Xreal, Googles smartglasses partner, thinks it has finally mastered this notoriously tricky industry

Early Bird savings for TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 end May 29 at 11:59 p.m. PT. Register now to save up to $410 before prices increase and secure your spot at the center of the startup ecosystem.

Winning as a startup isn’t just about pitching

Advancing from idea to IPO takes time and how you spend that time can make the difference in whether you stall or scale. Many think it’s the pitch that slows things down. But in reality, it’s access.

Fundraising is a long game of chasing proximity. Cold outreach. Missed intros. Weeks waiting for replies that never come. You spend as much time trying to get in front of the right investors as you do refining your story. Without access, capital is moving. Deals are getting done. Just not with you.

When Disrupt comes to Moscone West in San Francisco, October 13–15, 2026, access isn’t accidental because it’s built into the experience. Those who attend can access:

Startup Battlefield 200: Pitch in front of top-tier VCs and compete for a $100,000 equity-free prize.

Deal Flow Café: A dedicated space for real investor-founder conversations.

Curated matchmaking: Targeted 1:1 and small-group meetings with aligned investors.

Expo Hall proximity: Turn cold outreach into live demos and real conversations.

You shift from chasing attention to securing influence

Your Disrupt ticket gives you access to candid, tactical, and unfiltered insights from active founders, top-tier investors, and operators scaling real companies like:

Nina Achadjian, Partner, Index Ventures

Puneet Agarwal, Partner, True Ventures

Karl Alomar, Managing Partner, M13

Rajeev Dham, Partner, Sapphire Ventures

Aklil Ibssa, Corporate Development, Coinbase

Mo Jomaa, Partner, CapitalG

Grant Lee, CEO & Co-founder, Gamma

Dean Leitersdorf, CEO & Co-founder, Decart

Lindsey Mignano, Founder & Attorney, Mignano Law Group

Josh Reeves, CEO & Co-founder, Gusto

Shailendra Singh, Managing Director, Peak XV

Lotti Siniscalco, Partner, Emergence Capital

Arsalan Tavakoli-Shiraji, Co-founder & CEO, Databricks

Michel Tricot, CEO & Co-founder, Airbyte

Rob Toews, Partner, Radical Ventures

Image Credits:Kimberly White / Getty Images

Explore the sessions these tech leaders will lead on the agenda page.

And register before May 29 at 11:59 p.m. PT to save up to $410 and show up with more opportunities to connect, fundraise, and scale.

This is where fundraising cycles compress

When Disrupt hits San Francisco, more than 10,000 founders, investors, and operators, along with 300+ startups, will gather with one goal: advance deals.

That changes the pace of doing business immediately. Instead of months of back-and-forth, conversations start — and move faster. You’re engaging across:

Industry stages and keynotes

Roundtables and breakouts

Speaker Q&A sessions

Curated 1:1 and small group networking

Investor-founder networking sessions

StrictlyVC sessions and investor receptions

You’re not burning through resources trying to get into a meeting — you’re already in one. Disrupt is a premier global startup event where the ecosystem converges to move ideas, deals, and companies forward.

And when you register before May 29, you can save up to $410 before rates increase. Secure your pass before this limited-time pricing ends.

From inbox to in-person: proximity changes everything

At Disrupt, you’re face-to-face with investors who can ask questions on the spot, understand how you think beyond your deck, and evaluate your vision directly. You can read signals immediately to determine what resonates, what doesn’t, and where to adjust.

That kind of feedback loop compresses timelines. What normally takes weeks begins to take shape in a single day — especially as you move between sessions, meetings, and conversations across the venue.

80+ Side Events across the Bay Area for networking, workshops, and soci