Happy TechCrunch Breakout Eve! That’s right, for entry-level startup founders — and the ecosystem that supports them — the Techo OG Conference kicks off tomorrow at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.
There is no FOMO zone. It’s not too late to buy a pass and get in on all the action and opportunities. We would love to see!
Here’s a quick look at some of the sessions, speakers and other events you can take in over the next three days. Check the agenda for times and stage locations, then fire up your event app, build your schedule, and start meeting and connecting with other attendees.
Tuesday, October 18
Live on stage: TechCrunch Equity: Join Mary Ann Azevedo, Natasha Mascarenhas, and Alex Wilhelm for a live recording of Equity’s podcast about startups. They unravel the numbers and nuances behind the headlines and wade through the announcement to keep you up-to-date on the world of business, tech and VC.
How to Build Your Pre-VC Network – Converting Social Capital into Financial Capital: If you haven’t heard of Nick, Josh or Geffen, where have you been? They are founders who not only build interesting companies, but also take a forward-looking approach to making noise on social networks. We want to take a deeper look at how being a public figure can help founders build the public company of the future. This panel will be informative and lots of fun. Nick Milanovich Founder, This Week in Fintech, and General Partner, The Fintech Fund; Joshua Ogundu, CEO, Campfire; and Gefen Skolnick, founder, Couplet Coffee.
Winning the War on Ransomware: Ransomware attacks are growing at an alarming rate. We hear from the experts what it’s like to win the war on ransomware and how startups are doing their part. Brett Callow, threat analyst at Microsoft and Katie Mussouris, founder and CEO of Luta Security.
Wednesday, October 19
The art of hooking up with Kevin Hart: Financial inclusion is multi-faceted: what they are fighting for is a fundamental need for greater efficiency across similar networks, deceptively warm introductions, and diverse demographics. There is an art to it. Comedian and actor Kevin Hart, Mike Elanjian of Capital Connect at JPMorgan and Robert Roman of Heartbeat Ventures are joining us to talk about these very complex things. HartBeat Ventures talks about investing in startups like Beyond Meat, Fabletics and Therabody, while JPMorgan looks at how institutions are breaking down barriers. Michael Elanjan, Head of Digital Investment Banking and Digital Private Markets at JP Morgan; Kevin Hart, founder of HartBeat Ventures; and Robert Roman, president and co-founder of Heartbeat Ventures.
A motivated venture; Serena Williams is better at playing the game of tennis than anyone else, and has already made a name for herself as a VC in the tech world. At Riot, Williams and her Serena Ventures partner Alison Rapaport join to discuss the next phase of Serena’s career, swapping rackets for several (hundreds) of inbound pitch decks. We talk about her investment theory, her plans to bring more diversity to tech, and what she brings to the table as a VC. Serena Williams, Founding and Managing Partner of Serena Ventures, and Alison Rappaport Stillman, Founding and Managing Partner of Serena Ventures.
From Court to Cast: Basketball stars are no strangers to diversifying their portfolios. For four-time NBA champion and Golden State Warriors power forward Draymond Green, that means moving from the court to behind the microphone. He joins us to discuss his accomplishments on and off the court, including The Draymond Green Show podcast and Prime Video special, “The Session: Draymond Green.” Draymond Green, NBA 4x champion and host of The Draymond Green Show.
Thursday, October 20
State of VC in 2022: VCs have never had so much capital — $100 billion more in so-called dry powder than at the end of last year, according to Prekin — but with the exit market booming, many are “shrinking their portfolios” and taking more control. A deal after years of feverish business. What new terms are they introducing into the agreements? Where are they tearing up – and pulling back – and why? What do founders need to know for their startups to survive and thrive in 2023 and beyond? For a better understanding of what’s happening on the ground right now, this will be a must-watch chat. Nico Bonatos, Managing Director of General Catalyst and Karin Maroney, GP of Coatue Management.
The Future of Autonomy: Ten years ago, Lyft launched its ride-hailing service in San Francisco as a friendly pink-bearded man. Today, the company is the second largest ride-hailing service in the US, operates a bike-sharing business, acquired and developed and sold a self-driving car unit – all of which rival Uber, control wind, lawsuits and public markets. Co-founder John Zimmer talks about how to stay competitive, what inflation and regulatory pressures can cause, and where the next wave of growth will come from.
Monitoring in startup land; Join us for a crash course in surveillance – from spyware makers to data brokers. Learn what the changing cybersecurity risk and legal landscape means for today’s data-hungry startup. Jennifer Stisa Granik, surveillance and cybersecurity consultant with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Maddie Stone, security researcher at Project Zero Google.
There’s a lot to experience at Disruption – roundtables, breakout sessions, Startup Battlefield 200 companies on the exhibit floor, and, of course, the Startup Battlefield competition.
TechCrunch Disruption kicks off tomorrow, October 18th and runs through October 20th in San Francisco. Latecomers are always welcome. Buy your passport now and we will meet you in the center of Moscow!
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