Discover how to take your startup from prototype to production at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 — SkimNews
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- TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 will host a session titled "From Prototype to Production: Can It Scale in Reality" on the Real World AI Stage, examining the gap between working AI prototypes and production-ready deployment.
- John Mackey, CEO and co-founder of MBRYONICS, will speak about transforming a photonics spinout into a space-based optical communications leader while expanding high-volume manufacturing alongside the technology itself.
- Boris Sofman, co-founder of Bedrock Robotics and former Waymo leader, will share insights from Waymo's fully driverless fleet that logged more than 100 million driverless miles operating outside controlled testing.
- Adrian Macneil, co-founder of Foxglove and former Cruise infrastructure engineering lead, will discuss how Cruise's data platform supported autonomous vehicles at scale and why production depends on surrounding engineering systems.
- Moscone West in San Francisco hosts Disrupt 2026 from October 13–15, drawing 10,000+ founders, investors, and operators across 250+ sessions.
- Early-bird passes offer up to $200 in savings before the September 25 price increase.
Why it matters: This session targets the often-overlooked second half of the AI build cycle — moving beyond working prototypes to reliable, real-world deployment. The 10,000+ founders at Disrupt get concrete playbooks from operators who shipped at scale: Waymo's 100M+ driverless miles, Cruise's AV data infrastructure, and MBRYONICS's space-photonics manufacturing expansion — all evidence that a successful prototype answers one question while production raises dozens more.
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