TechCrunch’s Founder Summit 2026 will take place at Boston’s SoWa Power Station on November 4. The one‑day event gathers founders, investors and operators for candid conversations, practical workshops, live pitching, networking and a series of focused roundtables designed for in‑depth discussion.
The roundtables give participants a chance to bring specific questions, share observations from their own companies, and learn from experts and peers who are wrestling with similar problems. Topics range from enterprise sales and vertical strategy to AI, lean team dynamics and creating entirely new market categories. Attendees can save 25 percent on their ticket today, and a limited “buy one, get one free” offer lets a colleague join at no extra cost.
Six roundtables are on the agenda:
– **How to Build an Events Strategy Before You Can Afford a Full‑Time Events Team** – 10:45 am – 11:15 am (Roundtable 2). Alexandra Ames, founder and chief event strategist at Blueprint Lab, will discuss how early‑stage startups can use events strategically without a dedicated budget or staff, covering opportunity selection, success metrics and resource efficiency.
– **Your First Vertical, and It Happens to Be the Hardest One** – 11:30 am – 12:00 pm (Roundtable 1). Chirag Shah, partner at Define Ventures, explores the challenges of entering a high‑potential yet difficult market, offering founders a forum to compare notes on regulated industries, complex buyers and specialized customers.
– **GraphRAG in Action: Stop Hallucinations with Knowledge Graphs** – 11:30 am – 12:00 pm (Roundtable 2). Shishir Tewari, head of enterprise data engineering at Procore Technologies, tackles the trust problem in enterprise AI, explaining how knowledge graphs and GraphRAG can give AI stronger context and improve reliability for real‑world deployments.
– **The Enterprise AI Playbook: How to Close L’Oréal and Vodafone Before You Raise a Series A** – 1:15 pm – 1:45 pm (Roundtable 2). Merve Kitapci, managing partner and CGO of ADIN.AI, breaks down the tactics needed to win major enterprise logos early, addressing long buying cycles, multiple stakeholders and the credibility boost that comes from landing the right customer.
– **Build Something We Don’t Have a Word for Yet** – 1:55 pm – 2:25 pm (Roundtable 2). Andy Tang, partner at Draper Associates, leads a conversation for founders creating products that defy existing categories, focusing on how to explain, sell and attract investor interest when the market lacks a clear vocabulary.
– **Small but Mighty: How AI Lets Lean Teams Out‑ship the Giants** – 2:35 pm – 3:05 pm (Roundtable 1). Linden Tibbets, CEO and founder of IFTTT, examines how smaller teams can leverage AI to boost speed and output without simply adding headcount, offering practical advice on hiring, efficiency and structuring an AI‑enabled company.
These sessions are designed to be interactive, giving participants the chance to ask the questions that matter most to their businesses, compare experiences with peers and leave with actionable ideas.
Roundtables are only one component of the day. Throughout the Build and Impact stages, the summit will also cover product‑market fit, hiring, founder leadership, fundraising, pitching and scaling companies outside the Bay Area. Highlights include a talk by Toast co‑founder Steve Fredette and a live “So You Think You Can Pitch?” competition. A Networking Lounge powered by Braindate and a closing reception presented by Fidelity Private Shares provide additional opportunities for connection.
Remember, the event is on November 4 at SoWa Power Station in Boston. Register now to lock in the 25 percent discount and take advantage of the free‑ticket offer for a colleague.