As the global technology community gears up for one of its most anticipated annual gatherings, TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, the full roster of breakout sessions has been released, promising an intensive deep dive into the forces shaping the future of entrepreneurship and innovation. Set to transform San Francisco’s Moscone West from October 27-29, this year’s conference offers a meticulously curated agenda of over 200 sessions, with breakout rooms designed for hands-on learning and direct engagement with industry leaders. Attendees will find themselves shoulder-to-shoulder with the founders, operators, and investors who are actively building the next generation of groundbreaking companies.

The Enduring Legacy of TechCrunch Disrupt

TechCrunch Disrupt holds a unique position in the tech calendar, having evolved from its inception in 2011 as a crucial platform for nascent startups to launch and secure funding. Over the past decade and a half, it has become synonymous with identifying and showcasing disruptive technologies and business models, often serving as a barometer for the industry’s direction. The event’s consistent draw lies in its ability to blend high-level visionary keynotes with practical, actionable workshops, fostering an environment where ideas are born, connections are forged, and strategies are refined. The iconic "Startup Battlefield," where promising new ventures vie for significant seed funding and media attention, remains a central pillar, but the breakout sessions represent the practical engine of the conference, offering granular insights into specific challenges and opportunities. This year’s focus reflects a dynamic market, heavily influenced by the rapid advancements in artificial intelligence, evolving funding landscapes, and the burgeoning importance of deep tech.

Navigating the Evolving Funding Landscape

The current economic climate, characterized by tighter capital markets compared to the exuberance of previous years, places a premium on capital efficiency and strategic fundraising. Several sessions at Disrupt 2025 are dedicated to guiding founders through these intricate financial waters. "Build First, Fund Later: The Founder’s Guide to Bootstrapping Breakout Startups" will feature Tarun Raisoni, co-founder and CEO of Gruve, who will share pragmatic tactics for identifying initial customer profiles, securing early "lighthouse" customers, and leveraging revenue to fuel growth, thereby allowing founders to negotiate funding on their own terms. This approach resonates deeply in a market where investor scrutiny is heightened, and demonstrating traction before seeking external capital can significantly improve valuation and control.

Complementing this is "Fundraising Mistakes That Will Kill Your Round, and How to Avoid Them," a comprehensive panel featuring Kamila Khasanova of On Top Strategy, Sam Li of Thoropass, Ashley Paston of General Catalyst, and Dr. Richard Munassi of Tampa Bay Wave. Drawing from diverse perspectives—communications, founder, venture capitalist, and accelerator—the discussion will dissect common deal-killers, such as unclear narratives, misaligned metrics, and inappropriate investor targeting, offering actionable "fix-it" habits for successful fundraising. Further enriching this track, "Fundraising Process Workshop with TC Editor Turned VC Josh Constine" provides a unique opportunity for a hands-on teardown of fundraising strategies, covering story arc development, proof points, data room preparation, and outreach sequencing, directly from SignalFire’s venture partner, who has reviewed thousands of pitches.

Beyond traditional venture capital, the event explores alternative capital sources. "Inside the Family Office Playbook: How the Wealthiest Invest in Startups and Venture Funds" brings together experts like Mariane Bekker of Founders Bay, Amanda Daniels of 5840 Holdings, Brett Horton of Paris-Roubaix Group, and Daniel Idzkowski of I.D.I.T. Family Office. This session aims to demystify the mandates, diligence processes, and investment pacing within family offices, providing crucial insights for founders and emerging managers on how and when to engage this increasingly significant capital pool. Similarly, "CVC: What’s Different? What’s Their Superpower?" with Nicolas Sauvage, president of TDK Ventures, will shed light on modern Corporate Venture Capital (CVCs), helping attendees identify the CVCs that offer genuine strategic and financial value, move with agility, and truly accelerate founder success.

The AI Revolution: From Development to National Security

Artificial intelligence is undeniably the dominant theme across the tech landscape, and Disrupt 2025 reflects its pervasive influence. Sessions delve into practical applications, strategic implications, and ethical considerations. "From Vibes to Velocity: How AI Tools Can Help You Achieve Your Development Goals" led by Tim Rogers, Staff Product Manager at GitHub Copilot, moves beyond theoretical discussions to explore real-world patterns for integrating AI agents and copilots into the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). The focus is on reducing toil, accelerating code reviews, and unblocking teams, all while maintaining rigorous code quality and security standards. This session acknowledges the industry’s urgent need to move from experimental AI adoption to scaled, secure deployment.

The strategic implications of AI are addressed in "AI at the Brink: Strategic Playbook for National Security," where Daniel Hendrycks, Executive Director of the Center for AI Safety, will provide practical frameworks for evaluating, red-teaming, and governing high-impact AI systems. This is particularly relevant given the escalating geopolitical concerns surrounding advanced AI models and the imperative to mitigate potential risks where failure is simply not an option.

"Agentic AI for Startups: Automate, Adapt, and Accelerate Growth" with Anmol Rastogi of Amazon Business and Anjali Mann of Microsoft will explore current applications of AI agents in operations, support, and sales, critically examining where they excel and where they encounter limitations. The emphasis will be on maintaining human oversight for quality assurance, highlighting the evolving human-AI collaboration model. Further practical examples will be showcased in "AI & Agents: Shaping How We Build, Live & Connect," featuring Patrick Murphy of Maket, Alyx van der Vorm of Clyx, Jeremiah Owyang of Blitzscaling Ventures, and Thomas Foley of Composio. This session will dissect real-world agent use cases across diverse sectors like build tools, real estate, and social platforms, analyzing the underlying infrastructure and product decisions required to transform novel AI capabilities into everyday utility.

The impact of AI extends to specific industries, with "Rewriting Healthcare Workflows with AI" exploring how healthcare organizations are reimagining operations. Zubair Ahsan of Max AI, Kanyi Maqubela of Kindred Ventures, and Varun Krishnamurthy of Assured Health will discuss the transformative potential of AI in areas like patient intake, billing, credentialing, and overall patient care, particularly in a post-scribe era where AI-powered documentation is becoming standard.

Broader societal and ethical considerations of AI are also on the agenda. "Embracing AI for a Better Digital Future" with Meghana Dhar, a tech advisor and investor, and Matt Madrigal, CTO of Pinterest, will outline pragmatic pathways for deploying AI that genuinely resonates with users. This includes discussions on measurement, safety protocols, and the fundamental shifts that occur when AI permeates every aspect of a digital platform, from discovery to commerce. The challenge of maintaining authenticity in an AI-saturated world will be tackled in "Being Heard in the Age of AI." Qianwen Chen of EchoHer, Fay Kallel of Headspace, and Chenxi Wang of Rain Capital will explore tactics for brands, creators, and products to retain a human touch, build trust, and achieve measurable impact amidst a deluge of AI-generated content.

Finally, the immense energy demands of AI are not overlooked. "Powering AI: The Race to Scale Gigawatts of New Energy" features Mike Schroepfer of Gigascale Capital and Garth Sheldon-Coulson of Panthalassa. This panel will address how the world’s largest new energy platforms are being scaled to meet AI’s growing power needs, offering critical lessons on transitioning breakthrough clean tech from R&D to market viability. This session underscores the symbiotic relationship between advanced computing and sustainable energy, a critical challenge for the coming decades.

Deep Tech’s Horizon: Beyond Software Solutions

While AI dominates headlines, TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 also shines a spotlight on "deep tech"—innovations rooted in tangible scientific and engineering breakthroughs that often require significant R&D and longer commercialization cycles. "Discovery to Disruption: Turning Research into Venture-Backable Companies" will provide a "translational playbook" for founders emerging from academic or research settings. Pratik Nimbalkar of Plaid Semiconductors, Jared O of SirenOpt, Chon Tang of Berkeley SkyDeck Fund, and Asad Tirmizi of T-Robotics will guide attendees on validating markets, securing non-dilutive capital, and sequencing milestones to ensure deep tech ventures meet VC criteria without compromising scientific integrity.

Echoing this theme, "SOSV: Where Deep Tech Is Headed (It’s Not JUST AI)" offers a venture capital perspective. Westley Dang, Philipp Sander, Po Bronson, and Sierra Brooks from SOSV will reveal how deep-tech founders can transform breakthrough science into scalable, world-changing companies across diverse sectors such as biomanufacturing, advanced materials, renewable energy, and health. This session highlights the growing investor appetite for solutions to fundamental global challenges, moving beyond purely digital business models.

Operational Excellence and Strategic Growth

Beyond funding and cutting-edge tech, the conference offers practical guidance on the day-to-day challenges of building and scaling a startup. "The Untapped Opportunity Hidden in Business Workflows" featuring Umair Javed of tkxel, Marcus Torres of Quickbase, and Umair Bashir of Signal, will explore how to identify and productize "boring" workflow pain points into sticky software that delivers tangible ROI and quick payback periods. This is invaluable for founders seeking initial wedge use cases in large, established industries.

Leadership and team dynamics are critical, especially in fast-paced tech environments. "Startup Lessons You Won’t Find in a Playbook" promises "real talk" from Santi Subotovsky of Emergence Capital and Melissa Wong of Zipline. They will share unvarnished insights on scaling enterprise software and consumer operations, including the complexities of hiring executives, navigating protracted sales cycles, and maintaining organizational resilience when strategic plans confront market realities. Furthermore, "Leading for Impact: Engineering at the Speed of AI" brings together Eno Reyes of Factory, Andrew Berman of Runlayer, Suraj Patel of MongoDB, and Dima Dzhulgakov of Fireworks AI. This panel will explore how engineering founders are redefining startup leadership, fostering product-driven growth, and cultivating the essential skills required to steer their companies towards sustained success in an era defined by rapid AI integration.

Mastering the Narrative in a Crowded Digital Sphere

In an increasingly noisy digital landscape, effective communication is paramount for startups seeking attention and investment. "Startups, Stories, and the Fight for Attention" features Jenna Birch of SISU, Allie Cefalo of Kleiner Perkins, and Chantelle Darby of Darby PR. This session will provide strategies for cutting through the clutter using earned, owned, and partner channels. Attendees will learn how to construct a compelling narrative that amplifies across public relations, social media, and community engagement, without exhausting valuable resources.

Seizing the Opportunity

With the full agenda now accessible, TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 is poised to be an indispensable event for anyone operating within the startup ecosystem. The breakout sessions offer unparalleled opportunities for hands-on learning, strategic insight, and direct networking with the visionaries and practitioners driving the industry forward. These exclusive, first-come, first-served sessions are open to all passholders. Prospective attendees are encouraged to secure their passes promptly to take advantage of early registration savings before prices increase on October 27. The chance to gain practical skills, strategic guidance, and forge crucial connections at the epicenter of innovation awaits.