Introducing the Founder Spotlight at TC Disrupt NY

TechCrunch Disrupt NY is around the corner, and with it we’re introducing a brand new way for startups to get their moment in the sun on our main stage.

You’re probably familiar with our fireside chats — last year we spoke one-on-one with USV’s Fred Wilson, Uber’s David Plouffe, Facebook’s Stan Chudnovsky, Soledad O’Brien, Carmelo Anthony and Jessica Alba. We also host panels, like Disrupt NY 2016’s panel on startup studios with John Borthwick, Heather Hartnett and Naveen Selvadurai, or our dating panel with Dawoon Kang, Whitney Wolfe, and Robyn Exton.

And then, of course, there’s the Startup Battlefield, where brand new companies launch brand new products on the Disrupt stage, making their foray into the big beautiful startup world.

But we’re missing something.

There are dozens of proven, growing startups that have remained on the fringe, whether because they’re purposefully stealthy or because they’re kicking ass in a peripheral industry like real estate or insurance.

We want to give these startups time on our stage to tell us about the human element of starting and running a startup.

Each Founder Spotlight will begin with a video, explaining to the audience the problem, the solution, and how the product is unique and effective. From there, we’ll sit down one-on-one with the founder to talk about how they got from point A to point B.

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Join 10k+ tech and VC leaders for growth and connections at Disrupt 2025

Netflix, Box, a16z, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Hugging Face, Elad Gil, Vinod Khosla — just some of the 250+ heavy hitters leading 200+ sessions designed to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. Don’t miss the 20th anniversary of TechCrunch, and a chance to learn from the top voices in tech. Grab your ticket before doors open to save up to $444.

Join 10k+ tech and VC leaders for growth and connections at Disrupt 2025

Netflix, Box, a16z, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Hugging Face, Elad Gil, Vinod Khosla — just some of the 250+ heavy hitters leading 200+ sessions designed to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. Don’t miss a chance to learn from the top voices in tech. Grab your ticket before doors open to save up to $444.

San Francisco | October 27-29, 2025

We want to know about the emotional side of leaving your old life and starting a brand new one as the leader of a scrappy little company, and the journey from the day the idea was born to now.

We’re super excited about this new format that highlights up-and-coming startups, and we’re sure you’re going to love it.

But if you want to get in on the action, you have to pick up tickets. You can get those right here.

See you in New York!

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