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.
JUL 23
NYC
Base44 Accelerator Demo Day Finale
Base44 Accelerator Demo Day Finale for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 23
SF
AI Bagels w/ Notable, Cognition and Inngest
AI Bagels w/ Notable, Cognition and Inngest for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 23
SF
Daytona & ZeroClick AI GTM Breakfast - SF, July 2026 @Corgi Cafe
Daytona & ZeroClick AI GTM Breakfast - SF, July 2026 @Corgi Cafe for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 23
NYC
AI Champions Day: Engineering the Future of Automation and AI
AI Champions Day: Engineering the Future of Automation and AI for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 23
NYC
GRC AI Labs | Custom Agent Building Session
GRC AI Labs | Custom Agent Building Session for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 23
SF
Founders at Work: Tomorrow & Terraferma
Founders at Work: Tomorrow & Terraferma for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 23
NYC
Vodka in the Vault, with Troy Fine + Richa Kaul
Vodka in the Vault, with Troy Fine + Richa Kaul for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 23
NYC
AI Hack Night NYC feat. Box, Anthropic, Auth0 & Temporal
AI Hack Night NYC feat. Box, Anthropic, Auth0 & Temporal for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 23
NYC
Setting the Standard How AI Is Redefining Excellence Across Industries
Setting the Standard How AI Is Redefining Excellence Across Industries for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 23
NYC
SKY DWELLERS II - Upmixer Rooftop Fireside Chat & Summer Mixer
SKY DWELLERS II - Upmixer Rooftop Fireside Chat & Summer Mixer for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 23
NYC
The GTM Rebuild Playbook: A live workshop with Neal Gupta
The GTM Rebuild Playbook: A live workshop with Neal Gupta for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 23
NYC
Agentic Aperitivo: A Ladies' Cocktail Hour
Agentic Aperitivo: A Ladies' Cocktail Hour for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 23
NYC
Atrium Pre-Beta Launch - NY
Atrium Pre-Beta Launch - NY for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 23
NYC
BlueDot X Collider Ice Cream Social
BlueDot X Collider Ice Cream Social for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 23
NYC
Fashion & AI @ Macy’s
Fashion & AI @ Macy’s for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 23
NYC
Fonzi's July Devs & Drinks
Fonzi's July Devs & Drinks for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 23
NYC
July 23: How AI is transforming the practice of the Law
July 23: How AI is transforming the practice of the Law for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 23
NYC
Mind Games: Understanding AI Through Play | New York City
Mind Games: Understanding AI Through Play | New York City for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 23
NYC
Notion x She AI: The Career Edit
Notion x She AI: The Career Edit for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 23
NYC
Talent Engineering: NYC 🫎
Talent Engineering: NYC 🫎 for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 23
NYC
The Gathering at Fraunces Tavern
The Gathering at Fraunces Tavern for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 23
NYC
From Model to Medicine: An AWS Executive Reception at AI x Bio Summit
From Model to Medicine: An AWS Executive Reception at AI x Bio Summit for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 23
NYC
Prompt, Code, Embed
Prompt, Code, Embed for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 23
SF
Geospatial AI Happy Hour - Round 2
Geospatial AI Happy Hour - Round 2 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.