AI doesn’t just run on code: it requires enormous amounts of energy, and that demand is increasingly becoming a critical bottleneck. At TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, the intelligent systems stage will be where energy, infrastructure and technology collide, covering everything from advances in fusion to the grid strain that AI is putting on the entire economy.
Money has evolved to become much more than the cash in your wallet or bank account. And at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, we will dedicate an entire stage to that progression. The new Smart Money Stage will be the place where financial technology, payments and artificial intelligence collide. From October 13-15 at the Moscone Center in
It’s not just you: AI startups are receiving a lot of seed funding and, in the process, making things difficult for anyone seeking funding, even at a pre-seed stage. We’ve covered the trend in detail, and at this year’s TechCrunch Disrupt event, we want to help pre-seed founders who are now locked into early-stage expectations.