Curated AI events in NYC and SF.
For Students, Developers, and Funded Founders
I run two calibrated tracks: Students / Developers and Funded Founders. We host high-quality hackathons, founder dinners, and premium PMF conversations in NYC and SF.
Design Principles
Built like a real team: curation, context, and execution discipline.
Room Quality First
Attendee quality beats vanity metrics. The right room creates compounding outcomes.
Context by Track
Students/developers and funded founders get separate, purpose-built experiences.
Operator-Led Formats
Events are run with production-level planning, not community chaos.
Real Follow-Through
Dinners, intros, and post-event workflows are built to move relationships forward.
Ecosystem
Trusted by leading organizations
Mission
From discovery to PMF: events that match founder stage and technical depth.
We blend flagship hackathons with intimate founder rooms. Early builders get momentum, while funded teams get high-context peer networks and PMF-level strategy conversations.
See founder dinner formatsAbout James Steinberg
AI researcher, serial entrepreneur, and host of high-signal builder rooms.
Background, operator context, and founder outcomes are documented below. These references explain why these events are run with a tighter standard than generic meetups.
Two Tracks
One network, two intentionally different experiences.
Students / Developers
Execution-heavy programs for technical builders shipping projects and meeting mentors.
- Hackathons with clear build milestones
- Hands-on workshops and technical talks
- Demo-focused events with real feedback loops
Funded Founders
Private founder rooms optimized for tactical growth and high-trust relationship building.
- Curated dinners across NYC and SF
- Operator and investor-adjacent conversation
- Selective PMF conversations and peer exchange
Event Formats
Programmed with card-level precision and strong attendance intent.
SEP 06
SF
Recursive Self Improvement Hack #3: Co-Scientist
Recursive Self Improvement Hack #3: Co-Scientist for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
SEP 06
NYC
Informationbanker Fintech & AI networking walk
Informationbanker Fintech & AI networking walk for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
SEP 06
SF
Breaking Models 🚨AI Security Session 7: Too Much Agency
Breaking Models 🚨AI Security Session 7: Too Much Agency for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
SEP 07
SF
Scrappy AI Founders Play Soccer (seed to series A)
Scrappy AI Founders Play Soccer (seed to series A) for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
SEP 07
SF
A Practitioner's Guide to AI-Assisted Coding
A Practitioner's Guide to AI-Assisted Coding for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
SEP 07
SF
90/30 Club Reading: A Full-Stack Performance Evaluation Infrastructure for 3D-DRAM-based LLM Accelerators
90/30 Club Reading: A Full-Stack Performance Evaluation Infrastructure for 3D-DRAM-based LLM Accelerators for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
SEP 08
SF
Devtools founders coffee and waffles: design system as part of the AI harness
Devtools founders coffee and waffles: design system as part of the AI harness for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
SEP 08
NYC
Pioneers: Build your own agent
Pioneers: Build your own agent for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
SEP 08
SF
Enterprise AI at Microsoft
Enterprise AI at Microsoft for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
SEP 08
NYC
New York | Claude & Coffee
New York | Claude & Coffee for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
SEP 08
NYC
Seed2Table – Pitch+Dinner for Generational Health Tech & AI Investors
Seed2Table – Pitch+Dinner for Generational Health Tech & AI Investors for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
SEP 08
NYC
Beyond Vibe Coding: Let's Build A Native Mobile App
Beyond Vibe Coding: Let's Build A Native Mobile App for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
SEP 08
NYC
Hands-on Workshop: Build AI Agents that Qualify Leads, Book Meetings, and Resolve Customer Issues
Hands-on Workshop: Build AI Agents that Qualify Leads, Book Meetings, and Resolve Customer Issues for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
SEP 08
NYC
AI Literacy Masterclass №1 — When Computational Thinking Slows You Down
AI Literacy Masterclass №1 — When Computational Thinking Slows You Down for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
SEP 08
NYC
Fractional C-Suite AI mixer
Fractional C-Suite AI mixer for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
SEP 08
NYC
I Have an Idea Club: 4-Week Build Challenge
I Have an Idea Club: 4-Week Build Challenge for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
SEP 08
NYC
UGLY TALK: THE BLACK FRIDAY AND CYBER MONDAY PRE-GAME WITH SHOPIFY
UGLY TALK: THE BLACK FRIDAY AND CYBER MONDAY PRE-GAME WITH SHOPIFY for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
SEP 08
NYC
The Fragility of Borrowed Intelligence: Subtle Risks of AI Dependence
The Fragility of Borrowed Intelligence: Subtle Risks of AI Dependence for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
SEP 08
NYC
USV Demo Day
USV Demo Day for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
SEP 08
SF
AI Demos & WeAreDevelopers Happy Hour
AI Demos & WeAreDevelopers Happy Hour for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
SEP 08
SF
Houston: Product Demo & AI Agents Workshop
Houston: Product Demo & AI Agents Workshop for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
SEP 08
SF
Beyond XGBoost: Foundation Models for Structured Data
Beyond XGBoost: Foundation Models for Structured Data for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
SEP 08
SF
GiversGround: Paid ads launch Night @ ZVC
GiversGround: Paid ads launch Night @ ZVC for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
SEP 08
SF
Meet On-Device AI Builders and Investors (Chance to win a Mac mini)
Meet On-Device AI Builders and Investors (Chance to win a Mac mini) for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
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Real rooms. Real builders. Real follow-through.
Founder Dinner Series
Funded Founder Rooms
We host intimate dinners across NYC and SF with founders from ecosystems like Y Combinator, Speedrun, and Techstars.
PMF Track
Product-Market-Fit Dinner
More selective than standard founder dinners, this room is generally reserved for teams that have raised $4M+ and are beginning to show PMF.
Contact
Want your next event room to feel this sharp?
If you are building in AI and care about room quality, we should talk.