As a content creator, she immediately clocked the platform as a game-changer because of a feature that allowed users to add products from disparate brands to one shareable, shoppable page. But she could see why they consulted her: The colors of their prototype were turquoise and pink. 'Like, what a man thought a woman would want,' Lopinsky says, laughing.
When you take the leap of faith to bring your vision, your idea, to life and start your company, you wear many hats and take on many tasks. You develop the business plan and deck pitch, help build a great product or service offering, create and implement the marketing strategies, make sales, handle customer service and get take-out for everyone during the late nights they're working.
We're fortunate to stand on the work of giants. Every time we cross a suspension bridge or hear a brilliant piece of music, we experience the spark of someone else's genius. We don't need to understand every theory to benefit from it - and the same is true in building a business. You don't need a computer science degree to think like an engineer - but doing so can help you build smarter, faster and with fewer mistakes.
Apply to lead a roundtable session Roundtables at TC Founder Summit are built for depth, not decks. Each session is a 30-minute, informal discussion led by up to two speakers, with no slides or video - just meaningful dialogue and practical insight. These intimate conversations create space for founders to ask real questions and connect directly with experts who've been there before.
Growth affects cofounders differently. One person thrives on the chaos, and the other starts waking up anxious. Research on stress physiology shows people react differently to the same stressors. Some people perceive situations as challenges and show more efficient cardiovascular responses, while others appraise the same situations as threats and show elevated cortisol and less adaptive physiological patterns. When cofounders don't possess this information, they misread each other's behavior as lack of commitment rather than different wiring.
Our mission: What if... your work empowered tech teams across the world? Software helps address the world's biggest challenges from climate crisis to inefficiency in governments. However, many companies and teams are bogged down by their own inefficiencies and struggle to develop technology effectively. Tekkr's mission is to empower tech teams and their leaders to achieve their full potential! Join tekkr and become a positive multiplier for techies across the globe!
This Builder Stage session brings together Katie Stanton ( Moxxie Ventures), Thomas Krane ( Insight Partners), and Sangeen Zeb ( GV). They've seen thousands of decks, led major rounds, and helped steer startups from scrappy beginnings to breakout scale. You'll hear what actually moves a pitch from "maybe" to "we're in," including the metrics that matter, how to tell your growth story, and what causes investors to walk away.
Few embody what it means to build with discipline in a tough market better than Chris Britt, co-founder and CEO of Chime. What began as a scrappy fintech challenger has grown into one of the rare companies to go public in today's challenging environment. In his session, Building a Company that Lasts, Britt will share the lessons behind Chime's rise - from weathering market headwinds to making the leap from private to public when so few manage it.
More than a decade ago, Jason Citron took the Disrupt stage to pitch his early-stage company in the Startup Battlefield competition at TechCrunch Disrupt as a scrappy founder pitching his vision. Today, he's built Discord into one of the most successful consumer platforms of its era - valued in the billions and redefining how communities connect, game, and share online.
David Fischer - Former CRO at Meta, Fischer scaled annual revenue from less than $1 billion to over $100 billion, connecting 200 million businesses with customers worldwide. Earlier, he built Google's early sales engine. Adam Bain - Former COO of Twitter, Bain built its sales, product, and ad operations from scratch, growing revenue from millions to billions in five years.
During the pandemic, one of our toughest challenges was sourcing enough supplies to keep up with surging demand. In the years since, we've seen our fair share of ups and downs on that front, but one thing has remained constant: the importance of strong, trusted relationships with our suppliers. They've been incredible partners through it all, and those collaborations have been key to helping us navigate post-pandemic growth with resilience and adaptability.
