Five more reasons you should attend Disrupt 2020 – TechCrunch

There are just a few days until we kick off five days of Disrupt 2020 (September 14-18). It’s time to dig in, dig deep and do whatever it takes to discover hidden opportunities. Disrupt is a vehicle for success for all who are playing the startup game. Buy your pass and drive it like you stole it.

If it’s reassurance you need, we’ve got you covered. Here are five more reasons to attend Disrupt 2020.

1. Hone essential founder skills at the Extra Crunch Stage

Every early-stage startup founder needs to master a daunting slate of business skills. Truth be told, building a successful startup is a never-ending learning curve. Head to the Extra Crunch Stage for real-world tips from experts in marketing, business development and investing. They’ll cover topics like how to craft a pitch deck, how to raise your first dollars and how to iterate your product.

“I like Disrupt’s approach. It combines demos with educational components that help you learn new trends and tactics. It’s more like a tech summit.” — Daniel Lloreda, general partner at H20 Capital Innovation.

2. Insight from world-class speakers on the Disrupt Stage

Disrupt features the best and brightest minds and makers. They span the tech, investment and entertainment industries to deliver their experience, advice and inspiration in one-on-one interviews and moderated panels discussions:

• CRISPR in the post-COVID Era: What has the global COVID-19 pandemic changed about the biotech industry in general, and CRISPR in particular? Dr. Jennifer Doudna, who co-discovered the revolutionary CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technology, joins us to discuss the immediate and lasting implications of the novel coronavirus and transformations in genetic science.
• Cuckoo for CoCo: Conan O’Brien is one of the most recognizable faces on television. But his company, Team CoCo Digital, is hoping you recognize his voice just as much. With podcasting on the rise over the past few years, hear from O’Brien on what it takes to dominate the audio landscape.
• Startup Battlefield Pitch Competition: The OG of startup pitch competitions. Seen in HBO’s show, Silicon Valley. Launchpad for more than 900 companies, including Vurb, Dropbox, Getsround, Mint, Yammer, Fitbit. Here are our international startup champions hitting the stage next week — which one do you think will go home with the ultimate bragging rights and $100,000 in cool equity-free cash?

3. Global coverage with programming convenient to your time zone

The virtual nature of Disrupt 2020 equals a global scope — and our biggest Disrupt ever. Anyone from anywhere can participate, and the event agenda includes time zone-friendly programming for attendees in Europe and Asia:

4. Multiple ways to expand your social graph

Don’t underestimate the benefits that come from meeting people outside of your social graph. Inspiration and ideas cut across industries, and you never know who you’ll meet at Disrupt — and where those connections might lead. There will be plenty of ways to make those connections at Disrupt 2020. With curated meetings on CrunchMatch and randomized virtual meetings and chat functionality on Hopin, you will not run out of opportunities to promote your business and meet your networking goals.

“Disrupt was a great place to look for potential partners beyond our blockchain world. We got to meet and collaborate with founders in complimentary technologies like IoT and AI. Building those relationships will help all of us provide customers with better solutions. It’s a win-win.” — Joel Neidig, founder of SIMBA Chain.

5. Different access levels, more affordable prices

We recently re-launched the Disrupt Digital Pass that gives you an entry-level look into Disrupt 2020. Just want to peruse Startup Alley or pop into some Breakout Sessions? This pass is for you, and, at $45 for a limited time, it’s a steal. Or if you are looking for the full Disrupt 2020 experience, grab a Disrupt Digital Pro Pass where you’ll be able to get live and video-on-demand access to both stages, curated matchmaking with CrunchMatch plus a complementary Extra Crunch subscription (a $99 value).

Disrupt 2020 takes place September 14-18. Buy your pass today, dig deep and discover the people, tools and advice that can help your business thrive.