Meet the second wave of Disrupt Audience Choice roundtable winners – TechCrunch

We asked TechCrunch readers to vote for the panel discussions they’d most like to see at TC Disrupt from October 18-20 in San Francisco, and startup fans everywhere have had their say.

Roundtables — some of TechCrunch Disrupt’s most popular sessions — are 30-minute, expert-led discussions designed for up to 20 attendees who share an interest in a particular topic. The format allows for deeper conversation, questions and answers, and time for attendees to connect and explore opportunities for collaboration.

Before we reveal the next five roundtables that got a lot of love in our People’s Choice vote-a-thon, here’s a quick recap from the home office:

Click and save: Buy your pass to Disrupt before the prices go up on August 5, 2022, and you can get over $1,000.

Ready for an interesting mix of roundtable topics? From solving real-world problems with NFTs, to improving AI with better data and disrupting without destroying, to knowing when to sneak in and how to exit gracefully and profitably, you’ll struggle. to choose. What a delicious dilemma.

NFT for real world problems

Speaker: Manuela Seve, CEO of Alphaa.io

NFTs are always associated with digital files, but in reality, they can be used to solve issues of authenticity, resale, and community engagement in art, fashion, and even real estate.

In this roundtable, we will discuss real use cases – developed through Alphaa.io – to certify art and luxury products. This includes POS integrations for legacy brands, moving from paper COAs to NFTs, building utilities, and generating resale royalties.

We’ll also see how, using NFTs, you can offer exclusive digital environments and products to loyal subscribers, fund the production of physical items and experiences, and create a tool that allows creators to stay in control of their work and finance any project.

Expand AI applications in real estate and beyond

Speaker: Sam Stone, Director of Product, Pricing and Data Management, Opendoor

Although buying a home is often one of the most important financial decisions one can make, the process remained unchanged for decades until Opendoor rebuilt every part of the transactional experience. to be digital, on-demand and more accessible.

Pricing systems are at the heart of Opendoor’s DNA. By developing different types of machine learning models and leveraging data science, the company delivers a high level of accuracy, coverage, and functionality.

This roundtable will draw on our expertise in AI, machine learning, and data science and will focus on finding ways to develop a data-driven approach to finance, integrate algorithms and humans, and improve AI with better data.

Lessons learned from disrupting disruptors

Speaker: Shaival Shah, co-founder and CEO of Ribbon

Is it possible to be disruptive, profitable and beneficial for social good? Disruption is a natural result of innovation, but it could risk destroying necessary industrial ecosystems. With a nuanced approach, founders can create solutions to relieve industry bottlenecks, develop products that solve tomorrow’s challenges, and benefit ecosystem growth rather than reverse it.

In key sectors such as real estate, Wall Street investors and iBuyers are increasingly disrupting stocks at the expense of falling homeownership rates. However, disrupting an industry does not have to disrupt the communities it ultimately serves.

Ribbon entered the market to provide everyday shoppers with competitive cash deals through an open solution that incentivizes local agents and lenders – instead of stealing their business. In this roundtable, Shaival Shah will share the lessons he has learned through this process and the good that can come from disrupting disruptors.

How will I know? How to choose the right time (and the right way) to cast from stealth mode

Speaker: Andrej Safundzic, co-founder and CEO of Lumos

You’ve got a product or an idea, you’ve got angel investors and a few early customers, and now you’re thinking about getting started. When? And how? It’s tempting to launch as soon as possible, and many companies are taking the plunge.

We took a different launch approach. We went against the grain by challenging ourselves to be storytellers, building a culture we could be proud of, and selling in stealth mode. The world has changed in 2020 and so has our strategy. Like many start-ups, we had to think fast and bet early on our go-to-market strategy.

In this roundtable, we’ll talk about the lessons we learned, how we set goals, built infrastructure and thought about going from a four-person company to a 40-person company – and what we would do differently. Join us and other founders who have gone against the grain and taken a different approach to launching their businesses in stealth mode.

Startup exits: the good, the bad and the ugly

Speaker: Fundable Startups CEO Coach Sam Wong

Startup founders and investors work for years to successfully exit. After going through five exit opportunities resulting in four acquisitions, Sam Wong has seen the good, the bad, and the ugly.

One out died at the 11th hour. A deal was struck but ended up being a financial meltdown. Another resulted in five offers. Do you choose the buyer offering tons of stocks or the one offering all the cash? Another deal resulted in a nine-figure acquisition, but likely left some cash on the table. Sam recently acquired a business, so he’s seen both the buy side and the sell side.

In this roundtable, Sam will discuss sellability and due diligence and – to help entrepreneurs position themselves for the best possible exit – he will share the inside story of what worked, what didn’t. and why.

Check the first group of round tables we recently announced and stay tuned for more People’s Choice Roundtable winners to come!

TechCrunch Disrupt takes place in person October 18-20 in San Francisco with an online day on October 21. Buy your pass before prices go up on August 5 and you’ll save over $1,000.

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