Six specialized roundtables set to anchor Boston startup summit

Six specialized roundtables will form a core component of the TechCrunch Founder Summit 2026, scheduled for November 4 at the SoWa Power Station in Boston. The event will gather founders, investors, and operators for a day of conversations, practical sessions, live pitching, and networking. Organizers designed these smaller groups to allow for more detailed discussion than the main stage programming.

Participants in the roundtables are invited to bring their own questions and describe specific challenges within their companies. They will work through these issues with experts and fellow founders. The agenda covers subjects ranging from enterprise sales and vertical strategy to artificial intelligence, lean teams, and creating new market categories.

The day begins at 10:45 a.m. with a session led by Alexandra Ames, founder and chief event strategist at Blueprint Lab. She will address how early-stage companies can approach events strategically before they can afford a full-time events team. The discussion will cover choosing the right opportunities, defining success, and stretching limited resources.

Two sessions run simultaneously at 11:30 a.m. Chirag Shah, a partner at Define Ventures, will discuss the difficulties founders face when entering markets with high potential but complex barriers, such as regulated industries. In the other session, Shishir Tewari, head of enterprise data engineering at Procore Technologies, will explain how knowledge graphs and GraphRAG can improve the reliability of AI systems in real-world organizations.

The afternoon schedule starts at 1:15 p.m. with Merve Kitapci, managing partner and CGO of ADIN.AI. She will examine how founders can win major enterprise customers early, citing her experience closing deals with L'Oreal and Vodafone before a Series A round. Her session will address long buying cycles and the credibility that prominent customer logos provide.

At 1:55 p.m., Andy Tang, a partner at Draper Associates, will lead a conversation for founders whose products do not fit established categories. He will discuss how to explain and sell these products and help investors understand the opportunity. The final roundtable at 2:35 p.m. features Linden Tibbets, CEO and founder of IFTTT, who will explore how smaller teams can use AI to increase speed and output without adding headcount.

Beyond the roundtables, sessions on the Build and Impact Stages will cover product-market fit, hiring, founder leadership, fundraising, and building companies outside the Bay Area. Toast co-founder Steve Fredette is among the leaders slated to share perspectives. Founders will also test their stories in a live competition called "So You Think You Can Pitch?" A Networking Lounge with Braindate and a closing reception presented by Fidelity Private Shares will provide additional time for attendees to connect. Tickets are currently available with a limited-time 25% discount and a buy-one-get-one offer.