Toast President Fredette to Lead Boston Founder Summit on November 4

TechCrunch has finalized the speaker lineup for its Founder Summit 2026, which will take place on November 4 at the SoWa Power Station in Boston.

The organization announced the agenda on Thursday. The full-day program is co-hosted with Fidelity Private Shares. It gathers founders, investors, and operators to examine the strategic choices companies make before they have complete information.

Steve Fredette, president and co-founder of Toast, will open the event on the Impact Stage. His session, "Building a Company That Keeps Reinventing Itself," will trace the company's path from a local startup to a public entity. Fredette will address how businesses adapt to shifting market and technology trends while maintaining their core purpose.

Investor Kent Bennett of Bessemer Venture Partners will discuss product market fit. His talk, "Finding Product Market Fit Before You Scale," will examine the indicators founders should verify before increasing headcount or spending. Rudina Seseri, managing partner of Glasswing Ventures, will follow with a session on balancing acceleration with restraint. She will outline how to distinguish between moments for growth and those requiring caution.

Lior Div, CEO of 7AI, will present on integrating artificial intelligence into company architecture from the start. His session will contrast adding AI tools to existing processes with designing a business model around the technology.

The program includes a local focus through Chase Garbarino, CEO of HqO. His talk, "The Boston Founder Playbook," will explore building companies in the region without relying on Silicon Valley models. Dave Balter, venture partner at True Ventures, will lead a session on effective pitching. He will also serve on the judging panel for "So You Think You Can Pitch?" alongside Chirag Shah of Define Ventures and Simran Suri of Maveron.

Additional speakers include Hunter Worland of NEA, Vineet Edupuganti of Cogent Security, and Tina Tosukhowong of TDK Ventures. Fidelity Private Shares will host sessions on fundraising trends and enterprise relationships. The day concludes with roundtables, networking, and a closing reception. TechCrunch is currently offering a 25% discount and a buy-one-get-one promotion for ticket purchases.