TechCrunch Disrupt 2026: How Startups Can Win Their First 1,000 Customers

Getting a startup off the ground is one challenge. Finding the first customers who believe in your product is another. Without a recognized brand, a dedicated sales team, or a large marketing budget, convincing people to try something new can be difficult. For early-stage founders, figuring out how to attract those first 1,000 customers can make a major difference.

At TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, three leaders from the startup and investment worlds will share their experiences and strategies for solving this challenge. Gamma CEO and co-founder Grant Lee, Engine founder and CEO Elia Wallen, and GV (Google Ventures) general partner Crystal Huang will join the Builders Stage for a session titled “The Zero-to-1K Playbook: How to Get Your First 1,000 Customers Without a Marketing Budget.”

The discussion will explore practical ways startups can build an initial customer base through community engagement, product-led growth, founder-led sales, targeted outreach, and word-of-mouth recommendations.

For founders still searching for their first customers, the session promises insights into building momentum before a company has the resources of an established business.

Gamma’s Journey From Early Users to Nearly 100 Million

Grant Lee understands how a business can grow from an early-stage idea into a widely used product. Before co-founding Gamma, he served as COO of ClearBrain, which was acquired by Amplitude, and CFO of Optimizely.

A Stanford-trained engineer with experience in finance and operations, Lee spent years creating presentation decks. That experience eventually inspired him to rethink how people create and share ideas.

Gamma has since expanded beyond traditional presentations into a broader AI-powered visual communication platform. Its products now include tools for creating websites, social media content, and AI-generated marketing materials.

In March 2026, TechCrunch reported that Gamma was approaching 100 million users after reaching $100 million in annual recurring revenue in 2025.

However, the company’s early growth journey offers an important lesson for founders: attracting the first customers often requires a different approach from scaling an established business. Entrepreneurs must find ways to earn trust, demonstrate value, and turn early users into advocates.

At Disrupt, Lee will share insights into the challenges of building a customer base from scratch and turning initial interest into sustainable growth.

How Engine Grew Without an Established Brand

Elia Wallen brings a different entrepreneurial perspective to the discussion. He founded Travelers Haven in 2008 and bootstrapped the business into one of the country’s largest corporate housing companies.

In 2019, Wallen raised Engine’s first outside capital and later shifted his full attention to the travel platform.

Engine has since served more than 30,000 businesses and one million travelers while reaching cash-flow-positive status. Its expansion continued in July with the acquisition of Options Travel, a travel management company with more than 30 years of industry experience, along with its group-flights product, TempoTrip.

Wallen’s experience highlights several challenges that startup founders face: building credibility without an established name, understanding customer needs, and finding ways to grow without losing sight of the problems their products are designed to solve.

His perspective could be particularly useful for entrepreneurs who need to generate demand before they can afford a large marketing operation.

What Investors Look for in Early Customer Growth

Crystal Huang will bring the investor’s perspective to the session. As a general partner at GV, she focuses on software-as-a-service (SaaS), infrastructure, and artificial intelligence, with particular interest in product-led and developer-led adoption strategies.

Before joining GV, Huang invested at NEA and Notable Capital. She also began her career in technology mergers and acquisitions at Blackstone.

Beyond the Builders Stage discussion, Huang will evaluate startups as a judge for this year’s Startup Battlefield 200 competition at Disrupt.

Her participation adds another important dimension to the conversation: how investors assess a startup’s early growth strategy and evaluate its potential to attract and retain customers.

For founders, understanding both sides of the process can help them build a stronger go-to-market strategy. Early customer traction is not simply about acquiring users; it is also about demonstrating that a product solves a real problem and can attract continued demand.

TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 Brings the Startup Community Together

The session is part of a wider program at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, scheduled for October 13–15 at Moscone West in San Francisco.

The event will feature more than 200 sessions across six industry stages, along with roundtables and breakout discussions. Organizers expect more than 10,000 founders, investors, operators, and technology leaders to attend. The program will also include more than 250 speakers and 300 exhibiting startups.

Beyond the scheduled sessions, attendees will have opportunities to connect through networking, matchmaking, and dealmaking. These interactions can help founders discover potential customers, meet investors, find business partners, and exchange experiences with other entrepreneurs navigating similar challenges.

For startups operating with limited resources, these connections can be especially valuable. A conversation with the right customer or partner can sometimes create opportunities that a large advertising campaign cannot.

Why the First 1,000 Customers Matter

Reaching the first 1,000 customers is about more than hitting a numerical target. It can help founders understand what users value, improve their products, establish credibility, and identify repeatable ways to attract new business.

The upcoming Disrupt session will examine how community building, targeted sales efforts, product-led adoption, and customer recommendations can support that process without requiring a substantial marketing budget.

For entrepreneurs trying to turn an early idea into a growing company, the discussion offers an opportunity to learn from founders who have built successful businesses and an investor who evaluates how startups scale.

TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 runs from October 13–15 in San Francisco. Attendees can explore ticket options, save up to $100 on a pass, and receive a second pass at 50% off, according to the event’s promotional announcement.

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