TechCrunch has revealed the Builders Stage agenda for Disrupt 2026, scheduled for October 13–15 at Moscone Center in San Francisco. The stage is one of six industry-focused tracks and targets founders, operators, and investors with practical sessions on fundraising, hiring, go-to-market strategy, AI, and operational decisions for scaling companies. Over 10,000 attendees are expected.

The agenda covers challenges founders face when building scalable companies, from pre-seed fundraising without a product to Series A dynamics in 2027. Several sessions address AI’s impact: how to win when not building AI (Shan Shan, Baillie Gifford; Yuri Sagalov, General Catalyst), what happens when OpenAI ships your roadmap (Michel Tricot, Airbyte; Rob Toews, Radical Ventures; Linda Tong, Webflow), and how to compete for AI talent (Matt Birnbaum, Wylder.co; Ioana Hreninciuc, Runware; Atli Thorkelsson, Redpoint Ventures). Other notable sessions include ‘From MVP to Billions of Users’ with Robby Stein (Google), ‘Hiring When AI Is a Co-Founder’ with Josh Reeves (Gusto), and ‘Rebuilding Consumer Products for the AI Era’ with Maria Angelidou-Smith (Reddit).

Additional sessions cover M&A as an early-stage strategy, product-market fit red flags, the zero-to-1,000-customer playbook, mental health for founders, and how to create viral growth. The stage will also host an audience-led ‘Ask the Investors’ Q&A with multiple venture partners. The agenda includes a focused track on multi-model orchestration and a reveal of Greenfield Partners’ 2026 AI Disruptors 60 list. The event promises real-world case studies and live Q&A with speakers.