Today is the last day to apply to speak at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026

Prospective speakers have only hours left to submit session proposals for TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, as the call for pitches closes today. Organizers are accepting topic submissions from anyone hoping to address the audience at what has become one of the tech industry's marquee annual gatherings, and the window to be considered is narrowing fast.

The conference itself is set to run October 13 through 15, 2026, at Moscone West in San Francisco, returning to the same downtown venue that has hosted the event in recent years. Once the speaker application period ends, TechCrunch's programming team will begin the process of reviewing submissions and building out the schedule of panels, interviews, and workshops that will fill the three-day agenda.

Eligibility for the stage is intentionally broad. The invitation is open to startup founders, venture investors, company operators, and specialists across various corners of the technology sector, rather than being limited to a narrow slate of celebrity executives. That approach reflects Disrupt's long-running format, which has historically mixed marquee names with lesser-known builders and investors who bring specific technical or market expertise to a session.

Scale is a defining feature of the event. Organizers expect turnout north of 10,000 attendees, a mix of startup leadership and venture capital professionals converging on San Francisco for several days of networking and programming. That volume of attendees gives selected speakers unusually wide exposure to potential investors, customers, and hires, which is part of why competition for available speaking slots tends to be intense each year.

Programming is expected to center on the themes currently dominating venture and startup conversations: artificial intelligence, company scaling strategies, financial technology, computing infrastructure, robotics, and broader questions about where innovation is headed next. Given how much of this year's funding activity has clustered around AI infrastructure and applied robotics, those tracks are likely to draw outsized attention from both applicants and attendees.

Not every applicant will make the cut, and TechCrunch has not detailed how many session slots are actually available relative to the volume of submissions it typically receives. Past editions of Disrupt have drawn far more proposals than the schedule can accommodate, meaning a large share of hopeful speakers are likely to be turned away even after investing time in a detailed pitch. The company has not said when accepted speakers will be notified, though prior years have seen selections communicated over the following weeks and months as the agenda takes shape.

For those not selected to speak, Disrupt has traditionally offered other avenues of participation, including expo floor space, side events, and general attendance passes, giving companies a way to gain visibility at the conference even without a stage slot. As the October dates approach, more details about confirmed speakers, session tracks, and ticketing are expected to be released in the coming months.

Source: TechCrunch