Venture capital criteria recalibrating as Series A fundraising landscape tightens for 2027
Panelists from Index Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners and Peak XV discuss the slower, more selective reality of raising equity at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026.
The window between building a business and securing Series A funding has stretched significantly, according to venture capitalists speaking at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026. Held at San Francisco's Moscone West from 13 to 15 October 2026, the event features a live-only Builders Stage session titled 'The Series A in 2027'. The session aims to provide founders planning to raise capital in the next 12 to 24 months with updated insights on investor expectations and market realities.
Panelists note that the fundraising process has become slower, more selective, and increasingly unforgiving compared to previous cycles. Nina Achadjian of Index Ventures, Janelle Teng Wade of Bessemer Venture Partners, and Shailendra Singh of Peak XV argue that the definition of a fundable company is being rewritten in real time. Teams that would have been considered ready for investment two years ago are now facing rejection, indicating a significant shift in the standards top investors apply.
The session explicitly targets founders who are currently optimising their strategies for a market environment the panelists describe as outdated. Traditional metrics for Series A readiness are being questioned, with investors actively recalibrating their frameworks for the next funding cycle. The goal is to offer practical information on how decisions are being made right now and how they will be made when founders go out to raise.
Key speakers bring extensive experience from backing major category leaders and IPOs. Achadjian invests across seed to growth in AI, robotics, and vertical SaaS, having worked with companies such as Anthropic and Gong. Teng Wade focuses on early-stage AI and data infrastructure, while Singh has been part of a firm that has backed over 500 companies and produced more than 30 IPOs. Their collective view suggests that doing the wrong things well no longer helps; it sets founders back.
The event emphasises that this is a forward-looking breakdown rather than a retrospective analysis. It is designed to help founders pressure-test their strategy and recalibrate their assumptions before they ever start pitching. The session reveals how the bar has shifted, warning that many founders are still optimising for a version of the market that no longer exists.
Participants are advised that getting this wrong can result in failing to raise capital or doing so later than planned with less leverage. The session is part of the Builders Stage lineup, where discussions are built around execution rather than theory. It offers a direct view of how top investors are shaping the next wave of venture-backed companies through the frameworks they build and the standards they apply.
