Day 1 of Disrupt 2025 roars to life at Moscone West. More than 10,000 founders, investors, and builders are filling the halls with nonstop energy—ideas are flying, demos are popping, and deals are already in motion. From the Startup Battlefield to the AI Disruptors 60, from space innovators to founders rethinking how and when to go public, this is where the next decade of technology is being shaped in real time. Every hallway conversation, roundtable, and coffee chat could spark a partnership—or the next category-defining company.
If you haven’t registered yet, there’s still time. Secure your pass and step straight into five powerhouse stages, hundreds of exhibiting startups, investor meetups, curated networking like Braindate, and citywide side events lighting up San Francisco all week.
Expo Hall
Open 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Explore 300+ startups showcasing cutting-edge tech across AI, robotics, fintech, climate, health, space, SaaS, and more.
Stage sessions
Today’s programming dives into space tech, startup growth, scaling playbooks, and the path to IPOs. Here are the highlights across stages.
Disrupt Stage
The Startup Battlefield 200 takes center stage, known as the World Series of pitch competitions. A handpicked group of the top 20 early-stage startups will pitch in front of seasoned VCs for a $100,000 equity-free prize and the coveted Disrupt Cup.
The Startup Battlefield – Session 1: Judges include Allison Baum Gates (SemperVirens VC), Cathy Friedman (GV), Katelin Holloway (Seven Seven Six), Charles Hudson (Precursor Ventures), and Nicolas Sauvage (TDK Ventures).
The Startup Battlefield – Session 2: Judges include Eryk Dobrushkin (Index Ventures), Jen Hoskins (NVIDIA), Thomas Krane (Insight Partners), Jon McNeill (DVx Ventures), and Katie Stanton (Moxxie Ventures).
The Self-Driving Reality Check — Tekedra Mawakana (Waymo)
What Sequoia Sees Coming Next — Roelof Botha (Sequoia Capital)
Moonshots, AI, and the Future of Alphabet — Astro Teller (The Moonshot Factory)
Space Stage
At the intersection of technology and exploration, founders are reimagining what’s possible beyond Earth.
Aerospace Startup Showcase: Solving the Hardest Problems in Space — Dr. Tom Cwik (Jet Propulsion Laboratory), Dr. Debra Emmons (The Aerospace Corporation), Katelin Holloway (Seven Seven Six), and Mandy Vaughn (GXO, Inc.)
From Robinhood to Aetherflux: Baiju Bhatt’s Next Frontier — Baiju Bhatt (Aetherflux)
Investing at the Edge of Space — Morgan Beller (NFX), Celeste Ford (Stellar Ventures), and Chris Morales (Point72 Ventures)
Made in Space: Varda’s Plan to Build the Next Great Supply Chain — William Bruey (Varda Space Industries)
AI at the Edge: Startups Powering the Future of Space — Dr. Debra L. Emmons (The Aerospace Corporation), Dr. Lucy Hoag (Violet Labs), and Adam Maher (Ursa Space Systems)
Laying the Groundwork for a New Space Economy — Max Haot (Vast), Kelly Hennig (Stoke Space), Bridgit Mendler (Northwood Space), and Even Rogers (True Anomaly)
Going Public Stage
For founders at every stage, this track unpacks the frameworks, timing, and tactics that drive IPO readiness and post-exit success.
How Long Should a Startup Stay Private? — David George (Andreessen Horowitz)
Rethinking the Exit: Kodiak AI’s Founder on Going Public — Don Burnette (Kodiak AI)
What Comes After Breakout Success? — Santi Subotovsky (Emergence Capital) and Eric Yuan (Zoom)
How AI Is Forcing Late-Stage Startups to Rewire GTM — or Be Left Behind — Jane Alexander (CapitalG), Vanessa Larco (Premise), and Nirav Tolia (Nextdoor)
Everything You Need to Know Before an Exit — Jai Das (Sapphire Ventures), Dan Springer (Ironclad), and Roseanne Wincek (Renegade Partners)
Builders Stage
Real talk about startup life—how to scale, raise, and lead through uncertainty.
How to Raise a Series A in 2026 — Thomas Krane (Insight Partners), Katie Stanton (Moxxie Ventures), and Sangeen Zeb (GV)
Flying into the Future: AI Is Fueling Aviation — Natasha Del Toro (Del Toro Productions), Tanya Eves, and Doug King (Epic Aircraft)
How Much Salary and Equity Should You Really Offer Early Employees? — Randi Jakubowitz (645 Ventures), Rebecca Lee Whiting (Epigram Legal), and Yin Wu (Pulley)
Build What’s Next: Startups, DeepMind and Google Cloud — Tulsee Dosah (Google DeepMind) and Darren Mowry (Google Cloud)
Building a GTM Engine that Actually Works — Max Altschuler (GTMfund), Marc Manara (OpenAI), and Alison Wagonfeld (Google Cloud)
Who’s Defining AI’s Future in 2025? The AI Disruptors 60 Unveiled — Shay Grinfeld (Greenfield Partners) and Renen Hallak (Vast Data)
What VCs Really Want to Hear in Your Pitch — Medha Agarwal (defy.vc), Jyoti Bansal (Harness), and Jennifer Neundorfer (January Ventures)
Building in a Time of Uncertainty — Ryan Petersen (Flexport)
Pitch Showcase Stage
Catch exhibiting startups as they deliver rapid-fire pitches in the Expo Hall.
4:15 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.: Pavilion Pitch Session – Sultanate of Oman
Breakout Stage
Roll up your sleeves for 50-minute Q&A sessions. First-come, first-served. All ticket types welcome.
The Untapped Opportunity Hidden in Business Workflows — Umair Bashir (Signal), Umair Javed (tkxel), and Marcus Torres (Quickbase)
From Vibes to Velocity: How AI Tools Can Help You Achieve Your Development Goals — Tim Rogers (GitHub)
Build First, Fund Later: The Founder’s Guide to Bootstrapping Breakout Startups — Tarun Raisoni (Gruve)
How to Get Acquired in Tech (Without Selling Out): M&A Tips for Founders and Builders — Yonas Beshawred (StarSling) and Aklil Ibssa (Coinbase)
Fundraising Mistakes That Will Kill Your Round, and How to Avoid Them — Kamila Khasanova (On Top Strategy), Sam Li (Thoropass), Dr. Richard Munassi (Tampa Bay Wave), and Ashley Paston (General Catalyst)
Fundraising Process Workshop with a veteran editor turned VC — Josh Constine (SignalFire)
AI at the Brink: Strategic Playbook for National Security — Daniel Hendrycks (Center for AI Safety)
Startup Lessons You Won’t Find in a Playbook — Santi Subotovsky (Emergence Capital) and Melissa Wong (Zipline)
Roundtables
Get tactical in small-group sessions tailored for founders and investors. Pre-registration via the event app is required.
The Future of Banking and Fintech: the AI Wave — Nnamdi Okike (645 Ventures)
Prototyping, Tuning and Scaling GenAI Applications with Open Models — Aishwarya Srinivasan (Fireworks AI)
The Winning Formula: Turning Your Business Into a Trusted, Scalable Community to Drive Growth — Tasneem Amina (Kindred) and Justine Palefsky (Kindred)
From Inception to Enterprise: Selling AI Agents that Scale — Allison Baum Gates (SemperVirens Venture Capital)
Future of Construction: The Role of AI and Data in the Field and the Office — Austin Yount (Brick & Mortar Ventures)
Berkeley Connect: Experience the World’s #1 Startup Ecosystem — Siwen Deng (Evergreen Saponins) and Keith McAleer (UC Berkeley Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship & Technology)
How to Train Your Model: Taming AI Agents Without Breaking Them
Whether you’re hunting for your next investment, validating product-market fit, or building a network that compounds for years, Day 1 sets the tone. San Francisco is buzzing, the stages are packed, and the opportunity is real. Get here, get in the mix, and help write what comes next.San Francisco’s most founder-forward week is in full swing, and Disrupt 2025 is delivering big ideas, real connections, and tactical insights you can put to work immediately. Whether you’re building an AI-native startup, navigating the public sector, or gearing up for an IPO, this year’s agenda is designed to meet you where you are and push you further.
Here are the can’t-miss sessions shaping the day:
– Featured talk with Kyla Guru (Anthropic)
– Community IS the Product with Brian Hamachek, Gargi Kand, and Nick Khonaysser (Vently)
– Physical AI: Designing, Funding, and Scaling the Future with Kahini Shah (Obvious Ventures)
– Future of Space Economy in Low Earth Orbit with Abhi Kumar (UC Berkeley) — plus an encore session
– Investor Insights with Itamar Novick (Recursive Ventures) and Brian Sparkes (Silicon Valley Venture, LLC)
– IPO Success: Charting the Course from Private to Public with Charly Kevers (Carta) and Daniel Tay (Morgan Stanley)
– Building in the Line of Fire: What It Takes to Win in Public Sector AI with Ross Fubini (XYZ Venture Capital) and Ben Van Roo (Legion Intelligence)
– Building AI-Ready Data Infrastructure with a Lean Team with Michel Tricot (Airbyte)
– Your EQ is your AI with Alex Malebranche (Cloudflare)
Networking that actually moves the needle:
– Networking Lounge powered by Braindate: Open 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Match with founders, investors, and mentors through curated or spontaneous meetups.
– Deal Flow Cafe: Opens at 9:00 a.m. A quiet, founders-and-investors-only space to talk term sheets over coffee.
– Morning kickoff: From 9:00 to 9:30 a.m., start your day with a live onstage podcast recording that dives into the business of startups, tech, and venture capital from the Builders Stage.
Side events lighting up the city:
Company-hosted gatherings across San Francisco extend the energy well beyond Moscone West. Tonight’s lineup features panels, parties, and meetups built for connecting ambitious founders, operators, and funders. RSVP where required.
– Pitch&Drink with P2S.VC, hosted by Pre-seed to succeed (AltaIR Capital, Yellow Rocks!, Smart Partnership Capital, I2BF Global Ventures)
– Unlock Your Investor Potential: How Tech Workers Can Become LPs Using Vested Stock Units, hosted by Musa Capital
– Future Shock Deep Tech Meetup w/ SOSV & KIAC, hosted by SOSV
– Unofficial afterparty at Werqwise SF, hosted by Silicon Valley Venture, LLC
– Exclusive gathering for founders beyond Seed and Series A, accredited investors, and VCs, hosted by Equity X Investments, Vataseason, and Plus Ultra Capital Partners
– South Asian Collective @ Disrupt Week, hosted by American South Asian Network (ASAN)
– Beyond the Hype: Voices from the Future of Humane AI — short film screening and panel, hosted by Building Humane Tech
– Ping Pong After Panels, hosted by Scrut Automation
– Rooftop AI Debate: Bullish or Bust? with Baseten, Premji Invest, and Treble PR, hosted by Treble PR
– Founders Happy Hour and Fireside Chat: Avoiding Identity and Compliance Scope Creep, hosted by Descope & Delve
– JetBrains Night in San Francisco, hosted by JetBrains
– Night Zero: Unofficial Opening Party for Disrupt Week, hosted by Fox Rothschild and Silicon Valley Bank
Still time to join
It’s not too late to be part of Disrupt 2025. Tickets are available through the final day, with more Startup Battlefield pitches, game-changing sessions, and high-value networking on deck. Secure your spot, show up ready to build, and leave with partnerships, playbooks, and momentum.
