TechCrunch All Stage Agenda
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July 15th
Tech-Driven Fundraising: Making Financing Rounds Smarter, Faster, and Founder-Friendly
Raising capital is one of the most critical, and often most chaotic, milestones for early-stage startups. But what if technology could make the process not just faster, but smarter? This roundtable explores how founders, investors, and legal teams can leverage modern tools to streamline financing rounds, from due diligence and data rooms to planning, execution, and post-close tasks like issuing stock certificates.
Navigating Legal Landmines: Essential Legal Considerations for Startups
Founders face a cascade of legal decisions from day one, each with lasting impact on their company’s future. In this session, Spencer Ricks and Naomi Smith will lay out a clear legal roadmap from formation through growth, covering everything from choosing the right business structure to protecting IP, structuring founder equity, and navigating employment law. We’ll also break down what to expect during fundraising due diligence and how to approach your first investment dollars, whether via SAFEs, convertible notes, or priced rounds. Walk away with practical insights to build on a solid legal foundation.
All the Ways You Don’t Realize VCs Are Evaluating Your Company at Pre-Seed
This is an important topic, especially for pre-seed founders, because much of company evaluation is about the founder and the idea – there isn’t a lot of data to work with yet! One key point to highlight is that your choice of co-founder is critical. If it seems like you’re not the best match, many VCs will use that as a proxy for your ability to hire strong talent. Additionally, there are numerous traps that founders fall into that indicate to VCs they’ve not learned how to run a fundraising process, so it’s essential to do your homework in advance.
Fundraising Mistakes That Will Kill Your Round, and How to Avoid Them
Raising venture capital as an early-stage startup can be both exhilarating and daunting. With fierce competition for limited funding opportunities and investor expectations constantly evolving, founders must approach fundraising strategically to stand out and secure the capital they need to grow. This session is designed to both identify critical mistakes that startup founders make that cause their fundraising rounds to fail, and also to equip early-stage teams with actionable insights to optimize their fundraising outcomes in today’s dynamic venture landscape. Whether you’re gearing up for your first round or navigating a Series A or beyond raise, this session will help you position your startup for long-term success. Expect a candid discussion, real-world examples, and a clear framework for approaching your next round with confidence and clarity, from pre-pitch to close.
How to Successfully Build at the Inception Stage
In this session Ellen Chisa, partner at boldstart ventures will walk through lessons on all the things to do (and not do) to learn as quickly as possible from the first days of your company. Topics will include picking the right amount of capital at inception, scoping experiments to learn as quickly as possible, and common early day pitfalls.
Breakthrough or Burnout: Why Founders Get Stuck (and How to Fix It)
Startups don’t fail because of bad ideas—they fail because founders get stuck. In this high-energy, interactive roundtable, Prepare 4 VC’s Jason Kraus and team dig into the real reasons startups stall: decision fatigue, lack of clarity, poor investor fit, or silent burnout. You’ll learn the core “Breakthrough” frameworks used by top founders to diagnose roadblocks, execute with confidence, and reconnect with your mission. Whether you’re fundraising, scaling, or still defining your path, this session will help you shift from survival mode to strategic action. No fluff. No buzzwords. Just practical tools and real talk to help you move forward with clarity and momentum.
Preparing to Raise: Cap Table Best Practices to Help You Close Fast
So, you’re preparing to raise money to fuel your startup. How confident are you that your cap table and data room are squeaky clean? This question should be top of mind for most founders because a messy data room may drag out your raise and could cost you tens of thousands in legal expenses. This session will cover the best practices to help you close easily and efficiently. We’ll equip you with insights from the legal perspective, the investor perspective, and the founder perspective. Founders will leave this session, armed with tangible, actionable resources.
The New Rules of Growth-Stage Fundraising: How to Win at Raising a Series C & Beyond
After two years of decline, growth-stage fundraising is heating up again—driven largely by the surge of GenAI adoption. For most founders, breaking through the noise and securing top-tier investors is harder than ever. Cathy Gao, Partner at Sapphire Ventures, will share what it really takes to raise a successful Series C+ in today’s competitive environment. Whether you’re scaling a breakout AI company or navigating the new fundraising landscape, this session will give you the insights to sharpen your pitch and maximize your fundraising outcomes.
The 2025 VC Playbook: Where the Smart Money Is Going Next
In this session, Asymmetric Capital Partners’ Rob Biederman will unpack where venture capital is flowing in 2025—from emerging sectors to evolving deal dynamics. Learn what’s driving investment decisions this year and how founders can align with the new VC playbook.
AI Transformation for Business Growth: A Practical Roadmap for Companies
This roundtable will unpack how Agentic AI is helping businesses rethink their workflows. Unlike traditional tools, AI agents with the help of LLMs add a bit of cognition into the workflows and that creates new possibilities and points of automation that can result in better customer experience and organizational effeciencies We’ll get into how to approach your organization’s AI transformation. Our round table guests are encouraged to share their experiences and learn from each other what is working and what is not. We’ll also walk through a practical approach to getting started: how to run small experiments, prove value fast, and scale what sticks. Whether you’re still exploring or already testing AI tools, this roundtable is about clarity, not hype, and learning from others doing the same.
MVP in the Age of AI: When to Bot and When to Not
In an era where AI tools are revolutionizing how founders build software and prototypes, understanding both the opportunities and limitations is crucial for success. Join us to discover how AI is turbocharging MVP (Minimum Viable Product) development and where some founders get it wrong by letting the robots do all the thinking. Learn the art of combining AI superpowers with irreplaceable human skills – Nobody wants marketing copy that sounds like it was written by a very enthusiastic toaster! This session is perfect for founders navigating the wild world of building products in the age of AI.
The TAM Myth: How the Best Startups Reshape Markets
This session will dive into critical elements of assessing Total Addressable Market (TAM). Jahanvi Sardana, partner at Index Ventures, will explore how the best startups don’t just size markets – they create them. Through case studies from high-growth companies like Datadog, Adyen, Wiz, Shopify, and Airbnb she will examine how they identified emerging trends, removed friction, and expanded their TAM beyond initial expectations. A must-attend for founders looking to build companies that define the future of their industries.
The Operator’s Playbook for Building and Scaling Sustainable Companies
Most startups chase product-market fit but ignore a scalable go-to-market strategy, leading to premature scaling and failure. Jon McNeill, former president of Tesla, COO of Lyft and CEO and co-founder of hatch platform DVx Partners, suggests breaking the traditional VC mold by validating both before accelerating growth. The next wave of disruptive companies should be operator-driven and built for profitability and impact from day one. Jon will share successful cases where this method is already transforming transportation, electrification, and AI.
How Tech is Leveling The Playing Field So Anyone Can Be an Investor, Not Just the Wealthy
Brandon Krieg is the co-founder and CEO of Stash, a personal finance platform built on the belief that anyone, not just the wealthy, should have the tools to invest and build long-term wealth. With 1.3 million paying subscribers and $4.3 billion in assets under management, Stash is proving that smart investing can be simple, accessible, and built for financial stability, not speculation. Brandon will dive into how Stash is helping millions of everyday Americans form lasting money habits, the role of AI in financial coaching, and why fintech needs to focus on long-term impact over quick wins. Expect a conversation about real financial progress for real people, and how technology and access can truly change the way we build wealth.
Winning Capital in a Competitive Market: How to Fund Your AI-Native Startup
This roundtable discussion explores the distinct challenges AI-native startups face when pitching to investors who might still use traditional SaaS metrics and frameworks, and how to find next round of investors that “get it.”
Founders & Counsel: Reducing Friction, Increasing Efficiency
For early-stage startups, legal counsel is essential, but often expensive, slow, and hard to navigate. This roundtable opens up a candid conversation about how founders work with their lawyers during financing rounds and beyond. What do they ask for help with? What do they avoid, and why? We’ll explore how technology can reduce friction in founder-counsel collaboration.
Startup M&A Readiness: How to Be Acquired or Acquire Without Regret
As startups scale, the question of acquisition, on either side of the table, becomes more than theoretical. In this session, Daniel Hoffman and Stephen Ranere will equip founders with a legal and strategic playbook for navigating M&A, from due diligence checklists to deal structuring (asset vs. equity), negotiating critical terms, and sidestepping liability pitfalls. Learn how to retain top talent, manage post-deal integration, and approach the process with clarity and control. Whether you’re buying or being bought, this is your roadmap to a smoother, smarter transaction.
It's not 2021 anymore. Navigating the 2025 VC landscape
The latest report from Fidelity Private Shares, Top Venture Capital Trends Startups Should Watch in 2025, breaks down where capital is flowing, why AI is skewing the data, and how M&A is becoming the top exit path. Whether you’re fundraising or planning ahead, this is a must read for growing companies.
How Company Building is Changing in an AI-enabled World
We’re witnessing the most significant shift in startup building since the cloud revolution. AI is transforming everything from how we validate ideas and build products to how we structure teams and go to market. In this talk Jennifer Neundorfer, Managing Partner of January Ventures, will explore the new rules of company building in the AI era and what it means for the next generation of founders.
Thriving with Anxiety: How Startup Founders Can Turn Fear, Pressure, and Self-Doubt into Their Greatest Advantage
Anxiety is often seen as the enemy of startup success—but what if it’s actually a hidden asset? In this roundtable, Dr. David H. Rosmarin, Harvard Medical School psychologist and author of Thriving with Anxiety, will guide founders through practical tools to transform fear, pressure, and self-doubt into clarity, focus, and drive. Learn how to work with anxiety—not against it—to make sharper decisions, lead with authenticity, and avoid burnout. Expect an open, stigma-free conversation with actionable takeaways you can apply immediately to your startup journey.
From Fundraising to IPO: How to Build a PR & Marketing Engine That Drives Growth
PR and marketing are more than just press releases—they’re powerful tools for attracting investors, customers, and top talent. Nikki Parker, EVP of Marketing & Communications at global software investor Insight Partners, has led hundreds of funding announcements, guided a dozen IPOs, and helped founders and CEOs build impactful brands that drive business. In this session, she’ll break down the must-have PR and marketing strategies for startups at every stage of growth, including how to craft compelling narratives, position your company for future growth and fundraising, and build a brand that stands out in a crowded market. Whether you’re raising your first round or scaling toward an IPO, this session will equip you with actionable tactics to drive awareness, credibility, and business success.
Crafting the Perfect VC Pitch: Luck Meets Strategy
Join Tiffany Luck from NEA as she unveils the art of pitching to venture capitalists. In this dynamic session, you’ll learn how to effectively convey your passion and vision, streamline your presentation to spotlight the elements that excite investors, and avoid common pitfalls that derail pitches. Tiffany will share insider tips on what VCs truly value, empowering you to tell your story with clarity and impact. Walk away with actionable strategies to captivate investors and secure the funding you need to propel your startup forward.
What to think about now if you want to IPO someday
From market considerations to unit economics, sales and marketing strategies, and executive hiring, it’s never too early to think critically about how to build a business with the potential for an eventual public debut. Gain insights from Mo Jomaa, a partner at Alphabet’s independent growth fund, CapitalG, and investor in Databricks, Armis, Cribl, Grafana and more, to learn what kinds of metrics growth-stage investors look for and how those metrics translate into eventual public market readiness. Discover actionable advice, whether an IPO is a year or a decade away.
Building Team Intelligence: How Product-Led Innovation Transforms Collaborative Problem-Solving
As a multi-company founder with extensive C-suite experience, Jeff brings unique insight into creating products that elevate team communication and problem-solving. He champions inclusive design that ensures products work for everyone from interns to CPOs—critical for driving adoption across departments. Jeff offers real-world perspectives on AI implementation, drawing clear lines between tasks worth automating and those needing human judgment. While AI can eliminate repetitive work, he stresses that core functions like implementing shareholder feedback, strategic problem-solving, and assessing business impact remain distinctly human domains. His approach helps teams find the sweet spot between technology and expertise to truly excel.
So You Think You Can Pitch?
Please join us for “So You Think You Can Pitch” where three promising early stage startups will have 4 minutes to wow a panel of judges, who will then provide feedback.