Charles Hudson and Navin Chaddha be part of the Builders Stage at Disrupt 2025 | TechCrunch

Greater than 10,000 founders, traders, and tech insiders will convene at Moscone West in San Francisco from October 27-29 for TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 — one of many 12 months’s most anticipated tech conferences. 

Of the 250+ tech leaders taking the stage, don’t miss this standout panel on the Builders Stage that includes two of essentially the most revered early-stage traders in enterprise: Charles Hudson of Precursor Ventures and Navin Chaddha of Mayfield. Their session dives into one of many hardest moments in any startup’s journey: elevating your first spherical when all you will have is a imaginative and prescient.

Why be part of this dialog on the Builders Stage?

This sincere and tactical dialog will cowl what actually issues when elevating your first institutional verify, from telling a compelling story to constructing belief with out traction. Hudson and Chaddha will share the traits they constantly search for in zero-to-one founders, the crimson flags that elevate eyebrows, and the most typical errors first-time entrepreneurs make when fundraising.

Betting on individuals earlier than the product

Pre-seed and seed fundraising typically occurs earlier than there’s a product, person base, or traction. Meaning traders are betting on the founder, not the enterprise. And few know the way to make that decision higher than Hudson and Chaddha. Between them, they’ve backed a whole bunch of founders on the earliest phases, earlier than the pitch decks had been polished, earlier than there have been metrics to point out, and sometimes earlier than a single line of code had shipped.

Charles Hudson, managing associate of Precursor Ventures, has invested in additional than 400 firms and supported over 450 founders. He’s constructed his fame on backing individuals with daring concepts and distinctive views, saying not too long ago, “The earlier you invest, the more important it is to believe in the founder’s narrative and ability to adapt. It’s not just about solving a problem — it’s about whether I believe you’re the one to do it.”

Navin Chaddha, managing associate at Mayfield, brings many years of expertise figuring out breakout founders and guiding firms to scale. With greater than $120 billion in fairness worth created by means of his investments, Chaddha believes the earliest phases are when founder values matter most. “We invest in people first, markets second, and product third,” he’s mentioned. “We look for founders who are mission-driven and wired for resilience.”

Actionable insights on elevating your first spherical

Whether or not you’re at the moment elevating or planning for the longer term, this session will equip you with actual, actionable recommendation on navigating early enterprise with readability and conviction. Don’t miss it stay, along with 200+ classes happening throughout 5 trade phases. Register now to save lots of as much as $675 earlier than costs improve after July!