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TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 Day 1 is Tuesday, October 13, in San Francisco. Registration and badge pickup at Moscone West begin at 7:30 a.m.; the Expo Hall opens at 8:00 a.m., and the Networking Lounge opens at 9:00 a.m. The day includes startup pitches, stage sessions, exhibitors and app-scheduled networking. Because TechCrunch says it adds sessions regularly, confirm the live agenda and venue instructions before you go.

Day 1 at a glance

Activity Time on Tuesday, October 13 Location or details
Registration and badge pickup 7:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Level 1 lobby, Moscone West
Expo Hall 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Level 2
Networking Lounge 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Schedule one-to-one meetings through the TechCrunch Events app
Live Pitch Session 8:45–9:30 a.m. Pitch Showcase Stage; one-minute lightning pitches from startups representing their home countries and regions
“Equity Live: The Startup Stories Shaping 2026” 9:00–9:30 a.m. Builders Stage
“The Rise of Agentic AI: Lessons for Hardware Founders” 10:10–10:30 a.m. PT Builders Stage; presented by Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

Hours, session names, locations and descriptions in this guide are organizer-listed details. Check the official Disrupt 2026 agenda for the current schedule and logistics.

How to plan your morning

Arrive for badge pickup

Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. at the Level 1 lobby of Moscone West. The Expo Hall opens at 8:00 a.m. on Level 2, while the Live Pitch Session starts at 8:45 a.m. at the Pitch Showcase Stage. If you want to catch the pitches, allow time to collect your badge and reach the stage before the session begins.

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Choose between overlapping sessions

The Live Pitch Session overlaps with “Equity Live: The Startup Stories Shaping 2026,” which runs from 9:00 to 9:30 a.m. on the Builders Stage. They are separate activities at different venues, so attending both in full is not possible. Use the agenda to decide which fits your interests, and allow for time to move between stages.

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At 10:10 a.m., the Builders Stage is scheduled to host “The Rise of Agentic AI: Lessons for Hardware Founders.” The session is presented by Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., and lists Ziad Asghar, SVP and GM of XR, Wearables and Personal AI at Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., as its speaker. Its description concerns agentic AI as an interface across devices such as wearables, phones and PCs. These are scheduled details, not a guarantee that the session will remain unchanged.

Expo, networking and startup competition

Visit the Expo Hall

The Expo Hall is listed from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Level 2. TechCrunch’s attendee portal describes Startup Battlefield 200 as a group of early-stage startups exhibiting and competing at Disrupt. According to the portal, 20 startups are selected to compete for the Disrupt Cup and a $100,000 prize. These are published event details; they do not mean the prize has already been awarded.

Arrange one-to-one meetings

The Networking Lounge is listed as open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. One-to-one meetings are scheduled through the TechCrunch Events app. The attendee portal notes that some activations are limited to specific pass holders, so check the access details for any activity you plan to attend.

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What to expect from the larger program

TechCrunch describes Disrupt 2026 as featuring 200+ sessions across six stages, led by 250+ tech leaders. These are organizer-published planned program figures, not attendance totals. The official speaker listing includes RJ Scaringe, Founder and CEO of Rivian; Cat de Jong, Head of Applied AI at Anthropic; Les Karpas, Inception Global Head of Physical AI at NVIDIA; and Tara Seshan, Lead Product Manager for ChatGPT at OpenAI. The speaker listing alone does not establish that any of these people appear in a particular Day 1 session; check the agenda for session assignments.

Verify the schedule before heading out

TechCrunch’s agenda says, “New sessions are added regularly. Check back in to explore more sessions.” Recheck the live agenda near your visit for updated session times, locations and venue instructions. The organizer’s speaker listing, attendee portal and partner-session page provide additional event details; access conditions may depend on the pass you hold.

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