Startups live and die by their early hires. And in a world where top talent has options — and stock options — you’ve got to offer more than a ping-pong table and a pitch deck to bring in the right people.

At TechCrunch Disrupt’s 20th anniversary, happening on October 27-29 in San Francisco’s Moscone West, we’re digging into the real talk around compensation and equity with a powerhouse panel who’ve seen it all when it comes to scaling.

Don’t miss the insights from this panel — and the full Disrupt 2025 lineup of tech and scaling leaders shaping the scaling discussions. Register here to save up to $675.

Who’s joining the Builder’s stage

Randi Jakubowitz, Head of Operations and Talent at 645 Ventures, knows what it takes to scale teams from the inside. Before helping portfolio companies find their footing, she was one of the early HR hires at Seamless, guiding the company through its merger with Grubhub and eventual IPO. She gets the people puzzle, and how to solve it under pressure.

Joining her onstage is Rebecca Lee Whiting, founder of Epigram Legal and fractional general counsel to some of the most cutting-edge AI and biotech startups around. She’s built a reputation for demystifying legal complexity, advising on everything from equity structuring to retention strategies. Oh, and she also clerked for the Ninth Circuit, so she’s not just startup-savvy, she’s a legal heavyweight.

Then there’s Yin Wu, the founder and CEO of Pulley, the YC-backed equity management platform that’s helping over 5,000 companies take control of their cap tables. Before building Pulley, she launched and sold Echo to Microsoft and has a track record of launching (and learning from) startups. If there’s anyone who knows what a great equity package looks like, and how to communicate its value to employees, it’s Yin.

Why you need to lean in on this session

This session will cut through the noise to answer the questions every founder struggles with: how much should you actually offer early employees? How do you stay competitive with Big Tech without burning through your runway? And how do you structure equity in a way that makes people want to stick around for the long haul?Don’t miss this one. It all goes down October 27–29 at Moscone West in San Francisco, part of the 20th anniversary of TechCrunch Disrupt. Exact session time coming soon, but trust us, you’ll want a front-row seat – so register now and don’t miss your chance to save up to $675 before rates rise.