TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 is just days away, and tickets are still available here. And there’s no better time to announce that we’re launching an all-new TechCrunch franchise, Build Mode, in parallel with our flagship event and annual Startup Battlefield 200 competition.
Hosted by Startup Battlefield editor Isabelle Johannessen, Build Mode is a survival guide for early-stage founders navigating the messy, high-stakes chaos of building a company from the ground up. No sugar coating. No hype. Just candid conversations and tactical advice from people who have done it before and have the scars (and term sheets) to prove it.
Starting November 13th, Isabel will be speaking with founders, VCs, and operators to uncover the real story behind the build. Each season and weekly episode tackles the themes that keep founders up at night, including market entry disruptions, funding pressures, runaways, and hiring misfires.
Whether you’re an Apple, Spotify, or YouTube user, you can tune into Build Mode wherever your podcasts are. Bonus content and exclusive clips will be dropped on TechCrunch’s social channels including Instagram, X, and TikTok. If you haven’t subscribed, time is running out until it’s officially released in a few weeks.
Check out Build Mode and the Season 1 trailer here.
Season 1 of Build Mode begins with a dive into the good, the bad, and the harsh realities of bringing a product to market. From big failures to epic failures, we uncover what it really takes to take ideas from idea to execution. And we’re thrilled to have our Season 1 sponsor, JP Morgan, on board as well.
But that’s just the beginning.
tech crunch event
san francisco
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October 27-29, 2025
We want Build Mode to be more than just a podcast. We want to be a community of builders who help other builders succeed, like the 1,700+ startups we’ve joined through the Startup Battlefield program. That means we want to hear from you, founders, administrators, and curious listeners, about the questions and topics that actually keep you up at night.
We’ll be weaving stories, tips, and questions submitted by the community into future episodes, so stay tuned to find out how you can get involved.
If you previously subscribed to the Found podcast, welcome back! You’re already part of the Build Mode community. We keep the Found archive alive so you can revisit founder interviews and insights from past years. There are no gatekeepers, only honest stories and hard-learned lessons shared freely by anyone brave enough to launch a startup.
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