Startup Summit

Check in, enjoy breakfast, and connect with fellow founders, speakers, and partners before the day’s programming begins.

Start the day with an official welcome, an overview of what to expect, and guidance for making the most of the Startup Summit.

The market cannot buy a story it cannot quickly understand. This session helps founders clarify what they stand for, why it matters now, and how to communicate their value in language that earns attention, trust, and action.

As AI agents move into enterprise workflows, a new infrastructure is emerging to support how they remember, establish identity, access systems, and take action safely. This trend-forecasting session explores where the market is gaining traction and which capabilities will become critical as enterprises deploy autonomous agents at scale.

In this candid fireside chat, participants will hear from a successfully exited founder reflecting on the decisions, challenges, and lessons that shaped the journey from building to scaling.

Over lunch, founders will connect with mentors and peers through topic-based conversations focused on their goals, challenges, and next steps. It’s a chance to build relationships, exchange practical insights, and reset for the second half of the day.

Building changes when code has to control something physical. Drawing on lessons from hardware, robotics, and autonomous systems, this session explores what happens when software encounters real-world constraints—and what founders should consider when turning an ambitious idea into a viable product.

Learn how to design an event strategy that drives pipeline, sharpens product and go-to-market decisions, and builds stronger customer relationships. Participants will leave with a practical framework for choosing the right events, maximizing engagement before, during, and after each activation, and measuring real business impact.

In this small-group session, legal experts will address some of the most pressing legal issues startups face—from founder agreements and intellectual property to fundraising, hiring, and regulatory risk. Participants will gain practical guidance and best practices for avoiding common mistakes and building a stronger legal foundation for growth.

What makes an investor lean in—and what causes a promising company to miss the mark? This session takes founders inside the investment decision-making process, using real-world examples to unpack the signals, questions, and strategic considerations that shape an investor’s assessment, followed by an open Q&A about getting—and staying—on an investor’s radar.

Through a real-world case study, this session examines how a founder can identify a genuine market problem yet commercialize it incorrectly by choosing the wrong entry point and failing to validate how customers will adopt and purchase the solution. Participants will trace the small, seemingly reasonable decisions that compounded over time—ultimately leading an experienced operator from seed funding to shutdown while pursuing a Series A.

A strong product does not create momentum on its own. Founders will leave this workshop with either a sales-ready positioning statement grounded in customer research or early company data, or sharper customer interview questions to uncover the message that will convert.

Venture capital isn’t the only path to building and scaling a company. This practical workshop will help founders identify and pursue opportunities beyond traditional VC—from SBIR/STTR and other non-dilutive funding to alternative capital, government contracts, commercialization opportunities, and strategic partnerships. Founders will leave with a broader understanding of where to look for opportunities that can provide not only capital, but customers, traction, and new pathways to growth.