TechCrunch Disrupt 2026: Gamma’s Grant Lee, Engine’s Elia Wallen, and GV’s Crystal Huang on landing your first 1,000 customers
TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 will feature a panel on early-stage customer acquisition strategies for startups. Industry leaders from Gamma, Engine, and GV will discuss how to secure the first 1,000 customers without significant marketing budgets.
Why it matters
Understanding early-stage growth tactics is vital for startup founders navigating the 'zero-to-one' phase of business development.
You’ve built the product. Now you need customers. But when you’re starting from zero, there may be no marketing budget, established brand, or sales team to help you find them. So how do you get the first 1,000 people to take a chance on what you’ve built?
At TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 , Gamma CEO and co-founder Grant Lee, Engine founder and CEO Elia Wallen, and GV (Google Ventures) general partner Crystal Huang will take the Builders Stage for “The Zero-to-1K Playbook: How to Get Your First 1,000 Customers Without a Marketing Budget.”
They’ll break down how founders are using community building, product-led growth, founder-led sales, strategic outbound, and word of mouth to find those critical early customers.
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