TechCrunch is returning to Boston, MA with All Stage (formerly Early Stage), to bring you a full day of how-to, must-have founder knowledge, powered by Fidelity Investments.
Wondering how to nail that pitch meeting and raise VC funding? Or how to build a high-octane sales team? What about recruiting early team members who will fuel future growth? Managing the finances of a new company while also wondering about your own personal finances as a founder? Legal? Marketing? PR? Being a great leader?
Fidelity is powering TechCrunch All Stage to answer every one of these questions. Sign up for event updates to be in the know when the agenda drops.
What founders can expect
Main Stage founder insights
Hear from accomplished startup leaders in panel-led breakout sessions as they reveal the secrets to their success. These main-stage sessions offer unparalleled access to the journeys, insights, and tips that can help take your startup to the next level.
Deep-dive founder sessions
Participate in immersive sessions where startup pioneers and peers come together to discuss challenges, share stories, and build connections that drive success.
Cathy is a Partner at Sapphire Ventures and is on the boards of Culture Amp, EliseAI, Gem, involve.ai, Medable, Paradox, SafeGraph, Sword Health, and UJET. She has experience investing at multiple stages, ranging from buyout to venture capital and has also sat on the other side of the table as a business operator. For her work, she has been recognized by the Venture Capital Journal as a Rising Star and by Silicon Valley Business Journal as a Woman of Influence.
Prior to Sapphire, Cathy was an investor at AXA Venture Partners where she invested in enterprise software. She started her career at Blackstone and TA Associates and was an operator at Gusto, joining shortly after the Series B.
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.
Chris Gardner is a partner at Underscore VC focusing on FinTech. Prior to joining the firm, he had spent the last 25 years as an operator in Product and Marketing roles resulting in 5 exits in a row. Most recently, he was the co-founder of Paydiant which was acquired by PayPal in 2015. He then led P2P, SMB, and retail payments teams at PayPal prior to joining Underscore in October 2020.
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.
Charles Hudson is the Managing Partner and Founder of Precursor Ventures, an early stage venture capital firm focused on investing in the first institutional round of investment for the most promising software and hardware companies. Prior to founding Precursor Ventures, Charles was a Partner at SoftTech VC. In this role, he focused on identifying investment opportunities in mobile infrastructure, mobile applications, and marketplaces. In addition to his investment activities, he supports SoftTech portfolio companies on business and corporate development matters. He was also the CoFounder and CEO of Bionic Panda Games, an Android-focused mobile games startup based in San Francisco, CA. Prior to joining SoftTech VC and co-founding Bionic Panda Games, Charles Hudson was the VP of Business Development for Serious Business until the company was acquired by Zynga in February 2010. Prior to Serious Business, he was the Sr. Director for Business Development at Gaia Interactive, an online hangout and virtual world for teens. Prior to Gaia, Charles worked in New Business Development at Google and focused on new partnership opportunities for early stage products in the advertising, mobile, and ecommerce markets. Prior to joining Google, he was a Product Manager for IronPort Systems, a leading provider of antispam hardware appliances that was acquired by Cisco Systems for $830 million in 2007.
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.
Foundation Stage
Mo Jomaa
Partner, Capital G
Mo Jomaa helps lead enterprise software investing at Alphabet’s independent growth fund, CapitalG, where he focuses on IT management software and data infrastructure and analytics. He played a leadership role in the firm’s investments in Databricks, Armis, Collibra, Cribl, Grafana, and NinjaOne.
Prior to joining CapitalG in 2018, Mo helped lead enterprise software IPO and M&A transactions at Morgan Stanley. Mo graduated from UC Berkeley and holds a degree in Business Administration from the Haas School of Business.
Having grown up in Southern California, Mo is a loyal Los Angeles Lakers fan and religiously watches almost every single game. In his free time, Mo loves to play basketball, cook, golf, and cycle.
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.
Tiffany Luck joined NEA in 2023 as a Partner on the technology team focused on early-stage AI, APIs and B2B SaaS. She serves on the Board of Directors of Twelve Labs, a leader in multimodal AI for video understanding, and works closely with several other NEA portfolio companies. Previously, Tiffany was a Partner at GGV Capital and started her career in marketing and business development, with roles at Forbes, Lot18 and Amazon. She also worked on Morgan Stanley’s Technology Investment Banking team. Tiffany received a BA from the University of Virginia and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
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.
Jon currently holds an advisory partner position at Goodwater Capital, and is a board member for General Motors, Asurion, CrossFit, Stash, and Lululemon. During his tenure on the board of Lululemon, the company underwent a turnaround, resulting in a quintupling of its stock value. After graduating from Northwestern University, Jon began his career at Bain & Company.
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.
Jahanvi is a B2B investor focusing on cybersecurity, enterprise software, and fintech, from seed to pre-IPO stages. She is particularly excited to work with founders that display an immense amount of grit. Grit is the differentiating factor, that intangible essence, that sets high achievers apart; it’s the blend of passion, perseverance, and stamina to turn dreams into reality.
Prior to Index, Jahanvi worked at Stripes, a growth equity firm in New York where she invested in cybersecurity, fintech, and application SaaS companies. Before that, she began her career in private equity at Aquiline Capital Partners.
She holds a B.S. in Finance and Business Analytics from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
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.
TechCrunch offers many ways for partners to engage directly with our attendees before, during, and after the event. If you’re interested in learning more about how your company can be part of the event, get in touch with our sales team below.
Founders + VCs unite at TC All Stage: Seed to IPO insights
Join 1,200+ founders and VCs for one transformative day. Unlock unlimited growth potential in breakouts and roundtables. Plus, make meaningful founder + investor connections this July 15 in Boston — secure your spot now and save up to $210.
TechCrunch offers many ways for partners to engage directly with our attendees before, during, and after the event. Get in touch with us to learn more.
