Open or closed AI? How founders are choosing what to build on at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026

Learn how founders are choosing between building on open or closed AI at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026. Register now to save up to $100 and get a second pass at 50% off.

The Evolving Decision Between Open and Closed AI

For AI startups, choosing a model isn’t necessarily a one‑time architecture decision anymore. Open models are improving. Frontier APIs keep advancing. Models can be customized for specific workloads, and some companies are building products that use multiple models rather than committing to one. That gives founders more ways to build - and more decisions about where to spend, what to own, and how much flexibility to preserve as the technology changes. At TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, four conversations approach those decisions from different points in the AI stack, from multi‑model applications and customized models to infrastructure and the chips underneath them.

Multi‑Model Strategies: When One Model Isn’t Enough

The session “The Real Tokenmaxxing: How the Best AI Companies Navigate a Multi‑Model World” will bring together:

• Mo Jomaa, partner at CapitalG
• Vipul Ved Prakash, co‑founder and CEO of Together AI
• Zuzanna Stamirowska, CEO and co‑founder of Pathway

They’ll explore why companies are using multiple models; how they balance cost, performance, and flexibility; and when open models can outperform proprietary alternatives. For founders, that flexibility can affect more than model performance. It can influence operating costs, product decisions, and how quickly a company can take advantage of better models as they emerge.

How Much of Your AI Stack Should You Own?

Model choice also raises a bigger question: What does your company need to own?

Manos Koukoumidis, CEO and co‑founder of Oumi, will take the Real World AI Stage for “Which AI Should Your Company Actually Deploy: Rent, Customize, or Build.” He’ll tackle whether startups should build their own models, when customization can become a competitive advantage, and how to choose between open and proprietary AI. Through audience polls, startup scenarios, and a practical framework, Koukoumidis will help attendees evaluate frontier APIs, customized open weights, and owning AI outright. Attendees will come away with three decision principles they can bring to their next architecture conversation.

Trade‑offs Between Open and Proprietary AI

For some startups, the decision will still come down to the trade‑offs between open and proprietary models.

Nader Khalil, Director of Developer Tech at Nvidia, and Sydney Sykes, Global Head of VC Partnerships at Nvidia, will take the Builders Stage for “Building AI Startups Worth Betting On.” They’ll examine what founders are choosing today, the trade‑offs between frontier APIs and open‑weight models, and how those choices can affect product strategy and long‑term differentiation. Those trade‑offs have business consequences. Model choice can shape everything from costs and infrastructure requirements to how much control they have over their product. It can also determine where - and how easily - a startup can create differentiation competitors can’t replicate.

When Architecture Reaches the Hardware

Model architecture is only part of the equation. AI performance ultimately depends on the hardware underneath it, and advances in AI are beginning to change how that hardware gets designed.

Anna Goldie, founder and CEO of Ricursive Intelligence, and Azalia Mirhoseini, founder and CTO, will take that idea to the Disrupt Stage in “When AI Starts Designing Its Own Hardware.” They’ll explore how AI is optimizing chips and hardware, why model architecture and hardware are becoming more closely connected, and what an increasingly open AI ecosystem could mean for the infrastructure underneath it. For founders, the connection between AI and hardware could affect how quickly new capabilities reach the market. Faster chip development could also change the infrastructure available to startups building the next generation of AI products.

Event Overview

These conversations are part of 200+ sessions across six industry stages, roundtables, and breakouts at Disrupt, taking place October 13‑15 at Moscone West in San Francisco. More than 10,000 founders, investors, operators, and tech leaders are expected, along with 250+ speakers and 300+ exhibiting startups. In addition, matchmaking, deal‑making, and ad‑hoc networking give attendees opportunities to connect with founders, investors, potential partners, and other builders facing many of the same technology and business decisions.

A startup may use a frontier API today, customize an open model tomorrow, or eventually move workloads among several models. Preserving flexibility could be as important as choosing the right model now.

Secure your pass to TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 and hear how AI leaders are approaching the choices shaping what - and how - they build.

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