Learn all about scaling, fundraising, founder how-tos, and more at TechCrunch Founder Summit, November 4 — SkimNews

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- TechCrunch Founder Summit convenes November 4 at Boston's SoWa Power Station, organized around three interlocking tracks: capital, leadership, and building for the future.
- Brian Halligan (HubSpot co-founder, now Sequoia partner) and Melissa Taunton (NEA partner) anchor the leadership track on how the CEO job transforms at each growth stage and why early hires function as architecture decisions that cap culture and speed.
- Lior Div (7AI), Kent Bennett (Bessemer Venture Partners), and Tina Tosukhowong (TDK Ventures) lead the forward-looking track on building AI-native companies, distinguishing real product-market fit from early traction, and Bessemer's "King of the Hill" category framework.
- Brian Devaney (Underscore) and Vineet Edupuganti (Cogent Security, who raised $11 million) open the capital track on what investors screen for today and how to evaluate backers before signing, not after.
- HqO co-founder and CEO Chase Garbarino closes the agenda as a working case study, having raised $200 million, scaled across more than 30 countries, and built a category-defining company without leaving Boston.
- Founder Summit Week runs November 1-7 with Side Events across Boston, plus roundtable workshops and the Braindate app pairing founders with investors and peers.
- Tickets hit their lowest price before the October 16 increase, with $200 off Investor and Founder passes, 50% off a second seat, and group discounts for parties of four-plus.
Why it matters: The October 16 deadline creates a hard cut on $200 ticket discounts, 50% off a second seat, and group bundles of four-plus, lowering the barrier for early-stage teams to send co-founders together. Attendees leave with a working framework for capital, leadership, and product decisions in a single day rather than months of trial and error.
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