TechCrunch Founder Summit 2026: Doors open at 9 a.m. ET in Boston

TechCrunch Founder Summit 2026 for a full day dedicated to the strategies, insights, and connections that help startups scale faster and smarter. That is also when prices will increase to full rates. Discounts and deals will end when doors open.

From fundraising and product-market fit to AI innovation and enterprise growth, today’s agenda is packed with actionable advice from experienced founders, investors, and operators. Whether you’re raising capital, refining your go-to-market strategy, validating product-market fit, or preparing for your next stage of growth, Founder Summit delivers practical insights you can put into action immediately.

Haven’t registered yet? There’s still time to join. Secure your pass and gain access to a full day of startup-focused content, investor perspectives, founder networking, interactive roundtables, and the conversations that can help accelerate your company’s growth. Register before 9 a.m. ET to save up to $100 on your pass, plus get a second pass for free.

Image Credits: Halo Creative

A full day of learning, networking, and inspiration

Registration and Expo Hours: 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. ET

Pick up your badge, connect with partners, and explore the Expo Hall throughout the day. The Expo Hall is where you’ll find exhibiting startups that bring a variety of solutions to help accelerate scaling.

Networking Lounge powered by Braindate: 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Schedule one-on-one and small-group meetings with founders, investors, and startup operators on the Braindate networking app. Some of the most valuable and insightful conversations happen between sessions and in the Networking Lounge.

Breakout sessions: 10:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Get your questions ready for these expert panel-led sessions. Hear from the leaders who’ve faced and overcome the challenges of scaling, such as Steve Fredette (Toast), during an interactive AMA on building a lasting company; Amulya Vishwanath (Techable Ventures) as she explores the next generation of AI opportunities; and more. Explore the full agenda and plan your day.

Roundtable sessions: 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

These highly interactive sessions are where the deeper conversations happen. Led by experienced scaling leaders, the discussions dive into topics ranging from fundraising and launching to AI and beyond. Explore the full lineup on the agenda.

Register now to join the rest of Boston’s founders and VCs.

Breakout sessions

Visit the Founder Summit agenda to get to know each session and the speakers leading them.

Build Stage

The Next Startup Advantage: Distribution Beats Technology — Hunter Worland (NEA)

Fundraising Trends — Kristen Craft (Fidelity Private Shares), Jennifer Neundorfer (January Ventures), and Darren Ross (The.Team)

The Next AI Opportunity: What Hasn’t Been Built Yet? — Amulya Vishwanath (Techable Ventures)

Your Pitch Has to Earn the Next Conversation — Dave Balter (True Ventures / Edisyl)

So You Think You Can Pitch? – Dave Balter (True Ventures), Jonny Boyarsky (FirstGlance), Shruti Gupta (PollSee), Sunmin He (PitchIN), Chirag Shah (Define Ventures), Simran Suri (Maveron)

Image Credits: Halo Creative

Impact Stage

AMA with Toast Co-founder Steve Fredette — Steve Fredette (Toast)

When to Scale and When to Hit the Brakes — Rudina Seseri (Glasswing Ventures)

Finding Product Market Fit Before You Scale — Kent Bennett (Bessemer Venture Partners)

Enterprise Relationships — Kristen Craft (Fidelity Private Shares), Yossi Hayut (Wix Ventures), Evan Schnidman (Fidelity Labs), Jennifer van Dijk (Boston Legacy FC)

The Boston Founder Playbook — Chase Garbarino (HqO)

How to Spot the ‘King of the Hill’ Company: Hidden Signals That Define Category Winners — Tina Tosukhowong (TDK Ventures)

Register now to join these Q&A breakouts.

Roundtable sessions

These highly interactive sessions give founders the opportunity to connect directly with experienced investors, fellow founders, and subject-matter experts. Space is limited, so secure your pass now to take part in these conversations and get in on the discussion.

Image Credits: Halo Creative / Flickr (opens in a new window)

Data Room Best Practices: Reducing Friction in Due Diligence

How to Build Events Strategy Before You Can Afford a Full-Time Events Team

Your First Vertical, and It Happens to Be the Hardest One

GraphRAG in Action: Stop Hallucinations with Knowledge Graphs

Brand Is Your Edge: How Lean Consumer Startups Build Brands That Last

Fundraising Best Practices: Making Financing Rounds Smarter, Faster, and Founder-Friendly

Build Something We Don’t Have a Word for Yet

Small but Mighty: How AI Lets Lean Teams Outship the Giants

What Counts as Traction Before You Raise?

Register now to join these interactive roundtables.

End the day with new connections

Closing Reception: 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.

Join fellow founders, investors, and startup leaders for drinks, bites, and conversations that can turn into future customers, partners, hires, or investors.

There’s still time to join today’s Founder Summit

Missed the early registration window? You can still be part of today’s programming. Register now to access expert-led sessions, founder roundtables, networking opportunities, and practical growth strategies from the startup ecosystem’s most experienced builders and investors. Don’t miss your chance to connect with the people and ideas driving the next generation of startup success.

Grab your pass now , join us at Boston’s SoWa Power Station, and immerse yourself in the founder-focused conversations and connections that help startups scale.

Image Credits: TechCrunch

Topics

AI , Biotech & Health , Climate , Fintech , Fundraising , Robotics , Startups , TC , TechCrunch Founder Summit 2026 , Venture

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