GoKawiilIt’s not just you: AI startups are taking in a huge amount of seed funding, and in the process making things harder for anyone looking for funding even at a pre-seed stage. We’ve covered the trend in detail, and at this year’s TechCrunch Disrupt event, we want to help pre-seed founders now being held to seed-stage expectations.
With AI making the development of a minimum viable product swifter than ever, is there even hope for a founder who has a compelling idea, but nothing concrete to show for it? That’s what our “Winning Pre-Seed Without a Product” panel will seek to answer.
And it’s just one of the many sessions you can look forward to at our popular Builders Stage at Disrupt 2026. That’s where our most pointed conversations and workshops take place, tackling everything from getting your hands dirty with operational decisions, fundraising, go-to-market strategies, and other vital subjects.
And you can be a part of it all by getting your ticket to attend Disrupt 2026 in San Francisco at Moscone West, October 13-15, at the best prices you’ll find for the remainder of the year.
As for this specific session, we’ve gathered a great trio of speakers to provide their expertise on this nuanced and pivotal topic.
Sandhya Venkatachalam: Founder, managing partner, Axiom Partners
Image Credits:Axiom Partners
Venkatachalam both knows a thing or two about having a successful exit, and what investors are looking for when taking the plunge with companies that eventually succeed through an acquisition of their own. Her current role is overseeing the newly launched Axiom Partners, which is an early-stage, $52 million venture fund that’s focused on connecting founders to top-class AI practitioners to help fuel AI that leads to real-world improvements.
Previously, she worked as a GP at Khosla Ventures and Social Capital, where she was the first investor in Groq, and also led investments into GalileoAI, ForethoughtAI, and FirefliesAI, which have all either been acquired or reached unicorn status.
Puneet Agarwal: Managing partner, True Ventures
... continue reading