Toast President to Anchor Boston Startup Summit Nov 4

TechCrunch will host its Founder Summit 2026 on November 4 at the SoWa Power Station in Boston. The full-day gathering is co-hosted with Fidelity Private Shares and will convene founders, investors, and operators. The program focuses on strategic decisions companies must make before market conditions are fully defined.

Steve Fredette, president and co-founder of Toast, will headline the Impact Stage. His session, titled "Building a Company That Keeps Reinventing Itself," will examine how a business evolves as technology and customer expectations shift. The discussion aims to address how companies maintain their core mission while expanding from startup to public enterprise.

Two investor-led sessions address the tension between rapid growth and strategic restraint. Kent Bennett of Bessemer Venture Partners will lead a discussion on identifying product market fit before scaling operations. Rudina Seseri of Glasswing Ventures will explore the signals that distinguish when to accelerate growth from when to pause spending.

Lior Div, CEO and co-founder of 7AI, will present on integrating artificial intelligence into business models. His talk, "Built for AI From Day One," contrasts adding AI tools to existing processes with designing a company's architecture around the technology from the outset.

The summit includes a dedicated focus on the Boston ecosystem. Chase Garbarino, CEO of HqO, will discuss the "Boston Founder Playbook." He will examine how companies can secure talent, capital, and customers in the city without relying on Silicon Valley norms. This session pairs with Fredette's talk to emphasize local growth strategies.

Pitching remains a central component of the agenda. Dave Balter of True Ventures will lead a session on crafting pitches that secure follow-up meetings. In the afternoon, a live judging panel will evaluate founder presentations. The panel will include Chirag Shah of Define Ventures and Simran Suri of Maveron, providing immediate feedback to participants.

Additional speakers include Hunter Worland of NEA, Vineet Edupuganti of Cogent Security, and Tina Tosukhowong of TDK Ventures. Fidelity Private Shares will contribute sessions on fundraising trends and enterprise relationships. The event will conclude with a reception, and organizers are currently offering a 25% discount on tickets.