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Jeff Lawson, who co-founded and scaled Twilio to over $4 billion in revenue, is now leading Inertia, a fusion energy startup. He will speak about this career shift at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 in a fireside chat on the Smart Systems Stage, discussing how his software background applies to a capital-intensive deep tech venture involving lasers and manufacturing.
TechCrunch is closing exhibit table registration for its Disrupt 2026 conference tonight at 11:59 p.m. PT, after which startups can no longer secure a spot in the Expo Hall. The event runs October 13-15 at Moscone West in San Francisco and is expected to draw more than 10,000 founders, investors and tech leaders. A $12,500 exhibit package includes a table for all three days, 10 team passes, lead-generation tools, VC access, press-list access and sponsor branding.
TechCrunch has published a growing schedule of Side Events surrounding its Disrupt 2026 conference, set for October 13-15 at Moscone West in San Francisco. These satellite gatherings, hosted by partners including NMI, Backblaze, Flamethrower, and Peak XV Partners, include mixers, panels, and networking sessions taking place before and during the main conference dates.
TechCrunch is closing applications for volunteers at its Disrupt 2026 conference, set for October 13-15, on Tuesday, September 22. Selected volunteers receive a free three-day event pass in exchange for committing at least 12 hours of work and attending an in-person orientation on the Monday before the event.
TechCrunch is closing exhibit table sales for its Disrupt 2026 conference on September 18 at 11:59 p.m. PT, after which no more Expo Hall spots will be sold. The event runs October 13-15 at Moscone West in San Francisco and expects over 10,000 founders, investors, and tech leaders. Exhibit tables include team passes, branding placements, and access to networking programs like AI matchmaking and investor meetups.
At TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 in San Francisco, Gusto CEO Josh Reeves, Insight Partners' Michelle Johnson, and Leland CEO John Koelliker will discuss a session titled 'Hiring When AI Is a Co-Founder.' The panel examines how early-stage startups are structuring teams that mix human employees with AI agents handling engineering, support, and operational tasks.
Science Corporation CEO Max Hodak will speak at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026's Beyond Screens session about his company's biohybrid brain-computer interface, for which it has recruited a leading neurobiologist to run the first U.S. human trials. Hodak, a Neuralink co-founder, argues that keyboards and screens will eventually give way to interfaces built directly around brain activity.
Max Hodak, CEO of Science Corporation and Neuralink co-founder, will speak at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 in San Francisco about his company's biohybrid brain-computer interface, which has recruited a leading neurobiologist to run its first U.S. human trials. In his Disrupt Stage session, Hodak will argue that computing is moving beyond screens toward interfaces built directly on brain-computer interaction.
Nvidia Inception's Global Head of Physical AI, Les Karpas, will speak at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 about why robotics hasn't had its breakthrough moment the way ChatGPT transformed language AI. His session will examine the lack of an internet-scale dataset for physical AI, unlike the vast text corpora that powered large language models or the road-mile data amassed by self-driving companies like Waymo.
TechCrunch announced another group of five venture capitalists who will judge the Startup Battlefield 200 competition at Disrupt 2026, held October 13-15 at Moscone West in San Francisco. Among those named is Aditi Maliwal, a general partner at Upfront Ventures who invests in fintech, enterprise SaaS, AI applications, and developer tools, with a portfolio including Clair and Writer. Early-bird ticket discounts of up to $200 are available until September 25.
TechCrunch has set a September 18, 11:59 p.m. PT deadline for startups to reserve exhibit tables at Disrupt 2026, taking place October 13-15 at Moscone West in San Francisco. Exhibitors get a table in the Expo Hall, 10 team passes, app and website branding, press-list access, and Silver Tier sponsor status.
TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, running October 13–15 at Moscone West in San Francisco, will feature a session called 'From Prototype to Production: Can It Scale in Reality?' on its Real World AI Stage. The panel brings together founders from space communications, autonomous systems, and AI infrastructure to discuss how they moved their technologies from early prototypes to reliable, deployable products.