TechCrunch’s Founder Summit on November 4th will bring you an essential one-day crash course in building startups at Boston’s SoWa Power Plant. Founders don’t have to learn the hardest lessons the hardest way. This event aims to make the challenge of starting a company easier and the excitement greater.
Instead of months of trial and error, you’ll have direct access to the investors and founders who call you, which you’re currently facing. We talk about everything from funding and recruiting to AI strategy and category tops.
Don’t just take our word for it. See the full agenda of speakers and sessions scheduled for Founder Summit below, and secure your spot at the event. All tickets are available at the lowest price shown, so now is the best time to act.
TechCrunch Founder Summit official agenda revealed
Let me now introduce the official agenda. Check out each session and speaker on the event agenda page.
New rules for raising capital
Raising money has never been easy, but strategies continue to change. Underscore Partner Brian Devaney details what investors are looking for now, how founders can stand out in a crowded market, and the situations in which founders often lose leverage without realizing it. A candid look at today’s fundraising environment, from the first check to the term sheet to the mistakes that can make or break your round.
A CEO’s job is never easy
Even if your job title remains the same, your job content will change depending on the company’s growth stage. HubSpot co-founder and Sequoia partner Brian Harrigan shares lessons learned from building and advising startups through rapid growth, tough decisions, and constant reinvention.
This session explores how founders can evolve as CEOs, avoid common leadership pitfalls, and build companies that can grow far beyond their early days.
Built for AI from day one
Adding AI capabilities is one thing; Building an AI-native company is something else entirely. Lior Div, co-founder and CEO of 7AI, explores what changes when AI becomes the foundation of a startup rather than an enhancement to a product. This session will explore what founders should rethink when building in the AI era, from team structure and product development to operations and go-to-market strategies.
Not all dollars are equal
Raising funding is often seen as a milestone, but choosing the right investors can shape a company’s future long after the money arrives. After raising $11 million in funding for Cogent Security, co-founder and CEO Vineet Edupuganti learned firsthand what differentiates a helpful partner from a costly distraction. In this session, we explore how founders can evaluate investors, navigate tradeoffs, and think beyond valuation when creating cap tables.
How to spot the “King of the Hill” companies — hidden signals that determine category winners
Solving the world’s biggest challenges requires innovation, but only certain companies can realistically emerge as category-defining winners on an industrial scale. In this session, TDK Ventures Investment Director Tina Toskawong unpacks the firm’s “King of the Hill” framework, the disciplined process that the best investors use to evaluate companies based on economics, scalability, and commercial timing.
Through real-world examples, including Tina’s exploration of nuclear fission and fusion, participants will learn a practical framework for assessing startup readiness, mapping the competitive landscape, and identifying when timing, talent, and technology align.
your company is the people you hire
Early hiring decisions can define a startup’s culture, speed, and ability to execute. NEA Partner Melissa Taunton shares lessons learned from working with founders as they build teams through periods of rapid growth and uncertainty.
From identifying the right early adopters to avoiding common hiring mistakes, this session explores how founders can build organizations that are resilient, adaptable, and ready for what comes next.
Boston Founder’s Handbook
Silicon Valley may grab the headlines, but for more than a decade Chase Garbarino has quietly built a category-defining company in Boston. As co-founder and CEO of HqO, he raised $200 million from investors and expanded the business to over 30 countries without changing geographies.
He details the real pros and cons of building where no startup playbook has been written, and what every founder outside of the major hubs needs to know.
Find product market fit before scaling
Every founder wants product-market fit, but knowing when you’ll actually find it is much more complicated. Kent Bennett, partner at Bessemer Venture Partners, reveals how founders can validate demand, build MVPs that answer the right questions, and avoid scaling before the foundations are in place.
This session explores the important signals, misleading metrics, and decisions that separate enduring companies from expensive experiments.
What happens after the Founder Summit session?
Programming is a big part of the value of TechCrunch Founder Summit, but it’s not everything. You’ll also have the opportunity to connect with founders who are making the same fundraising decisions and recruiting efforts as you, and network with people who have already been through these experiences. Even better…people who are funding people who have gone through the troubles of startups.
At the TechCrunch Founder Summit, a day full of discussion turns into months of activity. Join us on November 4th for the Boston Startup Community. Register now to save on tickets and attend the ultimate founder bootcamp.
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