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TechCrunch Founder Summit’s agenda revealed: Unlock fundraising, hiring, and AI insights in Boston on November 4
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TechCrunch has unveiled the full agenda for its Founder Summit, a one-day startup intensive scheduled for November 4 at Boston's SoWa Power Station. The event is designed to give early-stage founders direct access to the investors and operators who have already navigated the decisions now facing them. Sessions span fundraising, leadership, hiring, and AI strategy. Organizers frame it as a crash course meant to shorten the trial-and-error period that typically accompanies company building. Attendees can preview every session and speaker on the event's official agenda page.
The summit arrives as startup funding conditions continue to shift, with founders confronting a playbook that changes faster than most companies can adapt. Rather than learning hard lessons over months of iteration, participants will hear candid accounts from people who made those calls firsthand. Topics range from first checks and term sheets to category dominance and early team-building. TechCrunch positions the day as both practical instruction and access to a network of peers and backers. Tickets are currently being offered at the lowest prices organizers say will be available.
Brian Devaney, a partner at Underscore, will lead "The New Rules of Raising Capital," breaking down what investors currently seek and where founders quietly lose leverage. His session covers the arc from first checks to term sheets, including mistakes that can make or break a round. Complementing that, Cogent Security co-founder and CEO Vineet Edupuganti will draw on his experience raising an $11 million round for "Not Every Dollar Is Equal." That talk examines how founders should evaluate investors and think beyond valuation when constructing a cap table.
HubSpot co-founder and Sequoia partner Brian Halligan will address leadership evolution in "The CEO Job Never Gets Easier." He will share lessons from building and advising startups through rapid growth, tough decisions, and constant reinvention. On the technology front, 7AI co-founder and CEO Lior Div will explore what changes when AI becomes a startup's foundation rather than a bolt-on feature. His session, "Built for AI From Day One," covers team structure, product development, operations, and go-to-market strategy.
TDK Ventures investment director Tina Tosukhowong will unpack the firm's "King of the Hill" framework for identifying category winners. She will illustrate how economics, scalability, and commercial timing converge, using real-world examples from her exploration of fission and fusion. NEA partner Melissa Taunton will cover early hiring in "Your Company Is Who You Hire," sharing lessons on avoiding recruiting mistakes during periods of uncertainty. Her focus is building organizations that are resilient, adaptable, and prepared for what comes next.
Together, the lineup signals that TechCrunch is targeting founders at the point where capital decisions, personnel choices, and AI adoption determine survival. The mix of venture partners and operating executives offers both investor-side perspective and founder-side experience. Sessions emphasize frameworks and actionable signals over motivational messaging. For attendees, the practical takeaway is a clearer read on readiness, competitive positioning, and timing.
The Boston edition continues TechCrunch's effort to bring high-signal programming to regional founder communities outside Silicon Valley. Organizers are urging prospective attendees to secure tickets now while pricing remains at its lowest. Full session details and speaker biographies are published on the event agenda page. The summit takes place November 4 at SoWa Power Station.
