Technology

The Disrupt 2025 Builders Stage agenda now live and taking shape

Startups don’t build themselves. The Builders Stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, taking place October 27–29 at San Francisco’s Moscone West, is where investors, operators, and founders come to talk tactics — the nitty-gritty of getting something off the ground and making it work. This year, we’re bringing some of the sharpest minds in the game to the stage, including legendary investor Elad Gil, former Twitter CEO Dick Costolo, and Flexport founder Ryan Petersen. If you’re looking for real-world insights from people who’ve actually built and backed category-defining companies, this is where it happens.

Whether you’re wrestling with your first term sheet, building a GTM engine that actually converts, or wondering if AI should be your next hire, the Builders Stage has answers. Expect candid conversations, fresh strategies, and no-fluff advice from the folks who’ve been through the fire — plus audience Q&A during every session, so you can get your toughest questions answered, live.

Scale smarter with actionable insights from the leaders sitting front and center on the Builders Stage. Register now and save up to $675 on your ticket.

A first look at the Builders Stage agenda

See what’s locked in so far below and stay tuned. The Disrupt 2025 agenda is only getting bigger, with more top names and bold conversations on the way.

Raising Smart

A Conversation with Investor Extraordinaire Elad Gil

Before most of the world had experienced ChatGPT, Elad Gil had already written seed checks to startups like Perplexity, Character.AI, and Harvey. That’s on top of early bets on companies like Airbnb, Airtable, Anduril, Brex, Checkr, Coinbase, Deel, Figma, Flexport, GitLab, Gusto, Instacart, Notion, Opendoor, Pinterest, Rippling, Square, Stripe… you get the idea.

Gil, who has also founded multiple companies like Mixerlabs (bought by Twitter) and Color Health, always seems to know what’s next. And he’s already working on the next things coming for AI and investing.

Building What’s Next with the Minds Behind Twitter and Meta
Adam Bain and Dick Costolo, co-founders and managing partners, and David Fischer, partner, at 01 Advisors

Join these three powerhouse investors from 01 Advisors for an insider fireside chat on what it really takes to build, scale, and fund early-stage startups today. From product to growth to fundraising, you’ll get candid advice and fresh perspectives from industry veterans shaping the next wave of tech success.

Seed Money Secrets Every Founder Should Know
Gabby Cazeau, partner, Harlem Capital, Marlon Nichols, co-Founder and managing general partner, MaC Venture Capital, and Maria Palma, partner, Freestyle Capital

Raising your first round is tough, but far from impossible. This panel brings together experienced investors to break down what it really takes to close a seed round. From crafting the right pitch to ensuring you are greenlighting the right partners, get actionable advice to turn investor interest into capital.

How to Raise a Series A in 2026
Sangeen Zeb, general partner, GV, and more speakers to be announced

In this unfiltered panel, top VCs reveal what really gets them to offer a term sheet with a healthy valuation — from metrics that matter to the pitch mistakes that kill deals. Learn how to position your company for its first priced, institutional investment.

What VCs Really Want to Hear in Your Pitch
Medha Agarwal, general partner, defy.vc, Jyoti Bansal, CEO and co-founder, Harness, and Jennifer Neundorfer, general partner, January Ventures

Investors hear hundreds of pitches, but only a few stand out. Hear directly from VCs on what they love, what makes them cringe, and the subtle signals founders often miss. This panel reveals insider tips to help you craft a pitch that grabs attention, builds trust, and wins the right checks.

48833252076 44337b2f2c k — **Image Credits:**Kimberly White / Getty Images

Rethinking Startup Capital Without VCs
Erik Allebest, co-founder and CEO, Chess.com, Kay Makishi, Lupoff/Stevens Family Office, and Gale Wilkinson, managing partner, VITALIZE Venture Capital

VCs aren’t the only game in town. Join us as we explore alternative fundraising paths with an angel investor, a family office vice president, and a founder who bootstrapped to success. Learn how to tap into capital that aligns with your vision, keeps you in control, and gets you to the next stage on your terms.

Preparing Now for Your Later Stage Raise
Lila Preston, head of growth equity, Generation Investment Management, Andrea Thomaz, CEO and co-founder, Diligent Robotics, and Zeya Yang, partner, IVP

Raising later-stage rounds takes more than luck — it’s about strategy from day one. Join these three exceptional VCs as they share how to build metrics, storytelling, and relationships that position your startup for future funding success. Learn the key moves that set you up to close bigger rounds with confidence.

Where VCs Are Placing Their Bets in 2026
Nina Achadjian, partner, Index Ventures, Jerry Chen, general partner, Greylock, and Viviana Faga, general partner, Felicis

Curious where the smart money is heading next? This panel brings together top VCs to share their 2026 investment priorities, emerging sectors, and what innovations are catching their eye. Early-stage founders, this one is for you! Get a rare glimpse into the trends and technologies that could shape your business in the year ahead.

Scaling Smart

Building in a Time of Uncertainty
Ryan Petersen, founder and CEO, Flexport

Uncertainty is the new normal, but it’s also an opportunity. In this fireside chat, Ryan Petersen, CEO of global logistics unicorn Flexport, shares his hard-won insights. With $2.3B raised, Flexport’s shipping technology intersects international business and policy, giving Petersen almost prescient economic insights. He’s been vocal about everything from tariff policy to AI. He’s also experienced personal volatility, famously leaving his CEO role and then returning less than a year later. Founders, take notes: this is how you build when the rules keep changing.

How to Nail Product Market Fit
Rajat Bhageria, founder and CEO, Chef Robotics, Ann Bordetsky, partner, NEA, and Murali Joshi, partner, ICONIQ

Building a product is hard. Building one that customers are chomping at the bit to get, that’s priced right, and delivers on its promises is even harder, and it’s always messy. But once you hit the holy grail of product-market fit, your startup is on a fast track to growth, funding, and traction. Hear from a founder who’s lived it and two investors who’ve helped many others get there. This panel breaks down how to test smarter and iterate with intention so you can stop guessing and start growing.

Ann Bordetsky, Partner at NEA, is part of the Startup Battlefield jury at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco on October 18, 2022. Image Credit: Haje Kamps / TechCrunch — **Image Credits:**Haje Kamps / TechCrunch

How Much Salary and Equity Should You Really Offer Early Employees?
Randi Jakubowitz, head of operations and talent, 645 Ventures, Rebecca Lee Whiting, fractional general counsel for early-stage startups, Epigram Legal P.C., and Yin Wu, CEO and founder, Pulley

Early hires shape your startup’s future, but only if you can attract and keep them. This panel dives into building equity and benefits packages that compete with big tech without breaking your burn rate. Hear real-world strategies to align incentives, boost retention, and build a team that scales.

With Vibe Coding, Do Early Stage Startups Still Need to Hire 10x Engineers?
David Cramer, co-founder and CPO, Sentry, Lauri Moore, partner, Bessemer Venture Partners, and a speaker to be announced

Vibe coding products have completely changed the speed, cost, and technical skill needed to build products, from prototypes to shipping. This is especially true for early stage startups. Some makers of these products have even declared that no one needs to learn to code anymore. If so, that means startups don’t need to fill their early rosters with the famed 10x coders. But how much of that is hype and how much is reality? Our panelists will dive into how the developer tool world is changing and what comes next.

Should You Hire AI as Early Employees?
Caleb Peffer, co-founder and CEO, Firecrawl, and more speakers to be announced

Most startups today are using AI in some capacities: vibe coding prototypes or new features, deep research via their favorite chat before sales calls. Many are also building AI products, or at least including AI options and features. So, should you embed AI at the root operations of your businesses, like hiring AI agents instead of humans for sales? For customer support? To automate your billing? Learn how to pick the right use cases, build smarter workflows, and get the biggest impact with limited resources.

Do Startups Still Need Silicon Valley?
Anh-Tho Chuong, CEO and co-founder, Lago, Heather Doshay, partner, head of talent, SignalFire, and David Hall, managing partner, rise of the rest seed fund, Revolution

While Silicon Valley is still the startup capital, how important is access to it anymore? This panel debates whether founders must plant roots in the Valley to succeed or if opportunity is so strong elsewhere that they don’t need it. Hear perspectives from investors and founders redefining what it means to build, scale, and fund a company in today’s decentralized tech world.

Building a GTM Engine that Actually Works
Max Altschuler, founder and general partner, GTMfund, and more speakers to be announced

A killer product needs a killer go-to-market strategy. This panel breaks down how early-stage startups can build a GTM function that drives growth, wins customers, and scales efficiently. Hear from founders and GTM experts on hiring, messaging, sales tactics, and the key metrics that prove your approach is working.

Want to see more?

Not only will you gain invaluable insights from these tech giants live at Disrupt 2025 alongside 10,000+ startup, tech, and VC leaders this October, but you can also save up to $675 on your pass today. Register here to lock in your savings.

?promo=post buildersstage80 06192025&utm campaign=disrupt2025&utm content=agenda&utm medium=post&utm source=tc — **Image Credits:**Jeff Bottari / Flickr (opens in a new window)

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Technology

Chinese authorities are using a new tool to hack seized phones and extract data

Security researchers say Chinese authorities are using a new type of malware to extract data from seized phones, allowing them to obtain text messages — including from chat apps such as Signal — images, location histories, audio recordings, contacts, and more.

On Wednesday, mobile cybersecurity company Lookout published a new report — shared exclusively with TechCrunch — detailing the hacking tool called Massistant, which the company said was developed by Chinese tech giant Xiamen Meiya Pico.

Massistant, according to Lookout, is Android software used for the forensic extraction of data from mobile phones, meaning the authorities using it need to have physical access to those devices. While Lookout doesn’t know for sure which Chinese police agencies are using the tool, its use is assumed widespread, which means both Chinese residents, as well as travelers to China, should be aware of the tool’s existence and the risks it poses.

“It’s a big concern. I think anybody who’s traveling in the region needs to be aware that the device that they bring into the country could very well be confiscated and anything that’s on it could be collected,” Kristina Balaam, a researcher at Lookout who analyzed the malware, told TechCrunch ahead of the report’s release. “I think it’s something everybody should be aware of if they’re traveling in the region.”

Balaam found several posts on local Chinese forums where people complained about finding the malware installed on their devices after interactions with the police.

“It seems to be pretty broadly used, especially from what I’ve seen in the rumblings on these Chinese forums,” said Balaam.

The malware, which must be planted on an unlocked device, and works in tandem with a hardware tower connected to a desktop computer, according to a description and pictures of the system on Xiamen Meiya Pico’s website.

Balaam said Lookout couldn’t analyze the desktop component, nor could the researchers find a version of the malware compatible with Apple devices. In an illustration on its website, Xiamen Meiya Pico shows iPhones connected to its forensic hardware device, suggesting the company may have an iOS version of Massistant designed to extract data from Apple devices.

Police do not need sophisticated techniques to use Massistant, such as using zero-days — flaws in software or hardware that have not yet been disclosed to the vendor — as “people just hand over their phones,” said Balaam, based on what she’s read on those Chinese forums.

Since at least 2024, China’s state security police have had legal powers to search through phones and computers without needing a warrant or the existence of an active criminal investigation.

“If somebody is moving through a border checkpoint and their device is confiscated, they have to grant access to it,” said Balaam. “I don’t think we see any real exploits from lawful intercept tooling space just because they don’t need to.”

An Massistant device showing a tower computer plugged into several iPhones. — A screenshot of the Massistant mobile forensic tool’s hardware, taken from Xiamen Meiya Pico’s official Chinese website.Image Credits:Xiamen Meiya Pico

The good news, per Balaam, is that Massistant leaves evidence of its compromise on the seized device, meaning users can potentially identify and delete the malware, either because the hacking tool appears as an app, or can be found and deleted using more sophisticated tools such as the Android Debug Bridge, a command line tool that lets a user connect to a device through their computer.

The bad news is that at the time of installing Massistant, the damage is done, and authorities already have the person’s data.

According to Lookout, Massistant is the successor of a similar mobile forensic tool, also made by Xiamen Meiya Pico, called MSSocket, which security researchers analyzed in 2019.

Xiamen Meiya Pico reportedly has a 40% share of the digital forensics market in China, and was sanctioned by the U.S. government in 2021 for its role in supplying its technology to the Chinese government.

The company did not respond to TechCrunch’s request for comment.

Balaam said that Massistant is only one of a large number of spyware or malware made by Chinese surveillance tech makers, in what she called “a big ecosystem.” The researcher said that the company tracks at least 15 different malware families in China.

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Technology

Meta fixes bug that could leak users’ AI prompts and generated content

Meta has fixed a security bug that allowed Meta AI chatbot users to access and view the private prompts and AI-generated responses of other users.

Sandeep Hodkasia, the founder of security testing firm Appsecure, exclusively told TechCrunch that Meta paid him $10,000 in a bug bounty reward for privately disclosing the bug he filed on December 26, 2024.

Meta deployed a fix on January 24, 2025, said Hodkasia, and found no evidence that the bug was maliciously exploited.

Hodkasia told TechCrunch that he identified the bug after examining how Meta AI allows its logged-in users to edit their AI prompts to re-generate text and images. He discovered that when a user edits their prompt, Meta’s back-end servers assign the prompt and its AI-generated response a unique number. By analyzing the network traffic in his browser while editing an AI prompt, Hodkasia found he could change that unique number and Meta’s servers would return a prompt and AI-generated response of someone else entirely.

The bug meant that Meta’s servers were not properly checking to ensure that the user requesting the prompt and its response was authorized to see it. Hodkasia said the prompt numbers generated by Meta’s servers were “easily guessable,” potentially allowing a malicious actor to scrape users’ original prompts by rapidly changing prompt numbers using automated tools.

When reached by TechCrunch, Meta confirmed it fixed the bug in January and that the company “found no evidence of abuse and rewarded the researcher,” Meta spokesperson Ryan Daniels told TechCrunch.

News of the bug comes at a time when tech giants are scrambling to launch and refine their AI products, despite many security and privacy risks associated with their use.

Meta AI’s standalone app, which debuted earlier this year to compete with rival apps like ChatGPT, launched to a rocky start after some users inadvertently publicly shared what they thought were private conversations with the chatbot.

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Technology

Meta is reportedly using actual tents to build data centers

Meta and Mark Zuckerberg are in a hurry to build their superintelligence tech. The company has been poaching AI researchers, while CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced on Monday that Meta is building a 5-gigawatt data center called Hyperion.

The urgency is palpable. As SemiAnalysis reported last week and Business Insider noted, Meta is so eager to boost its computing power that it’s literally erecting tents for temporary data center capacity while its facilities are still under construction.

These are all signs that Meta wants to build up its AI capacity faster after falling behind competitors like OpenAI, xAI, and Google — and that Zuckerberg isn’t willing to wait for typical construction timelines to close the gap.

“This design isn’t about beauty or redundancy. It’s about getting compute online fast!” SemiAnalysis said in its report. “From prefabricated power and cooling modules to ultra-light structures, speed is of the essence as there is no backup generation (ie, no diesel generators in sight),” it added.

As for its Hyperion data center, Meta spokesperson Ashley Gabriel tells TechCrunch that it will be located in Louisiana and will likely have a capacity of 2 gigawatts by 2030.