Welcome to the first day of TechCrunch Disrupt! Yeah, baby, we are ready to jump right into a jam-packed day dedicated to the growth and success of the entire early-stage startup ecosystem. Check out our day-one highlights to whet your appetite and then dig in!
Latecomers always welcome: Buy a pass right here.
You’ll find all the day’s programs, stage location and times listed in the Disrupt agenda and in the event app.
Expo Hall & Demo Booths
Head to the expo hall each day to check out early-stage Startup Battlefield 200 exhibitors and sponsor booths.
Investor Reception
Receptions | 12:00 pm
Live on Stage: TechCrunch’s Equity
TC Plus Stage | 9:05 am
Start your day off right — join Mary Ann Azevedo, Natasha Mascarenhas and Alex Wilhelm at the TechCrunch+ stage for a live recording of Equity, the podcast about the business of startups. They’ll unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines and will wade through the hype to keep you up-to-date on the world of business, tech and VC. Come for the news and analysis, stay for the jokes — and for breakfast!
Winning the War on Ransomware
TC Plus Stage | 11:30 am
Ransomware attacks are escalating at an alarming rate. We’ll hear from experts about what winning the war on ransomware looks like and how startups can play their part — with Brett Callow, threat analyst at Emsisoft, and Katie Moussouris, founder and CEO of Luta Security.
TC Plus Stage | 10:50 am
Hiring is not easy, even in the best of times. With a tight tech talent market and an increasingly remote-friendly — and therefore globally competitive — corporate landscape, founders have never had more places to hire from and more competitors to measure up against. So we’re going to talk with Chris Herd (Firstbase), an advocate for remote work, and Emil Yeargin, VP of talent at Gusto, which is not only hiring but also helps other companies manage their staff. And we’ll hear from Janine O’Neill (Sequoia), who knows a thing or two about hiring for startups. We’ll go deep on hiring with a special focus on hard-to-fill roles.
Framing Innovation Through Collaborations Big and Small with AT&T
TC Plus Stage | 2:10 PM
Connectivity isn’t a nice-to-have for innovation. It’s mandatory, and collaboration between AT&T and startups at all stages could push the world forward and provide the framework for innovation. Join this session with AT&T CTO Jeremy Legg and a special guest panelist as they discuss the key elements your startup needs to drive tomorrow’s next connectivity innovation breakthrough.
Marc’s Lore
Disrupt Stage | 10:00 am
Billionaire Marc Lore sold his startup to an everything store, twice. After inking deals with Amazon and Walmart, the Quidsi and Jet.com co-founder has launched Wonder to tackle a common problem — food delivery — in an unconventional way. Get ready for a delicious conversation.
Bankrolling the Blockchain with a16z Crypto
Disrupt Stage | 10:25 am
Venture firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) is the largest and one of the best-known funding sources for web3 startups. Alongside a16z founder Marc Andreessen, general partner Chris Dixon has been integral to the firm’s rise as a giant in the crypto VC world — he was an early investor in startups, including Coinbase, Uniswap and Oculus VR. Hear from Dixon about how a16z crypto is putting its massive $7.6 billion pool of capital to work by backing early-stage web3 companies.
TechCrunch Startup Battlefield presented by Capital Connect by J.P. Morgan
Disrupt Stage | 10:50 am & 2:30 pm
Making Care Actually Work
Disrupt Stage | 1:40 pm
Cityblock Health has experienced considerable growth on the back of a care model designed to actually meet the recipients of care where they already are — while still satisfying the needs of payers. It appears to be true accessibility in a framework that works with the existing U.S. healthcare infrastructure, but we’ll hear from CEO Toyin Ajayi about the work that remains to be done.
Breaking Into the Healthcare Monolith: Strategies for working with Payors and Providers with InterSystems
Roundtable | 10:30 am
How do you build a health-tech startup that can achieve high growth? What can startups do to make their technologies more compelling to the biggest players in healthcare: payors and health systems? In this session we will discuss the pain points of getting into healthcare, as well as strategies to open doors to these organizations for pilots and sustainable revenue. You’ll leave this round table discussion with a list of best practices from InterSystems’ 40+ years in the healthcare industry.
Design and Scale Using Behavioral Science
Roundtable | 11:00 am
We are building technology for the future but have forgotten that our users still rely on a brain that hasn’t changed in 40,000 years. To design and scale successful products, learn how to leverage the power of behavioral science, and cater to the ancient decision-maker inside all of us — with Shirin Oreizy, founder and CEO, Next Step.
The CPO-to-CEO Pipeline with Egon Zehnder
Roundtable | 11:00 am
Why nine out of ten startups fail with Mayfield
Roundtable | 1:00 pm
Breakout Session | 10:00 am
Breakout Session | 11:00 am
Wemimo Abbey, the diverse co-founder behind Esusu, shares the Inspirational story behind his innovative startup and the challenges he and his co-founder faced along the way. As minorities, they encountered unique challenges, and with the help of J.P. Morgan, the founders overcame them to ultimately reach their goals. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion isn’t just a check in the box, why is it so important? In this session we will discuss the benefits of including minority voices in startups and how to ensure DEI.
That should get your motor running. Now, shift into overdrive and go learn, connect and discover new opportunities to help your business grow! Remember, latecomers can grab a pass and join the fun.
How to Evolve Your Business Through Recurring Revenue with Chargebee
Breakout Session | 1:00 pm
With subscription offerings coming to nearly every vertical from fast food to car manufacturing, it’s clear that subscriptions are more than fad; they’re an evolutionary step every business should consider. Employing an innovative recurring revenue model offers a differentiated customer experience and revenue predictability, thereby increasing business resiliency, which is especially important in uncertain times. Regardless of where you are on your company’s journey, from a startup seeking financing to a late-stage business seeking valuation, your revenue model should be an important part of any business strategy.