TechCrunch announced a new round of Side Events for Disrupt 2026, with KOTRA, WayFounder, Enterprise Ireland, SafetyWing and Descope signed on as hosts, the publication said Tuesday.
The events run across San Francisco during Disrupt Week, offering programming beyond the main conference at Moscone West. Formats include roundtables, founder dinners, happy hours, workshops and community meetups.
The centerpiece addition is an evening showcase featuring 18 emerging startups from the Republic of Korea, organized by KOTRA, the country's state-funded trade promotion agency. Each founder will present to an audience of investors, operators and corporate leaders, according to TechCrunch.
The pitch is straightforward: give founders a room full of potential partners and backers without the noise of a convention floor. TechCrunch framed the program as a way for attendees to "find your people" outside the main stage.
Enterprise Ireland's involvement signals continued interest from European development agencies in connecting their startups with U.S. capital. SafetyWing and Descope, both venture-backed companies, round out the host list, though TechCrunch did not detail their specific event formats.
The push reflects a broader trend at major tech conferences. Organizers increasingly treat the days surrounding a flagship event as a separate draw, using satellite programming to pull in attendees who might otherwise skip the ticket price. Disrupt Week now functions as a distributed conference in its own right, spread across venues citywide.
TechCrunch also used the announcement to push deadlines. The last day to book an exhibit table for a demo slot in front of more than 10,000 tech leaders is Oct. 2. Discounted Disrupt tickets, up to $200 off with a second ticket at 50 percent, expire Sept. 25 at 11:59 p.m. PT.
The side events are open to Disrupt attendees and, in some cases, the broader public. Full schedules and registration details are available through TechCrunch's events page.
Disrupt remains one of the largest annual gatherings for the startup industry, drawing founders, venture capitalists and corporate buyers to San Francisco each fall. For international delegations like Korea's, the event offers a rare concentration of U.S. investors in one place.
TechCrunch said more side events will be announced in the coming weeks.
