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

The year goes by fast, and so does all our planning TechCrunch Disrupt 2026! We’ve got an exciting new panel in store for founders who need pitching and sourcing advice … but first, we’ve got a limited-time ticket offer to share.

The event will also be held at San Francisco’s Moscone West from October 13-15, and for a limited time, attendees can bring a colleague, co-founder, investor, or team partner for a small fee! You can purchase a single pass for Disrupt 2026 here, again get a 50% discount on the second pass of the same ticket type with a limited-time offer that ends May 8 at 11:59 pm PT.

As for the kind of programming that will keep you hooked during the three days of Disruption, let’s dive into our new panel on the Builders Stage.

Hear from Disruption that M&A is now an early stage strategy

If you’ve been following our recent coverage, buyouts and acqui-hires are always trending, especially in the AI ​​space. Whether it’s OpenAI buying Hiro, Anthropic acquiring Vercept, Google acquiring the team behind Hume AI, or Databricks pulling two startups for its security product, it’s been a busy year!

And acquisitions are far from the only long road for founders; it can be part of their first class trip. And with that, and many other acquisitions in mind, we’ve assembled a panel of experts to help equip founders with what they need to know about all the M&A options before them.

Their insights will arm you with a creative playbook of potential sales options, ways to make your startup more attractive to buyers, and facts about getting through the acquisition process. And with some background on our panel, let’s learn more about our industry leaders.

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

Aklil Ibssa brings a buyer’s perspective from one of the largest crypto companies, as he leads the company’s acquisition strategy and execution, helping to identify where Coinbase should buy, invest, partner, or build. He has directed more than 14 acquisitions and nearly 50 early and late stage investments, and as one of the first hires in Coinbase’s corporate development team, he contributed to an M&A program that has been among the most active in crypto, with more than 40 completed acquisitions.

Most importantly for founders, you’ve seen firsthand how good buyers evaluate young companies: be it technology, talent, licenses, product speed, and more. And you’ll be able to talk about acquisitions, including Deribit, Liquifi, and Echo, as well as prominent investments in startups like Kalshi.

Lindsey Mignano, Founder, Mignano Law Group

Lindsey Mignano brings the legal and structural expertise that often determines whether an original M&A deal can make it through the finish line. As the founder of the Mignano Law Group, he represents emerging technology companies, SMEs, business-based startups, and business firms as general outside counsel. His practice includes everything from SAFE notes, priced rounds, and bridge financings to buy-side and side-to-side sales, rentals, and everything else you can think of.

That uniquely equips him to mentor founders without understanding how M&A readiness can begin. Many of his clients are seed through Series B companies, including SaaS, PaaS, and AI startups — the very types of companies now facing strategic interest, and he’ll be able to focus the conversation on the facts of the tables, contracts, logistics, and the work required to make the purchase happen.

Karl Alomar, Managing Partner, M13

Now is the time for the investor and the user to join the conversation. As managing partner at M13, Karl Alomar supports seed and series A software founders across infrastructure, fintech, developer productivity, and other sectors, experiencing the rigors of the AI ​​revolution. He has deep knowledge of the early strategic decisions founders make: when to grow, when to partner, when to accelerate growth, and when an acquisition might create the best outcome for the company, team, and investors.

As DigitalOcean’s COO, Alomar helped build the cloud infrastructure company from its first product to nearly $250 million in ARR and eventual NYSE IPO, with a peak valuation of $15 billion. But as a founder, you’ve been part of a cycle of discovery as well. China Export Finance grew to nearly $140 million in revenue before being acquired in 2010, and Clearview Networks was acquired in 2000. That combination gives Karl a clear view of the main question facing founders in the audience: When should they continue to build their team, and when is M&A the right way forward?

Get your second pass for 50% off on May 8

And remember: If you sign up to interrupt 2026 on May 8 at 11:59 pm PTyou can use that offer to get your pass and save up to $410, plus get 50% off a second pass of the same ticket type. All the information Disruption offers is best shared with your colleague or co-worker, so don’t miss this opportunity!