TechCrunch Disrupt 2025: How to watch the Startup Battlefield finale, Cluely, Solana, SF’s mayor

TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 Here it is! If you’re still on the fence about attending in person, dive into the extensive schedule of speakers, networking opportunities, workshops, after parties and more available. here. There’s still time to get last-minute ticketsAnd we’re offering 50% off with just one day left!

If you can’t attend in person, the next best thing is to check out our Disrupt Stage livestream, featuring some of our featured speakers and highly anticipated features. Startup Battlefield 200 Pitch competition. We’re streaming via YouTube, so you can catch the embed below, or Just follow this link to watch live. Today, we’re kicking things off at 10am PT and wrapping up the Disrupt Stage around 4:15pm PT.

10 am: Rebuilding cities that create startups

San Francisco’s new mayor, Daniel Lurie, shares his vision for revitalizing the city’s startup ecosystem. From housing and public safety to innovation policy and global competition, he explains why San Francisco remains the ultimate launchpad for both early and late-stage founders.

10:30 am: A conversation with investor extraordinaire Elad Gil

Before most of the world experienced ChatGPT, Elad Gil had already written seed tests at startups like Perplexity, Character.AI, and Harvey. Check out, for example, Airbnb, Airtable, Anduril, Brex, Checkr, Coinbase, Deel, Figma, Flexport, Gitlab, Gusto, Instacart, Notion, Opendoor, Pinterest, Rippling, Square, Stripe … you get the idea.

10:55 am: Survive, Scale, Reinvent: Lessons from Cloud OG

Aaron Levy Box was created before the cloud was cool, and the company is still thriving while competitors have come and gone. Known for his sharp take and startup instincts, Levie joins us on how to continue to innovate within a public company, the possibilities that AI and agents bring to enterprise software, and why renewal is the name of the game in tech right now. Expect real discussions and a playbook for building sustainable companies in a world of AI.

10:55 am: Startup Battlefield Alumni Update

Past Battlefield startups return to the stage to tell us what they’ve been up to since competing for the Battlefield Cup. This year, we’ll hear from geCKo Materials in 2024.

11:25 am: Startup Battlefield Final

The grand finale of TechCrunch’s iconic startup competition. See the final 5 teams pitch from expert judges worldwide and compete for the Startup Battlefield Cup and $100,000.

2:15 pm: The Next Chapter of Crypto with Anatoly Yakovenko of Solana

Solana’s co-founder takes the stage to share where crypto goes from here, from the memecoin craze to real-world finance and why he’s betting big. He’ll examine Solana’s breakout year, the challenges of scaling a blockchain for mainstream use, and how creators can seize the moment as crypto edges approach mass adoption.

2:40 pm: From Dig to Deal: Kevin Rose on Reinvention and Investing

Kevin Rose last spoke at Disrupt in 2012, when Digg was in the midst of one of tech’s most talked-about pivots. More than a decade later, he returns to Disrupt to talk about relaunching Digg with Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian and to share what that experience taught him about product and community. Outside of Digg, Rose has become one of Silicon Valley’s most active early-stage investors, backing breakout startups in consumer tech and crypto. In this fireside chat, he’ll reveal how he evaluates founders, finds the next wave of opportunities, and learns from his own entrepreneurial journey in investing today.

3:00 pm: Cluely’s Roy Lee: Building, Breaking, and Betting Big

Roy Lee isn’t afraid to stir the pot — or grab the spotlight. The Cluley founder takes the stage to share how he’s building one of the hottest startups in AI, why facing controversy can be a growth strategy, and what it takes to stand out in a noisy consumer tech market.

3:30 pm: From courtside to code: Tristan Thompson on AI, sports and startups

NBA champion and investor Tristan Thompson has built a portfolio that bridges sports, culture and technology. At Disrupt, he’ll share how he’s channeled his competitive drive into initiatives like World Mobile, Basketball Fun, AxonDao, and Somnia — and why he believes athletes have a unique edge in building the next generation of consumer and Web3 companies.

4:00 PM: Announcing the winners of Startup Battlefield 2025