Toast President to Headline Boston Summit Agenda

Steve Fredette, president and co-founder of Toast, will anchor the speaker lineup for the Founder Summit 2026, which takes place on November 4 at the SoWa Power Station in Boston. The event is hosted in partnership with Fidelity Private Shares and gathers founders, investors, and operators to discuss strategic decisions made before market answers are fully established. Fredette will speak on the Impact Stage regarding how companies maintain their core identity while adapting to shifting customer expectations and technological changes.

The program includes 25 distinct speakers addressing topics that extend beyond fundraising and artificial intelligence. Sessions cover customer acquisition, team building, pitch refinement, and leadership development. A central theme of the agenda is the balance between rapid expansion and careful management. Investors will lead discussions on determining when to accelerate growth and when to slow down to preserve business stability.

Kent Bennett, a partner at Bessemer Venture Partners, will guide a session on identifying product market fit before scaling. He will discuss the specific signals founders should observe before increasing headcount or spending. Rudina Seseri, founder and managing partner of Glasswing Ventures, will address the timing of scaling versus the need for restraint. Her presentation will explore how to distinguish between moments requiring acceleration and those where caution protects the company.

Lior Div, CEO and co-founder of 7AI, will present on building companies with AI at their core from inception. His session will contrast the practice of adding AI to existing processes with the method of designing an entire company around AI architecture. This approach emphasizes integrating technology into the fundamental operating model rather than treating it as an afterthought.

The summit also highlights the local Boston ecosystem. Chase Garbarino, CEO and co-founder of HqO, will discuss the Boston Founder Playbook. This session examines the resources, talent, and capital available in the city for building companies outside the traditional Bay Area hub. The presence of both Garbarino and Fredette underscores a focus on local growth strategies that do not rely on Silicon Valley models.

Dave Balter, a venture partner at True Ventures and CEO of Edisyl, will lead a session on effective pitching. He will later join a judging panel for a live pitch competition on the Build Stage. The panel will include Chirag Shah of Define Ventures and Simran Suri of Maveron, allowing attendees to hear immediate investor feedback. Other speakers include Hunter Worland of NEA on distribution advantages and Vineet Edupuganti of Cogent Security on building high-performing teams.

Fidelity Private Shares will host additional sessions on fundraising trends and enterprise relationships. Kristen Craft will discuss current fundraising dynamics, while Evan Schnidman will address enterprise partnerships. The day concludes with roundtables, networking opportunities, and a reception. TechCrunch is currently offering a 25 percent ticket discount and a buy-one-get-one deal for early registrations.