We are gearing up for 2012 and getting ready to bring you some major events you will want to put on your calendars. Our dates are already locked in for the Crunchies, Disrupt NYC and SF, and our annual summer bash at August Capital. International events are also in the works.
The Crunchies—January 31
TechCrunch will kick off 2012 with The Crunchies along with our partners GigaOm and VentureBeat on Tuesday, January 31, 2012. The tech party to start the year will move to Davies Symphony Hall this year for both the awards ceremony and the famous after party. Nominations for the entrepreneurial spirited categories are in and being tabulated. Voting begins in early January. Make your voice heard and vote for your favorites.The next ticket batch release will occur before the holidays. Look for announcements to come on TechCrunch.
Disrupt NYC—May 19-23
TechCrunch Disrupt will return to New York in 2012 with the pizza-and-caffeine-fueled Hackathon on May 19 – 20, 2012. The TechCrunch Disrupt New York conference will follow on May 21 – 23, 2012 where our fun loving friends at Shaker will pass the Disrupt Cup to the newest Startup Battlefield winner. Last year, Ashton Kutcher and Paul Graham shared their investment strategies with Charlie Rose, Keith Rabois shared why Square will be more profitable than PayPal, and GetAround battled it out with 30 other excellent companies to take home the Disrupt Cup.
Summer Party—August 3
Each year we all break out our summer dresses and button-downs and head south to Sand Hill Road for the August Capital party. This past summer we held our Mobile First CrunchUp before the afternoon sun beckoned and you can expect more community building and fun in 2012. August 3rd is the date for 2012′s soirée.
Disrupt SF—September 8-12
In September, TechCrunch Disrupt will return to San Francisco with the Hackathon taking place on September 8 – 9, 2012 and the conference on September 10 – 12, 2012. As previous Startup Battlefield companies can attest, nowhere else can you launch your company where you are offered the audience, investors and media spotlight as when you launch at TechCrunch Disrupt. This past Disrupt in San Francisco brought us Reid Hoffman and Vinod Khosola giving us their insights as well as Dustin Moskovitz sharing his perspective about the founder’s mystique and what’s wrong with Google while Eric Ries, Scott Cook and the Lean Startup movement made their case. 2012 promises to keep our participants and readers on their toes.
In 2011 TechCrunch Disrupt went global with the introduction of an emerging international market conference in Beijing, China. The two day event kicked off with a bang with TechCrunch’s Sarah Lacy interviewing Pony Ma in his first live interview with an international reporter. The conference continued with great interviews with Lei Jun, Steve Chen, Niklas Zennström and more. While it was our first Startup Battlefield presented outside the U.S., it certainly wasn’t our first Battlefield of international launches. In the end, OrderWithMe was the clear winner, capturing the spirit of tech between Silicon Valley and China and took home the Disrupt Cup and $50,000 check.
We’re looking for another city outside of the U.S. to join Beijing in the ranks of TechCrunch Disrupt’s global presence. Where would you like to see TechCrunch Disrupt next?
Mark your calendars and save the dates. If you’d like to become a foundational part of the TechCrunch Disrupt experience and learn about sponsorship opportunities, please contact Jeanne Logozzo.
- January 31, 2012 – The 5th Annual Crunchies Awards
- May 19-23, 2012 – New York Disrupt Hackathon and Conference
- August 3, 2012 – Crunchup and August Capital Summer Party
- September 8-12, 2012 – San Francisco Disrupt Hackathon and Conference
Stay tuned for more event announcements to come!