TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 will be held from October 13 to 15 at Moscone West in San Francisco, with programming built around one question for founders: how to build an enduring company in the AI era.
For investors, the event is framed around finding such companies early. The Startup Battlefield 200 competition features 200 pre-Series A startups, handpicked by TechCrunch's Startup Battlefield and editorial teams, competing for $100,000 in equity-free funding. According to the organisers, Battlefield alumni have collectively raised over $32 billion and produced more than 250 exits.
Investor programming spans six stages, including the Smart Money Stage, focused on capital markets, embedded finance and stablecoins; the Smart Systems Stage, covering compute, infrastructure and energy economics; and the AI and Real World AI Stages. An Investor Pass includes access to the Deal Flow Café, early access to a founder list and curated 1:1 meetings through the Disrupt app, with AI helping match participants by mutual interests.
Speakers this year include Rivian's RJ Scaringe, Amazon's Panos Panay, Replit's Amjad Masad and Cerebras' Andrew Feldman. Organisers say more than 20,000 curated meetings take place over the three days, with a mix of 10,000 founders, investors and operators attending.
Ticket tiers offering up to $100 in savings end Monday, October 12 at 11:59 p.m. PT. A $75 Expo+ Pass is available for those recently laid off.