TechCrunch Disrupt 2026: Why Most Founders Are Already Behind on Raising a Series A in 2027
If you’re planning to raise a Series A in the next 12 to 24 months, the rules have already shifted. Join TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 for insights that will keep your startup ahead of the curve.
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If you’re planning to raise a Series A in the next 12 to 24 months, the rules have already shifted. The landscape is not just harder; it’s slower and more selective than ever before. At TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, taking place October 13-15 at San Francisco’s Moscone West, one session on the Builders Stage cuts directly into this gap: The Series A in 2027. This isn’t a retrospective; it’s a forward-looking breakdown of what it will actually take to raise in the next funding cycle and who will get left behind.
Get your passes now and join this session live. This offer to buy one, get one at 50% off ends tonight at 11:59 p.m. PT.
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TechCrunch
Get Ahead of Series A Changes
The window between building and raising has stretched. Metrics that once signaled readiness are being questioned. Teams that would have been fundable two years ago are now getting passed over, often without realizing it until they’re already in the market.
What “Fundable” Actually Means Now
The definition of a “fundable” company is being rewritten in real time. In this session, you’ll get a direct view of how top investors are recalibrating:
- Techcrunch event This Week Only: Buy one pass, get the second at 50% off
Your next round. Your next hire. Your next breakout opportunity. Find it at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, where 10,000+ founders, investors, and tech leaders gather for three days of 250+ tactical sessions, powerful introductions, and market-defining innovation.
Register before May 8 to bring a +1 at half the cost. This Week Only: Buy one pass, get the second at 50% off
San Francisco, CA | October 13-15, 2026
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What Traction Actually Signals Readiness, and What No Longer Does
- How expectations around growth, efficiency, and capital have changed
- What product and GTM milestones matter heading into a raise
- Where AI is raising the bar and where it’s distorting signals
This Is Practical Information You Can Use Right Away
It reveals how decisions are being made right now and how they’ll be made when you go out to raise. Secure your ticket to Disrupt to learn what it takes (now) to raise.
Who You’re Hearing From Onstage
- Nina Achadjian, Partner at Index Ventures
- Janelle Teng Wade, Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners
- Shailendra Singh, Managing Director, Peak XV
These are investors defining what the next wave of venture-backed companies needs to look like — through the companies they fund, the frameworks they build, and the standards they apply.
Register for Disrupt to Access This Session and 250+ Others
The goal of this session is simple: clarity. You’ll leave with a sharper understanding of:
- What metrics you should actually be building toward.
- How to structure your team ahead of a raise.
- What signals investors are prioritizing — and what they’re ignoring.
- How to position your company in a more selective market.
And just as importantly, you’ll learn what to stop optimizing for. Because in this environment, doing the wrong things well doesn’t help; it sets you back.
Buy Your Pass to Disrupt Before Prices Increase
Image Credits: Slava Blazer Photography / Flickr (opens in a new window)
Where This Fits at Disrupt
This session is part of the Builders Stage lineup at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, where sessions are built around execution, not theory. This is where founders go to pressure-test their strategy, recalibrate their assumptions, and get answers they can actually act on.
If you’re thinking about raising in the next one to two years, this isn’t optional. Get this wrong, and you don’t raise. Or you raise later than planned, with less leverage, under more pressure. Get it right, and you separate from the pack — before you ever start pitching. That’s the difference this session is designed to create.
Register now to save 50% on two passes and to attend the Series A in 2027.
Get Your Disrupt Ticket for Live Series A Insights
The Series A market is changing faster than most founders are adapting. You can figure that out mid-process — or you can understand it before you ever start. Save $410 on your pass and get a second pass at 50% off. Offer ends tonight at 11:59 p.m. PT.
Join this session plus 250+ others across all Disrupt tracks for three days of real-world fundraising and tech insights.
