Boston Summit Offers Practical Sessions on AI and Enterprise Sales for Founders

TechCrunch will host its Founder Summit 2026 at the SoWa Power Station in Boston on November 4. The one-day event brings together founders, investors, and operators for a schedule that includes main stage talks, live pitching, and a dedicated series of small-group discussions.

Organizers have structured the roundtable segment to allow participants to present specific company challenges. Attendees will work through these issues with industry experts and peers across topics that include artificial intelligence, lean team management, and vertical strategy. This format contrasts with the larger, more general sessions scheduled for the main stages.

Alexandra Ames, founder of Blueprint Lab, leads the first roundtable at 10:45 a.m. She will discuss how early-stage companies can use events strategically without the budget for a full-time events team. The session will cover selecting the right opportunities and defining success metrics while stretching limited resources.

Two sessions run concurrently at 11:30 a.m. Chirag Shah of Define Ventures will address the difficulties of entering markets with high potential but complex entry barriers, such as regulated industries. Simultaneously, Shishir Tewari of Procore Technologies will explain how knowledge graphs and GraphRAG can improve the reliability of AI systems in real-world organizational settings.

Merve Kitapci, managing partner at ADIN.AI, takes the stage at 1:15 p.m. to examine strategies for winning major enterprise customers before a Series A funding round. She will reference her experience closing deals with L'Oreal and Vodafone, focusing on long buying cycles and the credibility provided by prominent client logos.

Andy Tang of Draper Associates leads a 1:55 p.m. session for founders whose products do not fit into existing categories. The discussion will cover how to explain these novel products to investors and customers. The final roundtable at 2:35 p.m., led by IFTTT CEO Linden Tibbets, will explore using AI to increase speed and output without increasing headcount.

The full program includes additional stages focused on product-market fit, fundraising, and scaling outside the Bay Area. Steve Fredette, co-founder of Toast, is among the leaders scheduled to share their experiences. The event concludes with a live pitch competition and a closing reception presented by Fidelity Private Shares. Tickets are currently available with a 25% discount and a buy-one-get-one offer.