Key facts
- Five Benchmark general partners will discuss startup opportunities at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026.
- The session is titled "What We Believe Now."
- Benchmark recently raised $2 billion across two new funds.
- AI companies accounted for 61% of global venture capital investment in 2025.
Five general partners from the venture capital firm Benchmark are set to convene at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 for a session titled "What We Believe Now." This marks the first time the firm's current partnership—Jack Altman, Peter Fenton, Chetan Puttagunta, Everett Randle, and Eric Vishria—will appear together on the Disrupt Stage in San Francisco.
The discussion will focus on the future of startups, exploring where the next generation of companies will emerge, which assumptions founders should reconsider, and emerging opportunities, particularly in the AI market. In 2025, AI companies captured 61% of global venture capital investment, totaling $258.7 billion.
Benchmark recently raised approximately $2 billion, comprising a $750 million flagship fund and its first $1.25 billion growth fund, signaling a potential shift in its investment strategy. The session aims to offer insights into how experienced investors navigate a changing market, identify conviction in new ventures, and assess investment opportunities.