TechCrunch Founder Summit 2026: Everything you need to know

TechCrunch Founder Summit is a full-day gathering in Boston on November 4 where founders across all stages connect with top VCs and experienced entrepreneurs to gain tactical insights on building and scaling their companies. It’s the latest in our long line of founder-centric events, which are smaller and more hands-on than Disrupt.

For the founder looking to really get in the weeds during a one-day crash course, Founder Summit is the ideal place to get a head start on your 2027 plans for everything from hiring, establishing product market fit, finding investors, improving your leadership skills, and more.

Before you dig in on the event details, you can get info on all of our tickets, which are available for a $100 discount for investors and founders, right here. Even if you’re a student and an aspiring founder, or an investor looking to meet the next wave of East Coast innovators, we have an option for you.

Who is TechCrunch Founder Summit for? 

All founders end up wrestling with the extensive, complicated mechanics of building a company from the ground up. There’s fundraising, hiring, legal, marketing, PR, and leadership, as well as the investors needing the means to vet, invest in, and develop founders as they build out their skills.

Founder Summit is the best way to cover all of the challenging questions with community members who have been there, and lived to tell the tale, through constructive failure and massive success.

When and where is TechCrunch Founder Summit? 

The event takes place on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, at the SoWa Power Station in Boston. It’s accessible via public transportation and a short walk from the Back Bay and Tufts Medical Center stops on the Orange Line, or the Broadway stop on the Red Line.

What’s on the TechCrunch Founder Summit agenda? 

To deliver on that promise of equipping founders for success, this year’s agenda and speakers lean hard into fundraising, AI-native building, and leadership. Sessions include:

• Building a Company That Keeps Reinventing Itself: Toast Co-founder and Director Steve Fredette shares his insights on keeping a company relevant amid evolving technologies and changing customer expectations.
• The Boston Founder Playbook: HqO co-founder and CEO Chase Garbarino on building a category-defining company outside Silicon Valley, having raised $200 million and scaled to 30+ countries.   
• Finding Product Market Fit Before You Scale: Bessemer Venture Partners‘ Kent Bennett on validating demand and avoiding scaling before the fundamentals are in place.
• Built for AI From Day One: 7AI co-founder and CEO Lior Div on what changes when AI is the foundation of a company rather than a bolt-on feature. 

• Not Every Dollar Is Equal: Cogent Security co-founder and CEO Vineet Edupuganti on evaluating investors and cap-table trade-offs beyond valuation. 

• How to Spot the ‘King of the Hill’ Company: TDK Ventures investment director Tina Tosukhowong unpacking a framework for evaluating startups on economics, scalability, and timing. 

• Your Pitch Has to Near the Next Conversation: TrueVentures Partner and Edisyl CEO Dave Balter instills the importance of making sure your pitch doesn’t just wow, but that it sparks a continued conversation throughout every minute of its delivery.

Is there a pitch competition?

We’re glad you asked! Founder Summit will once again feature the much-requested So You Think You Can Pitch? competition, during which three early stage startups will try to impress a panel of judges within four minutes each. Their approaches, and the judges’ feedback, is invaluable for improving your own pitches.

Didn’t this event have a different name? 

Yes. Founder Summit was formerly known as Early Stage and All Stage. This year, we have the same mission, but with a new name. Keep that in mind if you want to do any more research before attending.

Is TechCrunch Founder Summit just panels, or is there more to it? 

Founder Summit is far from a series of panels, though the agenda does provide a ton of valuable insights for founders and investors. In addition to all of those sessions, we also have our breakout sessions, where even more intimate panels discuss vital topics for the community to dive deeper into.

There’s also networking available via the Braindate app to help connect investors with founders, or facilitate founders with similar challenges to bring their expertise together to reach shared solutions. Or that time is the perfect opportunity for students to build out their nascent network.

Then there’s Founder Summit week, taking place November 1-7. That’s when all of our Side Events are held, expanding the opportunities for you to gather with the community. And if you’re especially eager to take part, you can apply to host your own Side Event right here.

How much does a ticket cost, and how can I get the best price? 

Pricing moves in phases, with our next increase happening after October 16. Our current pricing tiers are Investor for $399, Founder for $199, and students for $149. If you buy a second ticket for a co-founder or co-worker, you’ll also get 50% off their admission. And bundles for groups for four or more offer additional discounts.

Is there a free way to attend? 

Yes! We’re looking for volunteers to help staff the event, and those individuals will get a behind-the-scenes look at how the event comes together on top of their free access to programming beyond their shift. Learn more about our program, which closes to new applicants October 19, right here.

Where can I register and learn more? 

You can get the full rundown of the event, with everything from up-to-date speaker information, the full agenda, logistics, and more right here. Ticket information across all three tiers is available here. And remember, our current discounts end October 16 — act now before they expire.

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