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TechCrunch has published the complete agenda for its one-day Founder Summit at Boston's SoWa Power Station on November 4. Sessions include Underscore partner Brian Devaney on fundraising strategy and HubSpot co-founder and Sequoia partner Brian Halligan on evolving as a CEO through company growth stages, alongside talks on AI-native company building. Tickets are currently on sale at discounted early pricing.
Andreessen Horowitz is opening The Horowitz Andreessen Academy, a one-year, tuition-free program in San Francisco for about 50 high school graduates who haven't attended college. The program mixes technical coursework with mentorship from tech industry figures, and is backed by $42 million in funding as a for-profit venture led by CEO Gagan Biyani.
TechCrunch is offering discounts of up to $200 on tickets for its Disrupt 2026 conference, set for October 13-15 at San Francisco's Moscone West, with the reduced pricing ending September 25 at 11:59 p.m. PT. Buyers can also get a second ticket of the same type at half price, and the event will host over 10,000 attendees along with 200 early-stage startups in its Startup Battlefield program.
A new analysis reports that as generative AI tools take over drafting, analysis and content creation, founders are spending less time producing work and more time deciding what should represent their business. Citing Microsoft's 2025 Work Trend Index, the piece notes 82% of business leaders see this as a pivotal year for rethinking operations due to AI, with nearly half expecting to expand capacity through digital labor within 12-18 months. The core argument is that AI can generate output but cannot take responsibility for it, leaving leaders accountable for outcomes.
A fintech founder recounts how, in 2022, her savings and investment app showed strong growth metrics even as investor interest cooled and fundraising slowed. She argues that traditional growth dashboards can mask underlying fragility, and outlines five key indicators—including payback period and customer retention—that better reveal whether a business can withstand financial pressure.
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has opened an official online store selling branded merchandise, including T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, mouse mats, and even a bottle of Chardonnay. He announced the launch himself on X, describing it as a way to share some of his personality and bring fans a bit of enjoyment.
TechCrunch has set a September 18, 11:59 p.m. PT deadline for startups to reserve exhibit tables at Disrupt 2026, taking place October 13-15 at Moscone West in San Francisco. Exhibitors get a table in the Expo Hall, 10 team passes, app and website branding, press-list access, and Silver Tier sponsor status.
An Entrepreneur contributor argues that AI-driven millionaires aren't using more tools than everyone else, but are applying AI narrowly to remove the single biggest barrier in their industry. The piece cites examples like a no-code app builder that let a non-developer describe software in plain English and ship it, alongside a $400 million company built without engineers and an $80 million exit from a solo founder. It also references Intuit's 2026 QuickBooks AI Impact Report, noting 43% of US businesses report AI-driven revenue gains versus just 2% reporting losses.
A franchising expert writes that many service businesses stall once they outgrow the founder's personal oversight, because critical decisions and client know-how remain undocumented and dependent on the owner's presence. The piece argues that scaling requires converting that informal judgment into explicit decision rights and repeatable processes that employees can follow without the founder's direct involvement.
At PAX West in Seattle, Nvidia is offering its Founder's Edition RTX 5090, RTX 5080, and RTX 5070 graphics cards at list price on-site, along with GeForce Trading Cards, while supplies last. GeForce Evangelist Jacob Freeman announced the in-person Verified Priority Access event on X, inviting attendees to find him for a chance at an MSRP card. This follows a similar giveaway at QuakeCon last month.
TechCrunch is recruiting volunteers for its rebranded Boston event, TechCrunch Founder Summit (formerly All Stage), taking place November 4th and expecting about 1,100 attendees. Volunteers will assist with tasks like registration, speaker coordination, and event setup in exchange for event access and other perks. Applications close October 19th, with limited spots available.
A veteran entrepreneur reflects on more than two decades of running a business by personally handling every crisis, from vendor problems to client calls, believing that constant involvement equaled strong leadership. He describes realizing that this reliance on him personally was actually a sign of poor systems and an inability to delegate, rather than a badge of competence.