TechCrunch Founder Summit 2026 roundtables: Go deeper on the challenges founders are solving right now

Roundtable 1: How to Build Events Strategy Before You Can Afford a Dedicated Events Team

Challenges: Early-stage companies often struggle with strategic events without a dedicated team. Alexandra Ames, founder and chief event strategist at Blueprint Lab, discusses how to make the most of limited resources and opportunities.

Roundtable 2: Your First Vertical and the Hardest One

Challenges: Founders in regulated industries or with complex buyers often struggle with their first major vertical. Chirag Shah, partner at Define Ventures, shares insights on navigating these challenges.

Roundtable 3: GraphRAG in Action: Stop Hallucinations with Knowledge Graphs

Challenges: Enterprise AI faces persistent challenges, such as trust issues. Shishir Tewari, head of enterprise data engineering at Procore Technologies, discusses how knowledge graphs and GraphRAG can improve AI reliability.

Roundtable 4: The Enterprise AI Playbook: How to Close L’Oreal and Vodafone Before You Raise a Series A

Challenges: Founders need to win major enterprise customers early. Merve Kitapci, managing partner and CGO of ADIN.AI, provides tactical advice for founders selling to large organizations.

Roundtable 5: Build Something We Don’t Have a Word for Yet

Challenges: Founders often struggle with explaining and selling something new or uncharted. Andy Tang, partner at Draper Associates, leads a discussion on building new categories and explaining them to investors.

Roundtable 6: Small but Mighty: How AI Lets Lean Teams Outship the Giants

Challenges: Smaller teams can use AI to outperform larger ones. Linden Tibbets, CEO and founder of IFTTT, explores how lean teams can leverage AI to increase their speed and output.