. We’ll discuss: – Steps for change– The best ways to vet opportunities.– A playbook for investing in diversity

Ryan Nece

Co-founder & Managing Partner, Next Play Capital

Changing Consumer Behavior & Turning Customers into Advocates @ Roundtable #4

We’re in the third wave of a pandemic and products that have gained product-market fit (or product-market love!) are aggressively looking to scale acquisitions profitably. The emotional connection the best brands out there have developed is through a distinct brand identity and a clear value, but what are some of the underrated growth opportunities? This roundtable discussion will talk about sectors that haven’t changed in almost seven decades and why loyalty programs can improve the status quo. You’ll learn about tried and tested growth strategies for exponential growth, how you can lean into first-party data and differentiated acquisition channels, and why products that fulfill a specific niche can help diversify versus dilute a brand. We’ll discuss when the timing is right to move into other product offerings that can also help scale customer acquisition and growth.

Sofia Laurell

Co-founder and Co-CEO, Tiny Organics

Making Care Actually Work

Cityblock Health has experienced considerable growth on the back of a care model designed to actually meet the recipients of care where they already are, while still satisfying the needs of payers. It seems to be true accessibility in a framework that works with the existing US healthcare infrastructure, but we’ll here from CEO Toyin Ajayi about the work that remains to be done.

Toyin Ajayi

Co-founder & President, Cityblock Health

Famously Overlooked: How Underestimated Founders Survive and Thrive in a Competitive Market @ Breakout Session #1

It has been proven time and again that it is harder for diverse founder and funders to ‘make-it’ in venture. Hear from those who have beaten the odds and succeeded–what it took, how they feel about their success today and what they are doing to lift up others.

Jacqueline Blackburn

Associate, Scout Ventures

Maëlle Gavet

CEO, Techstars

Kristin Kallergis

Managing Director Global Head of Alternative Investments, J.P. Morgan

Tashi Nakanishi

Managing Partner, HartBeat Ventures, CEO, XPV Group

Ali Rosenthal

Founder & Managing Partner, Leadout Capital

From IPO frenzies to Delays: What’s Changing with Equity @ Roundtable #7

The cooling IPO market and changing workforce have founders reshaping their views on how to structure equity compensation plans, provide liquidity to employees, and use equity to attract and retain talent. We’ll have an honest discussion about the shifting dynamics, today’s challenging environment, and ways to address it head-on.

Vieje Piauwasdy

Senior Director, Equity Strategy, Secfi

Gen-Z: Adapting to the Next Generation of Consumers @ Roundtable #1

This roundtable discussion will aim to provide useful insights on Gen-Z consumer trends to have a better understanding on how startups need to position themselves to prioritize the next generation’s needs. As a Gen-Z consumer tech investor, Emir Talu will go over how Gen-Z consumers are responding to emerging industries and how they challenge the established ones to reinvent themselves. Attendees will get to share their own experiences/perspectives on Gen-Z consumer trends and participate in the discussion on which companies they think are doing a good job adapting vs. failing to tailor to Gen-Z’s needs.

Emir Talu

Co-founder & Partner, Pentas Ventures

Getting to Yes and What Happens Next: An Unfiltered Chat with a Top VC @ Breakout Session #2

Over the last decade, Navin Chaddha, 14-time Midas lister & early-stage investor in Lyft, Poshmark & HashiCorp, has led Mayfield as it invested in over 100 inception stage companies in the consumer, enterprise, human/planetary health and web3 sectors. Attend a candid conversation with him to ask your questions and to hear what he looks for when he writes that first check, as well as the key company building steps that come next. He’ll share insights on managing the fundraising process during a downturn, inspiring and convincing VCs with your vision, assembling your board and more.

Navin Chaddha

Managing Partner, Mayfield Fund

HypeFeast: How Hype Fuels the Economy and the Unique Opportunity Startups Have to Take Advantage @ Roundtable #3

We can’t escape “hype.” When we look to the past 30+ years, to the likes of the Beanie Baby craze, the anticipation surrounding Y2K, and our obsession with crypto and NFTs, it’s clear that we’ve become obsessed. And startups especially are known for tapping into our penchant for hype, using techniques like manufactured scarcity to stimulate desire for products. But have companies inflated “hype” to be bigger than the products themselves? At what cost? Is there a better way to harness the power of hype? At this roundtable SYLVAIN Founder and CEO Alain Sylvain, will argue that consumers are the ones who create the hype — brands and their founders just plant the seeds. He’ll discuss a framework for cultivating consumer hype in effective and sustainable ways. And through open discussion, founders will be encouraged to share their experiences with the highs and lows of hype in order to learn from each other.

Alain Sylvain

Founder & CEO, SYLVAIN

Networking Break!

Framing Innovation Through Collaborations Big and Small

Connectivity isn’t a nice-to-have for innovation. It’s mandatory, and collaboration between AT&T and startups at all stages could push the world forward and provide the framework for innovation. Join this session with AT&T CTO Jeremy Legg and a special guest panelist as they discuss the key elements your startup needs to drive tomorrow’s next connectivity innovation breakthrough.

Jeremy Legg

Chief Technology Officer, AT&T

Edna Martinson

Co-founder, Boddle Learning

Clarence Tan

Co-founder, Boddle Learning

Extreme Tech Challenge 2022 Global Finals Highlight Video

Speaker Q&A: How to Raise Your First Dollars When Investors Are More Cautious: The Founder Perspective

Come with your questions for these expert speakers to chat about what worked for them, and how their perspective has been updated in light of the changing economy.

Amanda DoAmaral

Co-founder & CEO, Fiveable

Sara Du

Co-founder & CEO, Alloy Automation

Arman Hezarkhani

Founder & CEO, Parthean

Networking Break!

What the heck is Interoperability Anyways? @ Roundtable #5

In a world where data is commonly available at a coder’s fingertips, why is it so hard to connect to some customers? Doesn’t everyone have APIs we can use to get to data? What is interoperability anyways? Can cloud technologies and data fabrics solve our problems? How can our startups be better prepared to enter the data ecosystems in industries like healthcare, financial services, or supply chain? This round table will give you an overview of what interoperability is, why these established industries interface the way they do, and strategies to make this process less painful as you develop your products.

Neal Moawed

Global Head of Industry Research, InterSystems

Rewiring Founders to Hire for Tomorrow @ Roundtable #6

It’s not news that founders face a lot of pressure to surround themselves with the right talent from day one. But high-growth companies face rapidly evolving needs for talent, and founders may not have received the right kind of training on how to interview candidates or what to look for. How can you ensure that you are hiring not just for right now but also for the future? Two leadership advisors with expertise in executive search for tech start-ups will give insight into the framework they use to evaluate talent as a company scales. As they shed insight on the right strategies for evaluating for a candidate’s future potential, they are also eager to hear from founders: what are your biggest hiring concerns? What do founders feel search firms don’t really “get” about the hiring process?

Anna Auerbach

Consultant, Egon Zehnder

Karena Man

Consultant, Egon Zehnder

Design and Scale Using Behavioral Science @ Roundtable #4

We are building technology for the future, but have forgotten that our users still rely on a brain that hasn’t changed in 40,000 years. To design and scale successful products, learn how to leverage the power of behavioral science, and cater to the ancient decision maker inside all of us.

Shirin Oreizy

Founder & CEO, Next Step

TechCrunch Startup Battlefield – Session 2

TechCrunch’s iconic startup competition is back, as entrepreneurs from around the world pitch expert judges and vie for the Startup Battlefield Cup and $100,000.

Ann Bordetsky

Partner, NEA

Mandela Schumacher-Hodge Dixon

CEO, All Raise

Nisha Dua

Co-founder & Managing Partner, BBG Ventures

Dave Samuel

Founding Managing Partner, Freestyle VC

Lo Toney

Founding Managing Partner, Plexo Capital

How to Build a Tech Team to Hack Government Bureaucracy @ Roundtable #2

Open Government Products (OGP) is an experimental team within the Singapore Government that is built like a modern tech company but works on public sector problems. We’ve managed to eliminate paper forms in the Singapore Government, enabled a 96% vaccination rate for 5.8 million residents, and facilitated the distribution of over 240 million dollars worth of relief aid to citizens. We’ve achieved this impact through rapid prototyping and exploiting bureaucratic vulnerabilities. We’ll discuss the designs and tactics used to shepherd products through bureaucratic obstacles, and how to structure a team to maximize creativity and impact in a constrained environment. The most important problems in our society are often the most bureaucratically defended, but all systems have vulnerabilities. To solve the most important problems we need to learn how to hack this bureaucracy for the public good.

Hongyi Li

Director, Open Government Products, Open Government Products

Founder Fireside: Curated and Forerunner Ventures

The COVID-19 pandemic brought with it a boom in e-commerce. That explosion in online commerce has since tempered, with more folks going to shops than they did during the 2020-2021 period. Does that mean that e-commerce startups are out of fashion? Perhaps not. Curated is taking on online shopping with a mix of curation and guidance that could help it dodge a slowing e-commerce market more generally. We’re sitting down with series founder Eddie Vivas to talk about not only how Curated came to be, but also how the company is adapting to a market that is no longer being shoved in its direction by external forces. Silicon Valley venture hotshot Kirsten Green is joining the fireside to bring the investor perspective into the mix. Don’t miss this conversation!

Kirsten Green

Founder & Managing Partner, Forerunner Ventures

Eduardo Vivas

Co-founder & CEO, Curated

Art of Persuasion: How to Convince People to Work with You @ Roundtable #1

As a founder, the most important lesson that I’ve learned is to master the art of persuasion in order to convince just about anyone to work with you, as well as believe in your capability to execute a vision. In order to get an investor to see your big picture for your company, you have to confidently pitch and convince them that you are worth investing in. In order to get a cofounder to work with you for no pay and sacrifice their current stability, you have to prove to them that you’re a trustworthy partner and that you won’t quit on them when the going gets tough. In order to recruit top talent and build out a team, you have to sell the upside potential of joining early and to inspire them to follow you as their leader. These are all essential interpersonal skills that are often overlooked when the topic of “”what makes a great founder?”” comes up in tech articles, TED talks, podcasts, etc. You often hear about grit and technical skills, but those are ultimately useless if you can’t convince anyone to be on your team. Join this roundtable to discuss tools to gain the unique ability to convince others to be your advocate, and to stick with you til the very end, success or failure, to better equip yourself if you plan on starting a company.

Trisha Bantigue

CEO and Co-founder, Queenly

How Banks and Fintech Startups Can Effectively Co-Thrive @ Breakout Session #2

More than ever before, the future of banking will rely on strategic relationships to create value for customers across a variety of ecosystems. In this session, you’ll hear about a model for engagement that propels speed-to-market and regulatory compliance, ultimately saving fintech startups time and money.

Tomio Geron

Senior Reporter, Protocol

Chintan Mehta

CIO & Head of Digital Technology and Innovation, Wells Fargo

Madhu Narasimhan

EVP, Head of Innovation, Wells Fargo

Robert Siegel

Lecturer in Management, Stanford Graduate School of Business

Traction vs. Funding: The Chicken-or-egg problem for Deep Tech Startups @ Roundtable #3

Amid the funding slowdown, EV battery component maker Natrion raised a $2m oversubscribed seed round in a high-risk, high-competition industry. But it was their third attempt at fundraising: they initially struggled to prove to investors that their technology worked when they needed the capital upfront to actually build it first. Ultimately, they succeeded in not only gaining the backing of industry investors, but high profile investors like Mark Cuban, and they learned some critical lessons about how (and how not to) walk this tightrope. How can deep tech startups differentiate themselves, prove their tech with limited resources, and ultimately still secure strategic investors and partners? Natrion COO Thomas Rouffiac will share the hacks they learned to get their eventual funding, and lead discussions about how other R&D-dependent startups can do the same.

Thomas Rouffiac

Co-founder and COO, Natrion

Saving the World: The Playbook for Building Planetary Health Unicorns @ Roundtable #7

Arvind Gupta is the most successful seed stage planetary health investor with unicorns such as NotCo, Upside Foods, Geltor, and rising stars like MycoWorks and New Culture. When he partnered with the founders of those companies, they were at the stage of being powered by their dreams to save the planet. After investing in 150+ companies with over $6 billion in enterprise value, he has developed a playbook of key steps from inception to a breakout planetary health company. Attend a candid conversation with him to ask your questions and to hear what he looks for when he writes that first check. – How do you build an efficient business that has to move atoms;– How do you grow from scientist to company builder;– How do you turn science into products people love;– How do you evaluate and pick the right business model;– How do you inspire investors to support your idea.

Arvind Gupta

Partner, Mayfield Fund

Using AI to Cut Meeting Costs and Time @ Roundtable #8

Research shows that the immense time we spend in meetings and the lack of tools we have to make them productive is making almost a third of all meetings employees attend “unnecessary”. In the current economic environment wasted meeting time places unnecessary strain on companies’ financials and their employees. This interactive session will highlight strategies organizations can use to save money and time spent on meetings by using AI powered tools.

Sam Liang

CEO & Cofounder, Otter.ai

How to Disrupt Any Industry with Longevity Science: No PhD Required

What is the key to changing the world and invigorating a lagging business? Longevity science. Enhancing human flourishing and the technology that enables it should be a key consideration of any company. The industries that don’t take this to heart are ripe for disruption.Erin Sharoni, Chief Product Officer of FOXO Technologies, will outline why it’s critical for every industry to look at their business through a longevity lens, share the economic and ethical impacts of longevity on all life on the planet, and provide insights for founders, startups and entrepreneurs—regardless of industry—on how businesses can incorporate longevity science into their technology and products. She will be poised to answer questions regarding how longevity science can be used in many industries to enhance the human experience, as well as how FOXO is using it to disrupt the life insurance industry (and who is taking note of their efforts).

Erin Sharoni

Chief Product Officer, FOXO Technologies

How Product Success & Capital Efficiency Go Hand in Hand @ Roundtable #2

As VCs tighten their tickets are start-ups prepared for measures that extend their runway while building a product success model? Learn why European start-ups are better prepared and how you can do more with less.

Emily G.-Cebrián Lombán

Co-founder and CEO, FROGED

Live Pitch Session

The Fintech Scaling Dilemma: When to Expand Across Continents @ Roundtable #4

A growing number of US tech investors are moving into Europe to capitalise on the continent’s startups. While European startups are catching up fast and are starting to close the gap with Silicon Valley, both sides still are looking to crack the code of effective scaling. What can we learn from both perspectives, Silicon Valley and Europe alike? How can you effectively scale your company across countries or even continents? In this session we’ll discuss the scaling dilemma that many fintechs are facing.

Yorick Naeff

Co-founder and CEO, BUX

Networking Break!

What Does Product-Market Fit Mean When Hype Tanks?

Reddit Chief Product Officer Pali Bhat, AngelList CEO Avlok Kohli and Calendly Chief Product Officer Annie Pearl are coming to Disrupt to help founders hone their definitions of product-market fit. The concept, often shortened to PMF, is tricky as it’s not easily defined for all startups at once. But one thing that happens when market sentiment takes a dive is that definitions tighten. So how should founders measure PMF in a more difficult market, from both a fundraising and customer perspective? We’ll find out.

Pali Bhat

Chief Product Officer, Reddit

Avlok Kohli

CEO, AngelList

Annie Pearl

Chief Product Officer, Calendly

How to Recession-proof Your SaaS Startup @ Roundtable #3

During economic downturns, resources are in short supply and companies must find ways to reduce costs while continuing to deliver on business goals. In such situations, B2B SaaS companies are in a prime position not to just stay afloat but to find avenues of growth. How? Consuming critical capabilities as SaaS allows for quick and easy scaling of services – net-net, organizations can better utilize their resources for innovation, reduce costs (time, money), and deliver on company goals in times of economic distress. In this roundtable, we’ll discuss why SaaS startups must rethink their strategy during times of economic downturn, and evolve their GTM strategies to focus on revenue growth while reducing their overall TCO.

Haseeb Budhani

Co-founder & CEO, Rafay Systems

Harnessing Data and Culture at Scale @ Roundtable #1

At the end of the day, great businesses serve two groups. Their customers, and their people. For companies pursuing growth, operational scale, and transformational product innovation, these two groups must be in sync and woven into the fabric of the company and how it makes strategic decisions. At this roundtable, Nylas Co-Founder & CTO Christine Spang will discuss with participants how founders and business leaders can harness the power of their data and their culture in order to make the best decisions possible for their customers and their people.

Christine Spang

Co-founder and CTO, Nylas

Yes, Chief

Chief’s stamp of approval has an obvious allure. The professional network is dedicated exclusively to driving more women into positions of power and keeping them there, charging thousands for a private membership (if you’re lucky enough to get accepted). It’s a pitch that has landed over 15,000 members and, most recently, a billion dollar valuation as of March 2022. At Disrupt, co-founders Carolyn Childers and Lindsay Kaplan will speak to what’s propelled Chief’s growth in just three years, the challenges along the way, and how to strategize something as subjective and elusive as community.

Carolyn Childers

Co-founder & CEO, Chief

Lindsay Kaplan

Co-founder & Chief Brand Officer, Chief

Google Cloud Meet & Greet

Check out our session on How to Supercharge Growth, Utilize Cloud, and Reduce Burn and then bring your questions to our Meet and Greet. Enjoy cocktails and appetizers while chatting with our experts.BY INVITATION ONLY

Answering the Call of Duty

Johanna Faries is no stranger to the world of games. After a stint at the NFL, she led Activision’s esports leagues (the CDL and the OWL) before taking over as General Manager of Call of Duty. It’s one of the biggest video game franchises to ever exist, and she’ll sit down with us at Disrupt just ahead of this year’s launch: Modern Warfare II. We’ll discuss her strategic vision for Call of Duty as a game and as a community, as well as her thoughts on the shifting landscape of gaming and esports.

Johanna Faries

SVP & General Manager, Call of Duty, Activision Blizzard

Meet the Speaker: What Does Product-Market Fit Mean When Hype Tanks?

Join this small group discussion with select speakers in the TechCrunch+ Lounge. *You must have a current TC+ annual or 2-year subscription to access the TechCrunch+ Lounge*

Pali Bhat

Chief Product Officer, Reddit

Annie Pearl

Chief Product Officer, Calendly

Registration Open Hours

Women of Disrupt Breakfast powered by Elpha Bay Area Meetup

Join the women attending Disrupt for networking and a panel discussion on Advocating for yourself and uplifting othersFIRST COME, FIRST SERVED – OPEN TO ALL WOMEN & THOSE WHO IDENTIFY AS WOMEN

Kristina Rudzinskaya

Founder & CEO, Etalon

Gwyneth Borden

Founder & CEO, Remynt

Aravinda Seshadri

Founding Partner, Venturous Counsel, a Professional Corporation

Rachel Sonnenberg

Startup Acquisition: Pilots Lead, Amazon Web Services

Live on Stage: TechCrunch's Chain Reaction

Join us for a live podcast recording of Chain Reaction as we unpack and explain the latest crypto news, drama, and trends, breaking it down block-by-block for the crypto-curious.

The Art of Inclusivity with Kevin Hart

Financial inclusion is multifaceted: you’re fighting up against homogenous networks, deceptive warm intros and the basic need for more fluency across different demographics. There’s an art to it. Comedian and actor Kevin Hart, alongside Mike Elanjian of Capital Connect by JP Morgan and Robert Roman of Hartbeat Ventures, are joining us to talk about these very complexities. Hartbeat Ventures will also chat about their work investing in the likes of Fabletics, C4, Hydrow and Therabody, while JP Morgan will give us a look at how institutions are breaking down barriers.

Michael Elanjian

Head of Digital Investment Banking & Digital Private Markets, J.P. Morgan

Kevin Hart

Brand Partner, Fabletics Men

Robert Roman

President & Co-founder, HartBeat Ventures

Startup Battlefield 200 Fast Pitch Session

Please join us for soapbox-style pitches from the Startup Battlefield 200 Education, HR & Future of Work companies, hosted by TechCrunch Editor Ingrid Lunden.

Building Companies with Longer Time Horizons

Not every startup can generate revenue from day one. From hardware to hard science, some startups take more time to build income streams. How can founders get around revenue concerns in a more conservative funding market? And how do investors weigh risk when it comes to bets that may take longer to pull off? For growing startup categories like robotics and climate, these are not idle questions. We’re bringing Sila’s Gene Berdichevsky, Index Ventures’ Erin Price-Wright and The Engine’s Milo Werner together to share the real nuts and bolts of early fundraising in 2022. 

Gene Berdichevsky

Co-founder & CEO, Sila

Erin Price-Wright

Partner, Index Ventures

Milo Werner

General Partner, Engine Ventures

Acing Venture

Serena Williams is the greatest to ever play the game of tennis, and she’s already made a name for herself as a VC in the tech world. At Disrupt, Williams and her Serena Ventures partner Alison Rapaport will join us to discuss the next chapter of Serena’s career, swapping out the racket for several (hundred) inbound pitch-decks. We’ll talk about their investment thesis, her plans to bring more diversity into tech, and what she brings to the table as a VC.

Serena Williams

Founding & Managing Partner, Serena Ventures

Alison Rapaport Stillman

Founding & Managing Partner, Serena Ventures

Making Venture More Accessible @ Roundtable #3

Has the actual flow of capital and the make-up of teams at VC funds caught up to the press releases and sound bites? Despite increased awareness about the inequities in venture funding, many barriers remain for both women-and POC-led startups seeking financing— and for job seekers hoping to land a coveted opportunity at a VC firm. And while a record number of VCs have shared their intentions to better support underrepresented founders, VC remains an exclusive insider’s club. Meanwhile, as the trend of athlete VCs continues to rise, many of these often diverse investors are leading by example by backing diverse founders and teams. We’ll discuss: – Steps for change– The best ways to vet opportunities.– A playbook for investing in diversity

Ryan Nece

Co-founder & Managing Partner, Next Play Capital

NFTs for Real World Problems @ Roundtable #1

NFTs are still associated to digital files, but in reality they can be used to solve problems around: authenticity, resale and community engagement across art, fashion and even real estate. In this roundtable, we’ll chat about real use cases being developed through alphaa.io for art and luxury goods certification. Including POS integrations for legacy brands shifting paper certificates of authenticity to NFTs, building utility and generating resale royalties. Also how exclusive digital environments and products can be offered through NFTs to loyal followers and fund the production of physical objects and experiences. Creating a tool to empower creators across the board to retain control of their work and fund any project.

Manuela Seve

CEO, alphaa.io

Tech Driven Biology and Chemistry: Solving Science’s Hardest Problems at Scale @ Breakout Session #2

Join leaders in the AI-Driven Drug Discovery market for a fireside chat exploring how to build the next-generation of digital biotech. BigHat Biosciences, Terray Therapeutics and AWS will discuss topics including company building, science fact vs. fiction and the future of medicine. Understand how the intersection of biology and chemistry is enabling new techniques to develop novel therapeutics through the lens of technology. Walk away with insights from startup founders about building and running a startup that are applicable across all industries.

Jacob Berlin

Chief Executive Officer, Terray

Peyton Greenside

CSO & Cofounder, BigHat

Eric Zimmerman

Principal, Healthcare & Life Sciences, Amazon Web Services, AWS

How to Approach Personalization in a Post-cookie World @ Roundtable #2

The personalization industry is long overdue for an overhaul and a change of direction. Between lackluster “personalized” product recommendations and rising concerns about data privacy, customers are losing faith that online businesses have their best interests at heart. At the same time, businesses are trying to figure out the best way to meet these high customer expectations, while also selling their products. Join Alexandre Robicquet as he shares his fresh perspective on how to approach personalization in a way that helps customers find their next favorite products – allowing both consumers and businesses to walk away happy.

Alexandre Robicquet

Co-Founder & CEO, Crossing Minds

Networking Break!

Rivian Grows Up

Rivian emerged from stealth in 2018 with a pair of vehicles that helped it become the buzziest EV automaker since Tesla. The company landed high-profile investors and partners, including Amazon and Ford, and is now publicly traded. Hear from founder and CEO RJ Scaringe about the company’s challenges with production bottlenecks, supply chain constraints, and layoffs as he leads the company into the electric future.

RJ Scaringe

Founder & CEO, Rivian

Speaker Q&A: Building Companies with Longer Time Horizons

Come with your questions for these experts speakers to chat about the real nuts and bolts of early stage fundraising in 2022.

Gene Berdichevsky

Co-founder & CEO, Sila

Erin Price-Wright

Partner, Index Ventures

Love What You Do: Lessons from the Passion Economy @ Roundtable #4

In this roundtable session, Robin Åström, Co-founder and CEO of influencer marketing platform and agency Wehype, will lead a discussion on how the passion economy has democratized the ability to make money from creativity (and at scale), and the importance of startup founders operating within industries that they are genuinely, deeply passionate about. Robin will draw on his experience of turning his gaming obsession into a competitive edge, after identifying and filling a gap in the gaming influencer market with co-founders he met playing Counter-Strike as a teenager. Their love of gaming has provided them with the extra motivation to overcome challenges, enabling them to build Wehype into a rapidly growing and profitable business, working with some of the world’s biggest brands, including EA, Microsoft and Ubisoft.

Robin Åström

Co-founder and CEO, Wehype

Why African Tech Needs Venture Studios @ Roundtable #9

Could venture studios deliver superior results when it comes to providing entrepreneurial solutions to hard problems in Africa?Entrepreneurship is about risk. The Venture Studio model claims to reduce that risk and maximize the learnings and may be even important in emerging markets where uncertainty is higher and a deep understanding of context and people is necessary. Studios around the world are getting a 34% exit rate VS 21% for Accelerators and 19% for the average venture industry. Is Africa ripe for venture studios, given the increase in back-able and experienced operators who are looking to launch companies. Let’s discuss how this model can be utilized for rapid introduction of new market models and opportunities. This is a roundtable discussion – come share your thoughts and learn from others.

Omolara Ajele

Operating Partner, Fast Forward Venture Studio

Idris Bello

Founding Partner, LoftyInc Capital Management

Kelvin Umechukwu

CEO & Cofounder, Bumpa

What The Heck Is Interoperability Anyways? @ Roundtable #5

In a world where data is commonly available at a coder’s fingertips, why is it so hard to connect to some customers? Doesn’t everyone have APIs we can use to get to data? What is interoperability anyways? Can cloud technologies and data fabrics solve our problems? How can our startups be better prepared to enter the data ecosystems in industries like healthcare, financial services, or supply chain? This round table will give you an overview of what interoperability is, why these established industries interface the way they do, and strategies to make this process less painful as you develop your products.

Neal Moawed

Global Head of Industry Research, InterSystems

From IPO Frenzies to Delays: What’s Changing with Equity @ Roundtable #6

The cooling IPO market and changing workforce have founders reshaping their views on how to structure equity compensation plans, provide liquidity to employees, and use equity to attract and retain talent. We’ll have an honest discussion about the shifting dynamics, today’s challenging environment, and ways to address it head-on.

Vieje Piauwasdy

Senior Director, Equity Strategy, Secfi

All Weather Marketing: How to Weather the Storm and Win Market Share

Marketers have always needed to make good decisions, but marketers especially in today’s environment. They are being told to cut, pause, or change advertising campaigns…but is there any data to support those recommendations? We believe the short answer is “no” and there is strong evidence to the contrary. In this session, we will arm you with research and approaches to make the case for driving growth in any economic situation. Plus, we’ll have a fireside chat on how startups and founders are capitalizing on the growth opportunity.

Daniel Day

Head of Marketing, Monte Carlo

Ruby James

Manager, Startups, LinkedIn

Gyanda Sachdeva

VP, Product Management, LinkedIn

Taking the BS Out of Your TAM

A common refrain from venture capitalists last year was that software valuations weren’t too high, as the TAM, or total addressable market for tech companies, was simply larger than folks had originally thought. Sure, but some of those startups are now stuck comparing high burn rates with future TAM. So how should founders and their backers really think about TAM to avoid fooling themselves or their colleagues? Upfront Ventures’ Kara Norton, Felicis’ Aydin Senkut and Lux Captial’s Deena Shakir will tell us.

Kara Nortman

Partner, Upfront Ventures

Aydin Senkut

Founder & Managing Partner, Felicis

Deena Shakir

Partner, Lux Capital

Expand To New Platforms and Take your Games Direct-to-Consumer

Many of the industry’s top video game companies are putting more resources into going direct-to-consumers. The benefits are great, but so are the obstacles. Walled gardens are evolving, user acquisition costs are rising, and the value proposition of platforms is changing against this challenging backdrop. Whether you’re looking to expand your own video game business or simply curious about what lies ahead for the business of games, then this session will provide some valuable bits of information supported by real-world data and examples.

Chris Hewish

President, Xsolla

Startup Battlefield – Session 3

TechCrunch’s iconic startup competition is back, as entrepreneurs from around the world pitch expert judges and vie for the Startup Battlefield Cup and $100,000.

Jamison Hill

Partner, Base10 Partners

Charles Hudson

Founder & Managing Partner, Precursor Ventures

Dave Munichiello

General Partner, GV

Emmalyn Shaw

Co-founder & Managing Partner, Flourish Ventures

Milo Werner

General Partner, Engine Ventures

Accessibility in Startups – What does being inclusive really mean? @ Breakout Session #1

People with disabilities face unique barriers and deal with systemic discrimination akin to other underrepresented groups, creating the greatest untapped resource globally. Yet the lived experiences of people with disabilities make them innately adept entrepreneurs and team members, with diverse perspectives that foster innovation and inclusion at startups. In this session, we will address the following questions and more: How can we create opportunities to harness the innate entrepreneurial skills of disabled people? Why is it important to include board/team members with disabilities? Why is it critical for startups to consider accessibility and inclusion when developing their products and services?

Beth Daly Torres

Executive Director in the Office of Disability Inclusion, J.P. Morgan

Diego Mariscal

Founder & CEO, 2Gether-International

Alton McDowell

Managing Director – MM Specialized Industries Industry Verticals, J.P. Morgan

How to Achieve Product Market Fit (PMF)? @ Breakout Session #2

Nine out of ten startups fail, a significant amount due to a lack of Product Market Fit (PMF). In this session, serial entrepreneur Dheeraj Pandey (former Nutanix CEO and Adobe Board member) and the founding members of the DevRev team will discuss achieving PMF with today’s tools and technology. Every attendee will also get free access to DevRev and resources for attaining PMF with examples and live walkthroughs. Reserve your seat early before space runs out.

Madhukar Kumar

Head of Growth, DevRev, Inc.

Michael Machado

Head of Product, DevRev, Inc.

Dheeraj Pandey

CEO & Cofounder, DevRev

Rewiring Founders to Hire for Tomorrow @ Roundtable #8

It’s not news that founders face a lot of pressure to surround themselves with the right talent from day one. But high-growth companies face rapidly evolving needs for talent, and founders may not have received the right kind of training on how to interview candidates or what to look for. How can you ensure that you are hiring not just for right now but also for the future? Two leadership advisors with expertise in executive search for tech start-ups will give insight into the framework they use to evaluate talent as a company scales. As they shed insight on the right strategies for evaluating for a candidate’s future potential, they are also eager to hear from founders: what are your biggest hiring concerns? What do founders feel search firms don’t really “get” about the hiring process?

Anna Auerbach

Consultant, Egon Zehnder

Kristen Burke

Consultant, Egon Zehnder

Karena Man

Consultant, Egon Zehnder

How Will I Know? How to Pick the Right Time (and Way) to Launch from Stealth Mode @ Roundtable #1

So, you have a product (or an idea), you’ve got Angels and some early customers, and now you’re thinking about launching. When? And, how? It’s tempting to want to launch ASAP, and lots of companies take that plunge. We took a different approach to launch. We went against the grain by challenging ourselves to be storytellers, building a culture we could be proud of, and selling while in stealth mode. The world shifted in 2020 and so did our strategy. Like lots of early-stage companies, we had to think fast and place some early bets on our go-to-market strategy. We’ll talk about the lessons we learned, how we set goals, built infrastructure, and thought about growing from a 4-person company to a 40-person company, and what we would do differently. Join us for a roundtable discussion with fellow Founders who went against the grain and took a different approach to launch their companies from stealth mode.

Andrej Safundzic

CEO and Co-founder, Lumos

Scaling Responsibly: Walking the Talk on ESG and DEI @ Roundtable #5

Organizations with a real and transparent commitment to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) have become increasingly attractive to both investors and customers. But with such a wide range of possible approaches and solutions, it can be daunting for organizations to decide where to focus first. We’ll share insights and examples from a few companies who are blazing bold trails in ESG and diversity, and we’re equally keen to hear what you’re implementing, or thinking about trying. Let’s riff off of each other’s experiences and brainstorm ways to better support both people and the planet as we scale.

Margaret Glover-Campbell

COO, Virtual Gurus

Web3, Crypto, Blockchain – Unlocking Prosperity for Tech and Creative Industries in Africa @ Roundtable #7

Crypto adoption is highest in Africa than any other continent. What are the drivers, insights and opportunities for crypto in the region?Kenya, Nigeria, SouthAfrica, Togo are among top 10 economies using crypto according to Chainalysis’ Global Crypto Adoption Index. What does this mean for growth on the continent? How can the core value proposition of cryptocurrency and blockchain – decentralization, trust systems, immutability and programmatic nature be used to create and unlock value in Africa and for Africa? How does it increase cross-border trade, help creatives monetize more, and allow self-governing systems to remove current inefficiencies in African markets?In the same vein, how can we preserve value for crypto adopters in Africa – especially for the poorest people on the continent. What safeguards need to be put in place? This is a roundtable discussion – come share your thoughts and learn from others.

Brylan Donaldson

CEO & Co-founder, 7th Ave

Erik Hersman

Founder, BRCK

Guled Yousef

Web3 Angel Investor & Product Lead, Defi Pulse

What The Startup World is Really Like For Underrepresented People

EBIT margins for companies with diverse management teams were nearly 10% higher than for companies with below-average management diversity. So how can we support diverse founders? From VC investments to building management teams, what should your approach to diversity and inclusion be? This panel will offer insights based on real experiences as under-represented founders and investors.

Sheena Allen

CEO & Founder, CapWay

Medha Agarwal

Partner, Redpoint

Tomas Campos

CEO & Cofounder, Spinwheel

Roxanne Petraeus

CEO & Cofounder, Ethena

How To Raise In 2022 If You Are Not Located In A Major Hub

Sure, you no longer have to be located in Silicon Valley — let alone California — to build a startup or raise money. But there are still areas where there are more venture capitalists per square mile and areas where there are fewer. To get to grips on raising outside of traditional startup hubs, we’re bringing together VCs who either live and invest, or simply invest in more up-and-coming geographies. Mike Asem of M25, Rich Wong of Accel, and Hustle Fund’s Elizabeth Yin are joining us for this particular chat. It’s going to rock.

Mike Asem

General Partner, M25

Rich Wong

Partner, Accel

Elizabeth Yin

Co-Founder & General Partner, Hustle Fund

Changing Consumer Behavior & Turning Customers into Advocates @ Roundtable #4

We’re in the third wave of a pandemic and products that have gained product-market fit (or product-market love!) are aggressively looking to scale acquisitions profitably. The emotional connection the best brands out there have developed is through a distinct brand identity and a clear value, but what are some of the underrated growth opportunities? This roundtable discussion will talk about sectors that haven’t changed in almost seven decades and why loyalty programs can improve the status quo. You’ll learn about tried and tested growth strategies for exponential growth, how you can lean into first-party data and differentiated acquisition channels, and why products that fulfill a specific niche can help diversify versus dilute a brand. We’ll discuss when the timing is right to move into other product offerings that can also help scale customer acquisition and growth.

Sofia Laurell

Co-founder and Co-CEO, Tiny Organics

From IPO Frenzies to Delays: What’s Changing with Equity @ Roundtable #6

The cooling IPO market and changing workforce have founders reshaping their views on how to structure equity compensation plans, provide liquidity to employees, and use equity to attract and retain talent. We’ll have an honest discussion about the shifting dynamics, today’s challenging environment, and ways to address it head-on.

Vieje Piauwasdy

Senior Director, Equity Strategy, Secfi

Scaling Responsibly: Walking the Talk on ESG and DEI @ Roundtable #5

Organizations with a real and transparent commitment to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) have become increasingly attractive to both investors and customers. But with such a wide range of possible approaches and solutions, it can be daunting for organizations to decide where to focus first. We’ll share insights and examples from a few companies who are blazing bold trails in ESG and diversity, and we’re equally keen to hear what you’re implementing, or thinking about trying. Let’s riff off of each other’s experiences and brainstorm ways to better support both people and the planet as we scale.

Margaret Glover-Campbell

COO, Virtual Gurus

Live Pitch Session

Speaker Q&A: How to Build Customer-centric Products

Come with your questions for our expert speakers. Khosla Ventures’ Sandhya Venkatachalam is chatting about how startups can keep their focus on the product.

Sandhya Venkatachalam

Partner, Khosla Ventures

Pricing for Competitive Advantage @ Roundtable #3

Price is a startup’s most important tool for positioning and growth, yet 85% of companies (even the big ones) have sub-optimal pricing strategies. In this session we’ll discuss how to approach value-based pricing and answer your questions about how to price a startup for competitive advantage and growth.

Andy Rooks

Founder, Price Theory

Meet the Speaker: Taking the BS out of your TAM

Join this small group discussion with select speakers in the TechCrunch+ Lounge. *You must have a current TC+ annual or 2-year subscription to access the TechCrunch+ Lounge*

Deena Shakir

Partner, Lux Capital

Aydin Senkut

Founder & Managing Partner, Felicis

Networking Break!

After the Boom: What’s Next for the Space Economy

An unprecedented decade of growth and investment has carried the space industry to ever greater heights. Today, the changed funding landscape and uncertain global economic outlook pose new challenges for space operators looking to turn their innovative technologies and concepts into sustainable businesses.Join space leaders from the across the industry as they discuss what lies on the other side of this economic turbulence and the role government can play as a non-equity investor supporting development of critical technologies in the national interest.

Tess Hatch

Partner, Bessemer Venture Partners

Steve Isakowitz

President & CEO, The Aerospace Corporation

Pete Muend

Director, Commercial Systems Program Office, National Reconnaissance Office

Melanie Stricklan

CEO & Co-founder, Slingshot Aerospace

Meet the Speaker: How to Raise in 2022 If You're Not Located in a Major Hub

Join this small group discussion with select speakers in the TechCrunch+ Lounge. *You must have a current TC+ annual or 2-year subscription to access the TechCrunch+ Lounge*

Mike Asem

General Partner, M25

Networking Break!

Hacking Hiring: How to Build an A-team without a Budget of a Large Corporation @ Roundtable #1

Success of your company depends on your ability to hire and retain talent, however, hiring has become an immensely complex and expensive process. How can you as a startup founder build an A-team without a budget of a large corporation? We’ll discuss some of the recent trends, research findings and founder lessons to help you answer that question. – How to create a job description that would stand out amongst thousands of others – How to hire people from top companies – How to balance different seniority levels – What startup founders need to know about hiring Gen Z – What psychological principles to keep in mind to build an A-team

Anna Buldakova

Co-founder and CEO, Vektor AI

The Value of Flat Wins @ Roundtable #3

Founding a business can be one of the most rewarding and gratifying things a person does, but there will always be difficult challenges that need overcoming. By adopting the concept of flat wins – celebrating when you find a solution and returning to where you started after a period of difficulty – within your operations, you can stay on track and push through the obstacles you’re facing. In this roundtable session, Alex Hersham, CEO and Co-Founder of Zencargo, will lead a discussion about how flat wins have shaped his mentality and created resilience in his mindset as a founder. – What a flat win is, and the psychology behind them – Examples of how flat wins have shaped his career and the success of his company – How flat wins can create resilience not just in founders, but across entire companies – How flat wins can drive value for your business

Alex Hersham

Co-founder and CEO, Zencargo

Live Pitch Session

Harnessing Data and Culture at Scale @ Roundtable #2

At the end of the day, great businesses serve two groups. Their customers, and their people. For companies pursuing growth, operational scale, and transformational product innovation, these two groups must be in sync and woven into the fabric of the company and how it makes strategic decisions. At this roundtable, Nylas Co-Founder & CTO Christine Spang will discuss with participants how founders and business leaders can harness the power of their data and their culture in order to make the best decisions possible for their customers and their people.

Christine Spang

Co-founder and CTO, Nylas

Fintechs Walking the Line: Ecosystems, Symbiotic Relationships With Banks, and What’s Next @ Breakout Session #1

We’ve reached the third wave of Fintech. First came competing with the banks to disrupt the market and deliver better financial services. Then with fintech 2.0 banks wanted to utilize, invest and even purchase innovators who could add value to their customer experience. Now we’re walking into the world of ecosystems, symbiotic relationships between banks, fintechs and the fintech giants. As a startup or growing fintech company, join us at this discussion to find out which relationships really matter and what support you should be expecting from the ecosystem – which arguably is built around you.

Kevin Kollar

SVP Growth Verticals, FIS

Ysbrant Marcelis

Development Partner, Commerce Ventures

Dylan Massey

CEO, Interchecks

Stephane Wyper

SVP Venture Investments, FIS Impact Ventures, FIS

Look Beyond the Survey to Capture the True Voice of the Customer @ Breakout Session #2

Global companies spend $90B a year on analytics and surveys trying to understand customers’ expectations and decisions. How can companies shift their perspective away from cold, transactional data to the truth behind what’s on customers’ minds now to better understand their purchase decisions? Join the CEO of Worthix who will detail case studies and give you tips on how you can use AI-powered, Voice of the Customer technology to help streamline your interation process to better follow what your customers want from your business.

Guilherme Cerqueira

Founder & CEO, Worthix

How OnlyFans Changed the Internet’s Oldest Industry

Nothing drives tech innovation like sex. But after earning billions in revenue and providing stable income to thousands of adult creators, OnlyFans dropped a bombshell: it would ban porn. After creator backlash, those plans didn’t last long — the founding CEO stepped down, and now, Amrapali Gan and Keily Blair are in charge. Hear from these newly installed execs about what their leadership means for OnlyFans.

Keily Blair

Chief Strategy & Operations Officer (CSOO), OnlyFans

Ami Gan

CEO, OnlyFans

Breaking Into the Healthcare Monolith: Strategies for working with Payors and Providers @ Roundtable #9

How do you build a health-tech startup that can achieve high growth? What can startups do to make their technologies more compelling to the biggest players in healthcare: payors and health systems? In this session we will discuss the pain points of getting into healthcare, as well as strategies to open doors to these organizations for pilots and sustainable revenue. You’ll leave this round table discussion with a list of best practices from InterSystems’ 40+ years in the healthcare industry.

Neal Moawed

Global Head of Industry Research, InterSystems

How to Build a Tech Team to Hack Government Bureaucracy @ Roundtable #4

Open Government Products (OGP) is an experimental team within the Singapore Government that is built like a modern tech company but works on public sector problems. We’ve managed to eliminate paper forms in the Singapore Government, enabled a 96% vaccination rate for 5.8 million residents, and facilitated the distribution of over 240 million dollars worth of relief aid to citizens. We’ve achieved this impact through rapid prototyping and exploiting bureaucratic vulnerabilities. We’ll discuss the designs and tactics used to shepherd products through bureaucratic obstacles, and how to structure a team to maximize creativity and impact in a constrained environment. The most important problems in our society are often the most bureaucratically defended, but all systems have vulnerabilities. To solve the most important problems we need to learn how to hack this bureaucracy for the public good.

Hongyi Li

Director, Open Government Products, Open Government Products

How To Compete Without Losing Your Mind Or Runway When Cash Is Expensive

We love a competitive startup category here at TechCrunch. Watching startups go head to head is fascinating and illuminating. But for startups in hot sectors with big markets, competing can be very expensive. So how should startups that have incumbents to take on, other startups to best, or both, approach the balance between growth and spend this year? We’re gathering Anthemis Partner Ruth Foxe Blader, Ramp Co-founder & CEO Eric Glyman and Airbase Founder & CEO Thejo Kote to help guide more early-stage founders.

Ruth Foxe Blader

Partner, Anthemis

Eric Glyman

Co-founder & CEO, Ramp

Thejo Kote

Founder & CEO, Airbase

Startup Battlefield 200 Fast Pitch Session

Please join us for soapbox-style pitches from the Startup Battlefield 200 Fintech, Blockchain, Space & Security companies, hosted by TechCrunch Writer Devin Coldewey.

Speeding Up Crypto

Launched in 2020, Solana gained worldwide renown for being one of the fastest blockchains with a rapidly growing developer ecosystem. It’s arguably the best-known of the “Ethereum Killers” because of its speed and low transaction cost, but its rise has not been without hurdles. Hear from its creator Anatoly Yakovenko about the opportunities and challenges ahead as Solana seeks to take web3 to mobile devices in a push for mass adoption.

Anatoly Yakovenko

Co-founder, Solana & CEO, Solana Labs

Delivering Value & Driving Pipeline: How B2B Marketers Can Tackle Both @ Roundtables #5, 6, 7, and 8

Continuing the conversation from the main stage, join us for an open discussion about the challenges startup marketers face while accelerating growth for their business. The forum will dive deep into topics like how marketers can deliver value to stakeholders, why sales and marketing alignment is critical for scaling, and why audience analysis is now a key competency for marketers. We’ll talk about finding your customers, establishing credibility, differentiating your company, and most importantly, driving pipeline growth.

Dan Horowitz

Senior Director, LinkedIn

Ruby James

Manager, Startups, LinkedIn

Tom Eschbacher

Director, New and Emerging Business, LinkedIn

Kate Kamel

Director, Growth, LinkedIn

The Value of Flat Wins @ Roundtable #3

Founding a business can be one of the most rewarding and gratifying things a person does, but there will always be difficult challenges that need overcoming. By adopting the concept of flat wins – celebrating when you find a solution and returning to where you started after a period of difficulty – within your operations, you can stay on track and push through the obstacles you’re facing. In this roundtable session, Alex Hersham, CEO and Co-Founder of Zencargo, will lead a discussion about how flat wins have shaped his mentality and created resilience in his mindset as a founder. – What a flat win is, and the psychology behind them – Examples of how flat wins have shaped his career and the success of his company – How flat wins can create resilience not just in founders, but across entire companies – How flat wins can drive value for your business

Alex Hersham

Co-founder and CEO, Zencargo

My daughter the Cyborg @ Roundtable #1

In a world of self-driving cars and reusable rockets, we have the technological capability to step-change human health. Marrying human to machine is the next great technological frontier, and for CIONIC Founder Jeremiah Robison a mission that is driven by his daughter’s mobility disability. CIONIC is a bionic clothing company revolutionizing human augmentation, and has created a soft, wearable robot that looks and feels like an athletic legging. It uses AI and Functional Electrical Stimulation to literally move someone’s leg for them. Participants at this roundtable will learn where to begin when innovating at the frontier of human and machine, how to scale a product that’s never before existed, and peek into the future of augmented human mobility.

Jeremiah Robison

Founder and CEO, CIONIC

Networking Break!

Solving the Supply Chain Crisis with Autonomous Trucks

From pandemics to worker shortages to seized-up ports, global disruptions have exposed the fragility of the supply chain. Transforming a centuries-old industry isn’t easy and doesn’t happen overnight but TuSimple is building a new kind of supply chain, called the Autonomous Freight Network (AFN) to help us get the food, medicine, and gadgets we need safely, with a lower carbon footprint, and at a lower cost. Learn how your startup can benefit from integrating your technology into the AFN or by using autonomous freight capacity to help mitigate impact to your business against outside forces.

Xiaodi Hou

CEO, TuSimple

Speaker Q&A: How to Compete without Losing Your Mind and Runway When Cash is Expensive

Come with your questions for these experts speakers to chat about how should startups that have incumbents to take on, other startups to best, or both, approach the balance between growth and spend this year?

Thejo Kote

Founder & CEO, Airbase

Ruth Foxe Blader

Partner, Anthemis

Meet the Speaker: How to Operate at Scale

Join this small group discussion with select speakers in the TechCrunch+ Lounge. *You must have a current TC+ annual or 2-year subscription to access the TechCrunch+ Lounge*

Eric Glyman

Co-founder & CEO, Ramp

Pricing for Competitive Advantage @ Roundtable #4

In this session we’ll discuss how to approach value-based pricing and answer your questions about how to price a startup for competitive advantage and growth.

Andy Rooks

Founder, Price Theory

Trust as the New Currency in Tech @ Roundtable #9

“Trust dies, but mistrust blossoms.” -SophoclesThe conversation around data privacy has evolved to one that includes the concept of trust, and today’s start-ups have the benefit of hindsight when it comes to avoiding the mistakes that big tech made in years past when prioritizing growth over customer privacy. How do you learn from the mistakes and missteps of tech pioneers who have not kept trust at the forefront of their mission? How do you build trust into your processes from the beginning and then maintain it as an important pillar of your mission as you scale and grow?Our leadership advisory team wants to hear from attendees passionate about data security about how the conversation needs to change. What future challenges could there be to data privacy in your industry that you should be planning for today? And how you engage with your customers. How do you make things right with customers when things go wrong?

Anna Auerbach

Consultant, Egon Zehnder

Kristen Burke

Consultant, Egon Zehnder

Karena Man

Consultant, Egon Zehnder

Networking Break!

Art of Persuasion: How to Convince People to Work with You @ Roundtable #2

As a founder, the most important lesson that I’ve learned is to master the art of persuasion in order to convince just about anyone to work with you, as well as believe in your capability to execute a vision. In order to get an investor to see your big picture for your company, you have to confidently pitch and convince them that you are worth investing in. In order to get a cofounder to work with you for no pay and sacrifice their current stability, you have to prove to them that you’re a trustworthy partner and that you won’t quit on them when the going gets tough. In order to recruit top talent and build out a team, you have to sell the upside potential of joining early and to inspire them to follow you as their leader. These are all essential interpersonal skills that are often overlooked when the topic of “”what makes a great founder?”” comes up in tech articles, TED talks, podcasts, etc. You often hear about grit and technical skills, but those are ultimately useless if you can’t convince anyone to be on your team. Join this roundtable to discuss tools to gain the unique ability to convince others to be your advocate, and to stick with you til the very end, success or failure, to better equip yourself if you plan on starting a company.

Trisha Bantigue

CEO and Co-founder, Queenly

Startup Battlefield – Session 4

TechCrunch’s iconic startup competition is back, as entrepreneurs from around the world pitch expert judges and vie for the Startup Battlefield Cup and $100,000.

Peter A Boyce ll

Founder & Managing Partner, Stellation Capital

Nicole Johnson

Partner, Forerunner Ventures

Alison Rapaport Stillman

Founding & Managing Partner, Serena Ventures

Maryanna Saenko

Co-founder, Future Ventures

Pae Wu

General Partner, SOSV & CTO, IndieBio, SOSV

Speaker Q&A: How to Get into Y Combinator

Come with your questions for Anu Hariharan of YC to talk about the giant accelerator.

Anu Hariharan

Managing Director, YC Continuity, Y Combinator

How To Raise First Dollars In A More Difficult Market, The Venture Perspective

It is clear by now that the venture market has changed this year. That means that founders looking to raise first capital for their startup can’t follow last year’s playbook and expect results. So what do founders need to know, and how can they best snag investor attention in a market where the rules are changing? We’re bringing together Annie Case of Kleiner Perkins, Reach Captial’s Jomayra Herrera and Sheel Mohnot of Better Tomorrow Ventures to share the real nuts and bolts of early fundraising in 2022.

Annie Case

Partner, Kleiner Perkins

Jomayra Herrera

Partner, Reach Capital

Sheel Mohnot

Co-founder & General Partner, Better Tomorrow Ventures

How Startups Can Survive The Downturn With Financial Planning @ Roundtable #7

Whether you’re out looking for your first check or figuring out how to extend your latest funding round, the fundraising landscape has changed dramatically and holistic financial planning is more important than ever. Join Christina Ross, 3x CFO turned Co-founder & CEO of FP&A platform Cube, and Mayfield partner Rajeev Batra for a candid conversation on what startups need to survive today, including the key metrics investors are looking at, finding the balance between growth and operational efficiency, and more.

Rajeev Batra

Partner, Mayfield

Christina Ross

CEO & Cofounder, Cube

Democratizing retail with AI-powered marketplaces at Roundtable #1

On the heels of a global pandemic and economic downturn, the fashion and retail industry has demonstrated more than ever a need to be disrupted. Gone are the days of individual brick and mortar stores, with indie designers and small business owners are struggling to adapt to SEO and social media driven growth tactics as consumers live more and more of their shopping online. Queenly’s CTO and cofounder Kathy Zhou will walk the audience through how she’s built a centralized managed marketplace to solve these problems for the growing formal wear industry, including personalized recommendations, domain-specific search engines, as well as creating a tailoring CV and ML data pipeline for a formerly offline industry.

Kathy Zhou

CTO and Co-founder, Queenly

Expanding the Ecosystem: How to Get Institutional Investors Invested in You @ Breakout Session #1

Hear from institutional investors about their growing interest in private markets. They’ll share their thoughts on what makes a good investment and how to get their attention.

Jeremy Abelson

Founder & Portfolio Manager, Irving Investors

Sara Araghi

Director, Franklin Venture Partners

Alan Tu

Portfolio Manager, Global Technology Strategy, T. Rowe Price

Lucy Wang

Managing Director, Equity Capital Markets, J.P. Morgan

Starting Early: The How-tos of Investing in Student Founders @ Roundtable #3

Melissa will be speaking about the importance of investing in student founders to rescue the future of tech — namely: closing the persistent gender and diversity gap, geographic inequalities and network asymmetries facing founders. At this roundtable we’ll discuss: – Why universities are a crucial touchpoint for transforming representation and diversity & inclusion across VC and startups;– Ways to structure university-based or alumni-focused mentoring programs and accelerators/incubators, to uplift diverse founders and promote a range of business types;– Ways to structure campus-first initiatives like seed funds, alumni angel groups or crowdfunded small business loan programs, to place emerging tech hub cities and growing local ecosystems on the map.

Melissa Li

Head of Community and Managing Partner, Dorm Room Fund

The End of Apps

The incentive structures that determine how companies design apps are broken. Instead of putting user experience and innovative use cases first, they’re often driven by company goals, growth metrics and revenue streams. But, that’s about to change. We’re moving into a new era, beyond apps, where people can connect directly with the services they need in the cloud, without an app acting as a middleman. In this session, we’ll hear how flexible app development architectures and user-driven design tools like low-code / no-code will trigger a paradigm shift where utility and user demand will guide experiences instead of the business needs of centralized platforms, as well as the massive opportunities this will create for users and markets alike.

Peter Levine

General Partner, a16z

Geoff Schmidt

CEO, Apollo GraphQL

Startup Exits: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly @ Roundtable #2

Startup founders and investors work for years to reach a successful exit. After going through five exit opportunities culminating in four acquisitions, Sam has seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. One exit died at the 11th hour. One deal closed but ended up being a bust financially. One deal resulted in five offers. Do you choose the buyer offering tons of stock, or the one offering all cash? Another deal resulted in a 9-figure acquisition, but probably left money on the table. Sam also just acquired a company, so he’s seen both buy-side and sell-side. We’ll discuss salability, due diligence, and the inside story of what worked and what didn’t in order to help entrepreneurs position themselves for the best possible exit.

Sam Wong

Startup Coach & Fractional Founder, Fundable Startups

How Product Success & Capital Efficiency go hand in hand @ Roundtable #4

As VCs tighten their tickets are start-ups prepared for measures that extend their runway while building a product success model? Learn why European start-ups are better prepared and how you can do more with less.

Emily G.-Cebrián Lombán

Co-founder and CEO, FROGED

Meet the Speaker: How to Raise First Dollars in a More Difficult Market

Join this small group discussion with select speakers in the TechCrunch+ Lounge. *You must have a current TC+ annual or 2-year subscription to access the TechCrunch+ Lounge*

Annie Case

Partner, Kleiner Perkins

Sheel Mohnot

Co-founder & General Partner, Better Tomorrow Ventures

Networking Break!

Founder Fireside with Brex and Y Combinator

Brex rolled into the corporate card market with a bang, blanketing San Francisco in advertising and leveraging small-city network effects to get founders to sign up other founders. But since its launch, the corporate card space has evolved into the incredibly competitive corporate spend market. How is Brex working to stay ahead of its rivals? We’ll chat with co-founder and CEO Henrique Dubugras and one of his backers, Y Combinator’s Anu Hariharan, to learn more.

Henrique Dubugras

Co-founder & Co-CEO, Brex

Anu Hariharan

Managing Director, YC Continuity, Y Combinator

The Fintech Scaling Dilemma: When to Expand Across Continents @ Roundtable #3

A growing number of US tech investors are moving into Europe to capitalise on the continent’s startups. While European startups are catching up fast and are starting to close the gap with Silicon Valley, both sides still are looking to crack the code of effective scaling. What can we learn from both perspectives, Silicon Valley and Europe alike? How can you effectively scale your company across countries or even continents? In this session we’ll discuss the scaling dilemma that many fintechs are facing.

Yorick Naeff

Co-founder and CEO, BUX

Hacking Hiring: How to Build an A-team Without a Budget of a Large Corporation @ Roundtable #1

Success of your company depends on your ability to hire and retain talent, however, hiring has become an immensely complex and expensive process. How can you as a startup founder build an A-team without a budget of a large corporation? We’ll discuss some of the recent trends, research findings and founder lessons to help you answer that question.

Anna Buldakova

Co-founder and CEO, Vektor AI

Registration Open Hours

From Court to Cast

Basketball stars are no strangers to diversifying their portfolios. For four-time NBA champion and Golden State Warriors power forward, Draymond Green, that’s meant going front court to behind the mic. He joins us to discuss his successes on and off the court, including The Draymond Green Show podcast and the Prime Video special, The Sessions: Draymond Green.

Draymond Green

NBA 4 X Champion & Host, The Draymond Green Show

Startup Battlefield 200 Fast Pitch Session

Please join us for soapbox-style pitches from the Startup Battlefield 200 Climate, Mobility & Transportation companies, hosted by TechCrunch Transportation Editor Kirsten Korosec.

Founder Fireside: Clubhouse

Few startups had as much hype – and early consumer buy-in – as Clubhouse. Since its mega-hit introduction, however, it has seen its service copied by a host of competitors while working to expand and fine-tune its model. TechCrunch will sit down with Clubhouse co-founder and CEO Paul Davison to talk about the company’s past, present, and future.

Paul Davison

Co-founder & CEO, Clubhouse

Gen-Z: Adapting to the Next Generation of Consumers @ Roundtable #4

This roundtable discussion will aim to provide useful insights on Gen-Z consumer trends to have a better understanding on how startups need to position themselves to prioritize the next generation’s needs. As a Gen-Z consumer tech investor, Emir Talu will go over how Gen-Z consumers are responding to emerging industries and how they challenge the established ones to reinvent themselves. Attendees will get to share their own experiences/perspectives on Gen-Z consumer trends and participate in the discussion on which companies they think are doing a good job adapting vs. failing to tailor to Gen-Z’s needs.

Emir Talu

Co-founder & Partner, Pentas Ventures

State of VC in 2022

VCs have never had so much capital socked away — with $100 billion more in so-called dry powder than the end of last year, according to Preqin — but with a tightening exit market, many are ‘slowing their roll’ and asserting more control over deals after years of feverish dealmaking. What new terms are they introducing into deals? Where are they forging ahead — and pulling back — and why? What do founders need to know for their startups to survive and thrive in 2023 and beyond? For a clearer understanding of what’s happening on the ground right now, this will be a must-see conversation.

Niko Bonatsos

Managing Director, General Catalyst

Caryn Marooney

General Partner, Coatue Management L.L.C.

Expanding applications of AI Across Real Estate and Beyond @ Roundtable #1

While buying a home is often one of the largest financial decisions one can make, the process went unchanged for decades until Opendoor rebuilt every part of the transactional experience to be digital, on-demand, and more accessible. Pricing systems are core to Opendoor’s DNA and by developing different machine learning model types and leveraging data science, they’ve been able to ensure a high level of accuracy, coverage and functionality of Opendoor’s in-house suite of pricing systems. Drawing from Sam’s expertise in AI, machine learning and data science, this roundtable will focus on finding ways to develop a data-first approach to finance, the integration of algorithms and humans, and how to improve AI from better data.

Sam Stone

Director of Product Management, Pricing & Data, Opendoor

From Point A to Point Unbelievable: How Buoy Health Scaled From Idea to Unbelievable A.I. Success Story.

Scaling a startup is undoubtedly the most amazing ride any entrepreneur can take—a journey filled with humor, challenges, and hard-fought wins. Join this session for an interactive conversation on what it takes to scale a startup. Andrew Le, CEO, Buoy Health will reflect on how he took his company from an inspiring idea (aka Point A) to a massive AI success with more than 30 million users seeking healthcare advice through the Buoy platform (aka Point Unbelievable). This promises to be a fun, lively discussion you won’t want to miss!

Jamal Khan

Chief Growth & Innovation Officer, Connection

Andrew Le

CEO & Co-Founder, Buoy Health

Networking Break!

Exit Pathways for Africa Startups @ Roundtable #7

As funding continues to grow on the African continent, we need to start understanding the paths to exit.We have seen a string of $50m+ African exits in the last 2 years; DPO to Network International, Paystack to Stripe, Sendwave to World Remit, Capricorn Digital to MFS Africa. We have also seen an IPO – Jumia. What should investors expect going forward? Sub $500m exits or IPOs? Who are these acquirers – global firms or African giants? Should founders be mindful of these trends and what should they do about it? This is a roundtable discussion – come share your thoughts and learn from others.

Opeyemi Awoyemi

Managing Partner, Fast Forward Venture Studio

Ngozi Dozie

CEO & Co-founder, Carbon

Adewale Yusuf

CEO & Co-Founder, Altschool

Love What You Do: Lessons from the Passion Economy @ Roundtable #3

In this roundtable session, Robin Åström, Co-founder and CEO of influencer marketing platform and agency Wehype, will lead a discussion on how the passion economy has democratized the ability to make money from creativity (and at scale), and the importance of startup founders operating within industries that they are genuinely, deeply passionate about. Robin will draw on his experience of turning his gaming obsession into a competitive edge, after identifying and filling a gap in the gaming influencer market with co-founders he met playing Counter-Strike as a teenager. Their love of gaming has provided them with the extra motivation to overcome challenges, enabling them to build Wehype into a rapidly growing and profitable business, working with some of the world’s biggest brands, including EA, Microsoft and Ubisoft.

Robin Åström

Co-founder and CEO, Wehype

Lessons from the Product Building Trenches

Figma lived the startup dream. Launched in a dorm room and sold for $20 billion to Adobe, but before he achieved those lofty heights, CEO and co-founder Dylan Field was a young guy with an idea and no business experience. Hear the lessons he learned along the way and what he would do differently if he could start over today.

Dylan Field

Co-founder & CEO, Figma

Negotiating Your First Term Sheet

It’s always a good time to sit down and chat about the mechanics of term sheets and the give and take between investors and founders. It’s an especially good time now as the balance of power between founders and investors has shifted from a period in which founders never had great ability to demand friendly terms to an era in which it feels like investors have more power than in recent history. So we’ll get the latest from All Raise CEO Mandela SH Dixon, Techstars Head of Portfolio Capital & Investments Kevin Liu and Black Operator Ventures General Partner James Norman on term sheets, negotiations and terms to help founders navigate the current climate.

Mandela Schumacher-Hodge Dixon

CEO, All Raise

Kevin Liu

Head of Portfolio Capital & Investments, Techstars

James Norman

General Partner, Black Operator Ventures

Scaling Your Business During a Recession

In the past few years, we have faced the sudden consequences of a pandemic and now have the threat of recession looming overhead. With this background, the speakers will be explaining how they could achieve 582% growth for VOSKER in just 2 years between 2019 and 2021- especially considering the pandemic and global-chip shortage. VOSKER was established in 2018 and is a fast-growing company looking to be the next global technology leader. In this session, the main takeaways would be how to successfully pivot and adapt during unexpected challenges and use uncertain times as an opportunity to innovate. This will give participants key insights into how they can scale their business even during a recession.

Danny Angers

EVP & Chief Growth Officer, VOSKER

Mélanie Lavoie

Senior VP Talent & Culture, VOSKER

Thomas Nguyen-Lien

General Manager, Customer Advisory Service, VOSKER

Steering Towards an Autonomous Future?

A decade ago, Lyft launched in San Francisco as the friendly pink mustache-wearing ride-hailing service. Today, the company is the second-largest ride-hailing service in the U.S., runs a bike share business, acquired and created and then sold a self-driving car unit — all while facing rival Uber, regulatory headwinds, lawsuits and the public market. Co-founder John Zimmer will talk about how it aims to remain competitive, what inflation and regulatory pressures may bring and where the next wave of growth will come from.

John Zimmer

Co-founder &President, Lyft

Scaling Responsibly: Walking the Talk on ESG and DEI @ Roundtable #5

Organizations with a real and transparent commitment to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) have become increasingly attractive to both investors and customers. But with such a wide range of possible approaches and solutions, it can be daunting for organizations to decide where to focus first. We’ll share insights and examples from a few companies who are blazing bold trails in ESG and diversity, and we’re equally keen to hear what you’re implementing, or thinking about trying. Let’s riff off of each other’s experiences and brainstorm ways to better support both people and the planet as we scale.

Margaret Glover-Campbell

COO, Virtual Gurus

Expanding Applications of AI Across Real Estate and Beyond @ Roundtable #1

While buying a home is often one of the largest financial decisions one can make, the process went unchanged for decades until Opendoor rebuilt every part of the transactional experience to be digital, on-demand, and more accessible. Pricing systems are core to Opendoor’s DNA and by developing different machine learning model types and leveraging data science, they’ve been able to ensure a high level of accuracy, coverage and functionality of Opendoor’s in-house suite of pricing systems. Drawing from Sam’s expertise in AI, machine learning and data science, this roundtable will focus on finding ways to develop a data-first approach to finance, the integration of algorithms and humans, and how to improve AI from better data.

Sam Stone

Director of Product Management, Pricing & Data, Opendoor

Speaker Q&A: Raising a Series A vs. Early Stage Rounds – How to Build Your Later Stage Investor Network

Come with your questions for our expert speakers. Forgepoint Capital Partner Connie Qian hosts a Q&A session about that all important VC network and how to build one.

Connie Qian

Vice President, Forgepoint Capital

Going Global

Rippling co-founder Parker Conrad will reveal the workforce platform’s plans to expand internationally. He will also give founders an inside look into how Rippling’s “compound startup” model allowed it to build an entire infrastructure-as-a-service solution with a swat team of engineers.

Parker Conrad

Co-founder & CEO, Rippling

A Serial Software Entrepreneur Shares the Playbook for Building Breakout Companies @ Roundtable #7

Rehan Jalil has built an enviable 20 year career in tech, as founder of three breakout enterprise companies in cybersecurity, 4G and a unified data controls platform. Along the way, he has raised capital from top tier investors including Mayfield, Accel, Redpoint and General Catalyst; built a capital efficient business model; and served customers from the world’s largest enterprises. In this session, he will share lessons learned including:How to raise capital in a downturn;How to sell to large enterprises as a small startup;How bold marketing can make your dollars go far;How to institutionalize a winning culture;How to make new mistakes and avoid old patterns.

Rehan Jalil

Founder & CEO, Securiti

Scaling Responsibly: Walking the Talk on ESG and DEI @ Roundtable #5

Organizations with a real and transparent commitment to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) have become increasingly attractive to both investors and customers. But with such a wide range of possible approaches and solutions, it can be daunting for organizations to decide where to focus first. We’ll share insights and examples from a few companies who are blazing bold trails in ESG and diversity, and we’re equally keen to hear what you’re implementing, or thinking about trying. Let’s riff off of each other’s experiences and brainstorm ways to better support both people and the planet as we scale.

Margaret Glover-Campbell

COO, Virtual Gurus

How To Manage Staff In A Remote, Asynchronous Reality

Companies big and small are figuring out how they are going to distribute and manage their workforces in 2022. After a few years when even the most traditional company was forced to go remote, startups are now having to choose between remote setups, hybrid teams or a return to the office. But no matter what they choose, all companies are going to have more remote staff than ever before. To help founders understand how to manage those staffers, Trail Run Capital’s Allison Barr Allen, Mural’s Adriana Roche and WorkBoard’s Deidre Paknad are joining us to talk about what works.

Allison Barr Allen

Angel Investor, Trail Run Capital

Deidre Paknad

Co-founder & CEO, WorkBoard

Adriana Roche

Chief People Officer, MURAL

Traction vs. Funding: The Chicken-or-egg Problem for Deep Tech Startups @ Roundtable #3

Amid the funding slowdown, EV battery component maker Natrion raised a $2m oversubscribed seed round in a high-risk, high-competition industry. But it was their third attempt at fundraising: they initially struggled to prove to investors that their technology worked when they needed the capital upfront to actually build it first. Ultimately, they succeeded in not only gaining the backing of industry investors, but high profile investors like Mark Cuban, and they learned some critical lessons about how (and how not to) walk this tightrope. How can deep tech startups differentiate themselves, prove their tech with limited resources, and ultimately still secure strategic investors and partners? Natrion COO Thomas Rouffiac will share the hacks they learned to get their eventual funding, and lead discussions about how other R&D-dependent startups can do the same.

Thomas Rouffiac

Co-founder and COO, Natrion

Live Pitch Session

Networking Break!

Speaker Q&A: Negotiating Your First Term Sheet

Come with your questions for these expert speakers to chat about and the give and take between investors and founders.

Mandela Schumacher-Hodge Dixon

CEO, All Raise

Kevin Liu

Head of Portfolio Capital & Investments, Techstars

James Norman

General Partner, Black Operator Ventures

Live Career Fair: Climate Tech

Climate tech accounted for 14% of VC investments in 2021. Explore a career in climate with Terra.do and founders from 10 stellar climate tech startups that need rockstar talent in technology, business and more.BY INVITATION ONLY

Demystifying Web3

Digital ownership is important, especially to the generation of users who are digital natives; however we are still on a journey to create the right set of structures for digital ownership on the internet. At Polygon, we’re building the infrastructure for the next wave of dapps to experiment and unlock digital ownership to users and creators. In this keynote, Ryan Wyatt – CEO, Polygon Studios presents a pragmatic view of web3 and real-world blockchain use cases while debunking some common misconceptions about the space.

Ryan Wyatt

CEO, Polygon Studios

Meet the Speaker: How to Manage Staff in a Hybrid & Remote Asynchronous Reality

Join this small group discussion with select speakers in the TechCrunch+ Lounge. *You must have a current TC+ annual or 2-year subscription to access the TechCrunch+ Lounge*

Deidre Paknad

Co-founder & CEO, WorkBoard

Adriana Roche

Chief People Officer, MURAL

Networking Break!

TechCrunch Startup Battlefield FINAL

TechCrunch’s iconic startup competition is back, as entrepreneurs from around the world pitch expert judges and vie for the Startup Battlefield Cup and $100,000.

Mar Hershenson

Founding Managing Partner, Pear VC

Jim Lanzone

CEO, Yahoo

Aileen Lee

Founder & Managing Partner, Cowboy Ventures

David Tisch

Managing Partner, BoxGroup

Rich Wong

Partner, Accel

Live Pitch Session

Founder Fireside: Metafy and Seven Seven Six 

Metafy is bringing video game coaching to the masses, and it’s not only for gamers who may want to go pro. As digital gaming has become one of the most important international pastimes, consumers are more willing than perhaps ever to spend on their hobby. TechCrunch will sit down with Metafy founder and CEO Josh Fabian and his venture capital backer, Katelin Holloway of Seven Seven Six, to dig more deeply into the company, its market, and how it is working to grow even faster.

Josh Fabian

Co-founder & CEO, Metafy

Katelin Holloway

Founding Partner, Seven Seven Six

Startup Battlefield 200 Fast Pitch Session

Please join us for soapbox-style pitches from the Startup Battlefield 200 SaaS, Enterprise & Retail companies, hosted by TechCrunch Editor Frederic Lardinois.

Speaker Q&A: The Bear Market Playbook

Come with your questions for 500 Global’s Christine Tsai, to chat through what should founders be thinking about when fundraising or considering an accelerator program in today’s economic climate

Christine Tsai

Founding Partner & CEO, 500 Global

How to Use Your “Perfect Pitch” to Gain Partnerships and Grow Your Startup.

What are your priorities as a startup founder? You’re probably thinking- “find money & grow!”. You’re not wrong but how do you make that happen? Come listen as two successful founders discuss How to Use Your “Perfect Pitch” to Gain Partnerships and Grow Your Startup.

Amy Jo Martin

Founder & CEO, Renegade Global

Aaron Ronquillo

Cofounder, Investor, Advisor, Nakoshi

Networking Break!

Structure, Regulation, and Markets: The Road Ahead for Crypto Startups

From DAOs and altcoins to L2-chains, NFTs, tokens, and figuring out just what the heck a security is, the crypto market is under the spotlight — and under scrutiny. TechCrunch will sit down with FTX’s Brett Harrison, Uniswap Labs’ Mary-Catherine Lader and Visa’s Cuy Sheffield to get a better handle on how they are navigating constant evolution, the new opportunities that the blockchain economy has on offer, and where they see the future taking their market.

Brett Harrison

Advisor, FTX

Mary-Catherine Lader

COO, Uniswap Labs

Cuy Sheffield

VP & Global Head, Crypto, Visa, Inc.

Speaker Q&A: How to Build the Best Founder-VC Partnership

Come with your questions for these expert speakers to chat about how to find the right investor for your startup.

Josh Fabian

Co-founder & CEO, Metafy

Katelin Holloway

Founding Partner, Seven Seven Six

Surveillance in Startup Land

Google’s Maddie Stone and ACLU’s Jennifer Granick join us for a crash course in the surveillance state — from spyware makers to location data brokers. Find out what the changing cybersecurity threat and legal landscape means for today’s data-hungry startups.

Jennifer Stisa Granick

Surveillance and Cybersecurity Counsel, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)

Maddie Stone

Security Researcher, Project Zero, Google

Talent Has Changed Forever: A CEOs Playbook to Building and Retaining Tomorrow's Distributed Workforce

The modern workforce is in the middle of one of its biggest shifts since the industrial revolution. Businesses have encountered the rise of global talent pools and entirely new sets of jobs and skills needed to grow. Now, they need to completely rethink how they source, train, equip, motivate, and reward workers.In this session, we will explore strategies, systems and tools around building the ‘human enterprise” in this decade. Global VC firm General Catalyst will reveal the technology innovation needed to create successful and enduring businesses that promote thriving cultures in the new global, remote working world.Quentin Clark, General Catalyst Managing Director and former Dropbox CTO will discuss the needs of the modern hybrid workforce with Sophie Ruddock, VP and GM North America at Multiverse. They will explore a world in which the Chief Human Resource Officer is becoming the new Chief Growth Officer and talent retention is as critical as customer retention. A whole new era of innovation around workforce transformation is just beginning. We’ll explore what work in the human enterprise looks like in 2030.Talent Has Changed Forever. Attendees will take away a playbook to build and retain tomorrow’s distributed workforce.

Quentin Clark

Managing Director, General Catalyst

Sophie Ruddock

VP & GM of North America, Multiverse

Meet the Speaker: Structure, regulation and markets: the road ahead for crypto startups

Join this small group discussion with select speakers in the TechCrunch+ Lounge. *You must have a current TC+ annual or 2-year subscription to access the TechCrunch+ Lounge*

Brett Harrison

Advisor, FTX

Mary-Catherine Lader

COO, Uniswap Labs

How to Thrive During a Crypto Winter

Animoca Brands is defying all odds. This summer, the Hong Kong-based web3 conglomerate and investment powerhouse raised hundreds of millions of dollars even though crypto prices and NFT transactions are dropping. With hundreds of active investments in popular web3 companies like OpenSea, Dapper Labs and Axie Infinity, as well as its own gaming hits like The Sandbox and Revv Racing, Animoca Brands seems ready to double down and raise the stakes.

Yat Siu

Co-founder & Executive Chairman, Animoca Brands

Startup Battlefield Alumni Update

Battlefield startups from the past return to the stage to tell us what they’ve been up to since they competed for the Disrupt Cup.

Will Edwards

Co-founder & CEO, Firehawk Aerospace

Vihari Kanukollu

Co-founder & CEO, UrbanKisaan

The Connection IT Superhero Ultimate Winner Award Announcement

IT professionals keep the lights on—and all their hard work deserves more than just a pat on the back. It deserves an award. Now, beyond serving as your IT department’s IT department, Connection celebrate all the IT Superheroes with the 2022 Ultimate IT Superhero Award, presented live on the Main Stage. Who of the 5 category winners announced this morning will win? Join Jamal Khan, Chief Growth and Innovation Officer for Connection immediately before the Startup Battlefield winners are announced. Everyone in IT deserves recognition for their efforts. Our teams see IT professionals stepping up and going the extra mile every day—that’s why we’re proud to be giving these superheroes the awards they so richly deserve.

Jamal Khan

Chief Growth & Innovation Officer, Connection

Announcing the Winner of TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 2022

Startup Battlefield 200 Closing Reception

Celebrate TechCrunch Disrupt 2022 and the Startup Battlefield 200 with drinks and appetizersBY INVITATION ONLY

Online Passes Access Networking Platform

Online Speed Networking – Karma Circle – Give & Get

They say you get the same energy you put out into the world. At this speed networking session, meet other attendees who are willing to lend their expertise and those who are looking for help to address pain points as they grow their business.

Online Speed Networking – Founder Summit

The entrepreneurial journey is better when you have a support network of people who could be experiencing the same challenges. At this speed networking session, meet other early stage founders and share stories and resources to help each other succeed.

Online Speed Networking – Builders Gonna Build

Developers and engineers are the ones that bring the technology that powers our ideas to life. Join this speed networking session where you can engage with the people who make our apps work and even make them better.

Online Speed Networking – Scale Ups

Trying to grow your users or client base? At this speed networking session, you can share tips and tricks of growth hacking with other marketers or potentially collaborate with a new business development connection.