The key facts
- The summit will take place in Boston on November 4, 2026, with six days remaining until it starts
- Speakers include Steve Fredette (Toast), Kent Bennett (Bessemer), Rudina Seseri (Glasswing), and others
- Discounts of up to $100 are available until the event, plus a free second ticket or 30% off group packages
What and when it will take place
TechCrunch Founder Summit, organized by TechCrunch with support from Fidelity Private Shares, kicks off in Boston on November 4, 2026 — six days remained at the time of publication. According to the organizers' concept, the event differs from the usual sources of startup advice in that speakers talk about what happened when those ideas were put into practice: decisions, mistakes, pivots, and the lessons that shaped their companies.
Who will speak and about what
The centerpiece of the program is the journey of the Boston startup Toast to becoming a public company: Toast president, co-founder, and CEO Steve Fredette will discuss how to keep reinventing a company after the original idea has worked, and how to stay close to customers as technologies and expectations change. The topic of growth is explored from two angles: Bessemer Venture Partners partner Kent Bennett will break down how to recognize genuine product-market fit before scaling, while Glasswing Ventures founder and managing partner Rudina Seseri will cover when to accelerate and when it makes more sense to slow down. The other sessions go beyond fundraising: Vineet Edupuganti of Cogent Security will talk about building strong teams, Dave Balter of True Ventures and Edisyl will discuss the pitch whose goal is not to explain everything in one meeting but to spark the desire for a next one, Chase Garbarino of HqO will speak about building an ambitious company specifically from Boston, and Tina Tosukhowong of TDK Ventures will cover the signals investors use to evaluate potential category leaders.
Program and tickets
The full program with breakout and roundtable sessions has been published on the event website. Until the doors open, three ways to save are available: a discount of up to $100 on a ticket, a second ticket free with the purchase of one, and a 30% discount on group packages. The organizers position the summit as access to people who have built, funded, and scaled companies, hired during periods of growth, sold to large corporations, and made tough decisions in ambiguous situations.
