Jas Khaira, global head of Blackstone N1 and Blackstone Growth, will take the Builders Stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 for a session titled "Building the Next Generation of AI Giants." The session will cover what Blackstone looks for when backing category-defining companies, how founders should think about capital as they scale, and what distinguishes lasting businesses from early traction.
Scaling AI companies can require significant capital. Compute, data centres and other infrastructure can add substantial financing needs as companies grow, and founders may have to make financing decisions before it is clear whether early momentum will turn into an enduring business.
Blackstone's recent investments illustrate the scale involved. Blackstone and co-investors agreed to invest up to $600 million in primary equity in Indian AI infrastructure company Neysa, which planned to raise an additional $600 million in debt financing. In July, Anthropic launched Ode with Anthropic, an AI implementation company backed through a $1.5 billion joint venture with Blackstone, Hellman & Friedman, Goldman Sachs and others.
Khaira joined Blackstone in 2004 and serves on several of the firm's investment committees. He founded Blackstone N1, its platform for growth, hybrid and perpetual private equity investing across the AI ecosystem and next-generation high-growth companies.
Disrupt 2026 takes place October 13–15 at Moscone West in San Francisco, with more than 10,000 founders, investors, operators and tech leaders expected, along with 250+ speakers and 300+ exhibiting startups.