All your M&A questions will be answered at Disrupt 2026

The year is flying by so fast, and so are our plans TechCrunch Disrupt 2026! We’ve got an exciting new team lined up for startups in need plus buying advice…but first, we’ve got a chance to share a limited-time ticket.

The event will also take place at San Francisco’s Moscone West from October 13-15, and for a limited time, attendees can also bring a friend, co-founder, investor, or friend to the crowd! You can purchase one pass for Disrupt 2026 here, and get 50% off again for the same ticket type with a limited time period that ends on May 8 at 11:59 pm PT.

As for the kind of software that will keep you hooked during the three days of Disrupt, let’s dive into our latest lineup that will be on the Builders Stage.

Hear from Disrupt how M&A is the way to start

If you’ve been following our recent coverage, buying and leasing remains popular, especially within the context of AI. Whatever it is OpenAI buys Hiro, Anthropic acquisition Vercept, Google is taking the team behind Hume AIor Databricks draws a double standard for its securityit’s been a busy year!

And the discovery is far from the end of a long road for the founders; it may be part of their first trip. And with this, and many other findings in mind, we’ve assembled a team of experts to help equip startups with what they need to know about all the M&A decisions that lie ahead of them.

Their recommendations will provide you with a playbook for making marketing decisions, ways to make your startup attractive to potential buyers, and the realities of navigating the sales process. And to learn more about our team, let’s learn more about our industry leaders.

Aklil Ibssa, Head of Corporate Development and M&A, Coinbase

Aklil Ibsa brings a buying perspective from one of the biggest companies in crypto, while leading the company’s sales process and execution, helping to identify where Coinbase must buy, sell, partner, or build. He manages more than 14 acquisitions and about 50 early- and later-stage investments, and as one of the first hires on Coinbase’s team development team, he supported the M&A program that has been among the most active in crypto, with more than 40 total acquisitions completed.

Most importantly for the founders, he saw firsthand how consumers evaluate young companies: whether it’s technology, innovation, licensing, product speed, and more. And they’ll be able to talk to exchanges, including Deribit, Liquifi, and Echo, as well as well-known startups like Kalshi.

Lindsey Mignano, Founder, Mignano Law Group

Lindsey Mignano brings the legal and regulatory expertise that often determines whether an initial M&A deal can come to fruition. As the founder of Mignano Law Group, he represents emerging technology companies, SMEs, venture-backed start-ups, and commercial companies as external counsel. Its activities range from SAFE notes, value trips, and bridge funds for buying and selling, borrowing, and anything else you can think of.

This uniquely prepares him to coach startups without realizing how M&A planning can begin. Many of his clients are seed through Series B companies, including SaaS, PaaS, and AI startups – exactly the types of companies that are experiencing interest, and will be able to start the conversation on the facts of the tables, contracts, sales of goods, and the work required to make purchases happen.

Karl Alomar, Managing Partner, M13

Now it’s time for the funder and user to join the conversation. As a friend manager to M13, Karl Alomar helps seed and Series A startups across infrastructure, fintech, software productivity, and other sectors, feeling the pain of the AI ​​revolution. He has a deep understanding of the early decisions that founders make: when to raise, when to partner, when to accelerate growth, and when an acquisition strategy will produce the best results for the company, team, and investors.

As DigitalOcean’s COO, Alomar helped build the cloud computing company from its initial valuation of nearly $250 million in ARR and ultimately its NYSE IPO, raising its valuation to nearly $15 billion. But as a founder, he has also been part of the discovery process. China Export Finance grew to about $140 million in revenue before it was acquired in 2010, and Clearview Networks was acquired in 2000. This combination gives Karl a wrong perspective on the most important question that startups are facing: When should they continue to build with their team, and when is M&A the right way forward?

Get your second pass at 50% off by May 8th

And remember: If you sign up for Disruption 2026 by May 8 at 11:59 pm PTyou can take advantage of your pass and save up to $410, and get 50% off a second pass of the same type of ticket. All the ideas that Disruption offers are best shared with a friend or colleague, don’t miss this opportunity!