Learn All About Scaling, Fundraising, and Founder How-Tos at TechCrunch Founder Summit 2026
There's no manual or AI prompt that can truly prepare you to build a company. But on November 4, TechCrunch Founder Summit offers the next best thing: a full day at Boston's SoWa Power Station, where investors and operators share how they've navigated critical decisions.
The Founder Summit's agenda is built around the core questions every founder eventually faces about capital, leadership, and what they're really building toward. Each session is designed to build on the previous one—much like a founding team, these sessions work together to drive outcomes.
Here's a breakdown of how the full event agenda fits together and what you can expect to learn. Keep in mind that tickets are at their lowest price point before they increase on October 16, making this the ideal moment to grab your seat. You can save $200 on both Investor and Founder passes up until that deadline.
For a limited time, you can also get a second ticket for 50% off, and for larger groups, bundle discounts are available for groups of four or more.
Capital: How You Raise, and Who You Raise From
Fundraising advice often stops at "How do I get the term sheet?" This track goes further, because getting a yes is only half the equation—the other half is ensuring it's the right yes.
Underscore partner Brian Devaney opens with a candid read on today's fundraising climate, including what investors are actually screening for right now, how founders can differentiate in a crowded market, and the specific moments where founders give up leverage without realizing it.
That's the part most founders obsess over—as well as who ends up on the cap table once the round closes. This is where Vineet Edupuganti, co-founder and CEO of Cogent Security, picks up the thread. After raising an $11 million round, he learned firsthand that not every check is equal. He'll walk through how to actually evaluate investors and navigate those trade-offs before you sign, not after.
This frames fundraising as a two-part decision: first, win the leverage in the room, then spend it wisely on the right partners. Founders who only solve the first part often find themselves fighting their own cap table later.
Grab your pass and get all these fundraising insights. Bring your co-founder at 50% off.
Leadership: When the Job Changes, So Does the Team You Need
No founder stays the same kind of leader forever. The skills that get a company to its initial customers rarely match what's needed when the customer list expands and the employee count grows. This track tackles that shift from two angles: the founder's evolution and the hiring decisions that either support or sabotage it.
HubSpot co-founder and Sequoia partner Brian Halligan will share his perspective on how founders must evolve as their companies scale.