How to win pre-seed funding with conviction and storytelling

It’s no secret that AI startups are absorbing a massive share of seed funding, making it increasingly difficult for other founders to secure capital , even at the pre-seed stage. We’ve documented this shift extensively, and at this year’s TechCrunch Disrupt, we’re addressing a pressing reality: pre-seed founders are now being held to seed-stage expectations.

With AI accelerating MVP development like never before, can a founder with a compelling vision but no tangible product still win over investors? That’s the central question of our panel, “Winning Pre-Seed Without a Product.”

This session is one of many featured on our popular Builders Stage at Disrupt 2026, where we host the sharpest conversations and hands-on workshops. Topics range from operational decision-making and fundraising to go-to-market strategies and beyond.

You can join us in person by grabbing your ticket to Disrupt 2026 at Moscone West in San Francisco, running October 13–15. These are the best prices you’ll find for the rest of the year.

For this specific discussion, we’ve assembled a stellar lineup of speakers who bring deep expertise to this nuanced and critical topic.

Sandhya Venkatachalam, founder and managing partner of Axiom Partners, knows what it takes to achieve a successful exit , and what investors look for before backing companies that eventually get acquired. She now leads Axiom Partners, a $52 million early-stage venture fund that connects founders with top-tier AI practitioners to drive real-world impact. Previously, she was a GP at Khosla Ventures and Social Capital, where she was the first investor in Groq and led investments into GalileoAI, ForethoughtAI, and FirefliesAI , all of which have been acquired or reached unicorn status.

Puneet Agarwal, managing partner at True Ventures, brings decades of perspective. True Ventures has been a cornerstone of the startup ecosystem since 2005, and Agarwal has been there since 2008, rising to managing partner with a focus on enterprise infrastructure and applications in the AI era. If you want to know what VCs really want, he’s the person to ask. True Ventures manages 12 funds, with partnerships spanning over 500 companies and 1,050 founders, plus more than 60 acquisitions and seven IPOs.

Austin Clements, managing partner at Slauson & Co., offers a different but equally valuable lens. Though smaller in scale, Slauson & Co. is deeply committed to economic inclusion and small business empowerment. Clements founded an accelerator within the firm to double down on that mission. His work to broaden the founder community also includes his role as founding chair of PledgeLA, a partnership with the Annenberg Foundation and the LA mayor’s office that champions diversity in tech. Regular readers may recognize one of Slauson & Co.’s portfolio companies: Glīd, the winner of Startup Battlefield 2026.

These speakers are just the first wave of our Disrupt 2026 programming rollout as we build toward the October 13 kickoff in San Francisco.

And that Battlefield win is a reminder: Disrupt isn’t just about insights and sessions. It’s about celebrating the community, learning from both triumphs and missteps, and preparing for the next chapter of your journey. Whether you’re a founder, investor, or any other essential part of the startup ecosystem, now is the time to secure your Disrupt 2026 ticket.