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 10
NYC
The AI Briefing by Startup Grind - The C-Suite Gap in AI Readiness
The AI Briefing by Startup Grind - The C-Suite Gap in AI Readiness for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 10
SF
PRIME Presentations
PRIME Presentations for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 10
NYC
Hands-on Workshop: Build AI Customer Agents that remember and resolve issues
Hands-on Workshop: Build AI Customer Agents that remember and resolve issues for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 10
NYC
NYC Creative AI July Forum (formerly ComfyUI NYC)
NYC Creative AI July Forum (formerly ComfyUI NYC) for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 10
SF
FutureCast
FutureCast for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 10
SF
Founders Gatherings VIP Edition · Muddu Sudhakar — Salesforce Agentforce, Founder of Aisera
Founders Gatherings VIP Edition · Muddu Sudhakar — Salesforce Agentforce, Founder of Aisera for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 10
SF
AI Safety & Reliability
AI Safety & Reliability for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 10
SF
community dinner with eleven labs
community dinner with eleven labs for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 10
SF
AI for Social Good: Hack with MLH & DigitalOcean
AI for Social Good: Hack with MLH & DigitalOcean for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 10
SF
Stash: Company Brain + Agentic Memory Happy Hour
Stash: Company Brain + Agentic Memory Happy Hour for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 11
NYC
AI Healthcare Hack NYC - by Arya Health & Twilio AI Startup Searchlight
AI Healthcare Hack NYC - by Arya Health & Twilio AI Startup Searchlight for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 11
NYC
AI Operator Run Club
AI Operator Run Club for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 11
NYC
Enterprise Agents Hackathon - By Emergence, in partnership with Nebius (NYC)
Enterprise Agents Hackathon - By Emergence, in partnership with Nebius (NYC) for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 11
NYC
Build Day NYC
Build Day NYC for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 11
SF
AI for Education Hackathon @Stanford
AI for Education Hackathon @Stanford for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 11
SF
🧬 Rewiring Biology Hackathon by Owkin
🧬 Rewiring Biology Hackathon by Owkin for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 11
SF
The Computer Use Agents Hackathon by H Company
The Computer Use Agents Hackathon by H Company for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 11
SF
The Pink Screen IRL: Vibe Lab
The Pink Screen IRL: Vibe Lab for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 11
SF
World's Largest Hermes Buildathon | SF 🇺🇸
World's Largest Hermes Buildathon | SF 🇺🇸 for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 11
SF
World's Largest Hermes Buildathon, SF
World's Largest Hermes Buildathon, SF for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 11
SF
STOP AI - Protest & March
STOP AI - Protest & March for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 11
NYC
AI Voice Agent hackathon: Supafone.ai
AI Voice Agent hackathon: Supafone.ai for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 11
NYC
RAD Collective Soft Launch Picnic <3
RAD Collective Soft Launch Picnic <3 for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 11
SF
Robotics & World Models Reading Club 17: Soft Tactile-Centric Multimodal Intelligence Toward Safe and Dexterous Manipulation. SF 0
Robotics & World Models Reading Club 17: Soft Tactile-Centric Multimodal Intelligence Toward Safe and Dexterous Manipulation. SF 07/11 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.