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.
AUG 06
NYC
NYC - Member Coffee & Croissant Meetup
NYC - Member Coffee & Croissant Meetup for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
AUG 06
SF
Agent Builders Breakfast - Founders & Builders in SOMA, SF
Agent Builders Breakfast - Founders & Builders in SOMA, SF for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
AUG 06
SF
AI Creators Meetup: Build, Experiment & Get Featured
AI Creators Meetup: Build, Experiment & Get Featured for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
AUG 06
NYC
Women X NYC: AI in Finance & Fintech
Women X NYC: AI in Finance & Fintech for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
AUG 06
NYC
PMAI Workshop: The AI Native GTM Stack
PMAI Workshop: The AI Native GTM Stack for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
AUG 06
SF
Growth Factory Ventures 2026 AGM-San Francisco
Growth Factory Ventures 2026 AGM-San Francisco for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
AUG 06
NYC
OPEN TALKS - Dating in the Age of Algorithms
OPEN TALKS - Dating in the Age of Algorithms for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
AUG 06
NYC
Seltz & Friends Private Dinner
Seltz & Friends Private Dinner for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
AUG 06
NYC
Yoga & AI @ Equinox Bond Street
Yoga & AI @ Equinox Bond Street for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
AUG 06
NYC
AI Engineers: Poker & Game Night
AI Engineers: Poker & Game Night for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
AUG 06
SF
Growth: PLG vs Founder-Led Sales, and When to Switch
Growth: PLG vs Founder-Led Sales, and When to Switch for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
AUG 06
SF
Heritage as a Compass: Navigating Change Across 4 Generations Ft. Uli Maybach
Heritage as a Compass: Navigating Change Across 4 Generations Ft. Uli Maybach for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
AUG 06
SF
How AI Is Reshaping Technology Business Models
How AI Is Reshaping Technology Business Models for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
AUG 06
SF
Mahjong Party for AI Builders
Mahjong Party for AI Builders for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
AUG 06
SF
AlphaSignal's Pizza Agent Challenge ($2,500 Cash Prize)
AlphaSignal's Pizza Agent Challenge ($2,500 Cash Prize) for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
AUG 06
SF
Art Gallery for Agents (Portal x3)
Art Gallery for Agents (Portal x3) for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
AUG 06
SF
ModelOps Night: Evals, Routing & Benchmarks
ModelOps Night: Evals, Routing & Benchmarks for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
AUG 06
SF
Re-imagining Proteins with AI: Antibodies and Beyond
Re-imagining Proteins with AI: Antibodies and Beyond for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
AUG 06
SF
RIP Pitch Deck Party-San Francisco
RIP Pitch Deck Party-San Francisco for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
AUG 06
SF
Using Claude in CRE - Hosted by Virtue
Using Claude in CRE - Hosted by Virtue for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
AUG 06
SF
Agent Infra Night
Agent Infra Night for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
AUG 06
SF
AI Founder Dinner: Founder Mindset
AI Founder Dinner: Founder Mindset for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
AUG 06
SF
Bridging the Agentic Era: The Future of Commerce Cocktail Hour
Bridging the Agentic Era: The Future of Commerce Cocktail Hour for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
AUG 06
SF
Build an AI Agent in <60 Min | SF
Build an AI Agent in <60 Min | SF 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.