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 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
Build Day NYC
Build Day NYC for the NYC 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
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 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.
JUL 11
SF
局部对齐 Local Alignment · AI×软硬件×桌游Mix聚会
局部对齐 Local Alignment · AI×软硬件×桌游Mix聚会 for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 11
SF
Top AI Researchers Roundtable & BBQ Party in Los Altos Hills
Top AI Researchers Roundtable & BBQ Party in Los Altos Hills for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 11
SF
Founders Demo Day @ Corgi Cafe
Founders Demo Day @ Corgi Cafe for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 12
SF
Personal Branding Workshop in AI Era
Personal Branding Workshop in AI Era for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 12
SF
Humanity & AGI Summit 2026：Robotics for Future Civilization @ Stanford Faculty Club
Humanity & AGI Summit 2026：Robotics for Future Civilization @ Stanford Faculty Club for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 12
NYC
NYC Walk&Jam: Animate the Whitney
NYC Walk&Jam: Animate the Whitney for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 12
SF
AI Coffee Chat｜创业方向交流局（Mandarin only）
AI Coffee Chat｜创业方向交流局（Mandarin only） for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 12
SF
hahahack | a hackathon for absurd + fun things w/ Codex
hahahack | a hackathon for absurd + fun things w/ Codex for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 12
NYC
Context Engineering Guild: July Edition
Context Engineering Guild: July Edition for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 12
NYC
Informationbanker Fintech & AI networking walk
Informationbanker Fintech & AI networking walk for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 12
SF
Coffee with Founders: Help Your Business Sell More with AI
Coffee with Founders: Help Your Business Sell More with AI for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 12
NYC
Creationship Sundays: AI for Creative Good
Creationship Sundays: AI for Creative Good for the NYC 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.