Founder summit in Boston combines startup lessons with networking

TechCrunch Founder Summit 2026 is scheduled for November 4 at SoWa Power Station in Boston, bringing founders and investors together for a day of sessions, roundtables, live pitching and networking. The program is organized around several ways to learn rather than a single conference format.

The Build Stage covers distribution, fundraising, team building and investor pitches, while the Impact Stage addresses product-market fit, scaling, enterprise relationships, leadership and long-term growth. Speakers include Hunter Worland of NEA, Kristen Craft of Fidelity Private Shares, Steve Fredette of Toast, Rudina Seseri of Glasswing Ventures and Chase Garbarino of HqO.

Smaller roundtables focus on issues such as entering difficult industries, reducing AI hallucinations through enterprise context, winning major customers before Series A and building lean teams. The “So You Think You Can Pitch?” session will let founders present to investors including Dave Balter, Chirag Shah and Simran Suri. Braindate networking will support one-to-one or small-group discussions, followed by a closing reception. Passes include breakout sessions, the Expo Hall and later access to session materials; organizers also advertise a second pass free with a purchase and group discounts of up to 30%.