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.
No upcoming events yet.
JUL 28
NYC
OpenArt Presents: The Creative AI Exchange
OpenArt Presents: The Creative AI Exchange for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 28
SF
Agents you Love 2: Hackathon
Agents you Love 2: Hackathon for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 28
NYC
Cognitive Infrastructure for Agentic Economies
Cognitive Infrastructure for Agentic Economies for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 28
NYC
Brooklyn Bridge TechWalk | NYC, 7/28 w/ Vonage AI Builder Nights
Brooklyn Bridge TechWalk | NYC, 7/28 w/ Vonage AI Builder Nights for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 28
NYC
MCP Release Party
MCP Release Party for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 28
NYC
NYC AI Builder Nights: Build Your First Agent Loop
NYC AI Builder Nights: Build Your First Agent Loop for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 28
NYC
Women Applying AI | NYC Live (In Person)
Women Applying AI | NYC Live (In Person) for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 28
NYC
WorkOS Applied AI Showcase (NYC)
WorkOS Applied AI Showcase (NYC) for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 28
NYC
AI Safety workshop
AI Safety workshop for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 28
NYC
Databases for the People: How to use AI to unlock library archives
Databases for the People: How to use AI to unlock library archives for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 28
NYC
The Day the Bot Broke the Backend | 8th New York QA Meetup
The Day the Bot Broke the Backend | 8th New York QA Meetup for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 28
NYC
The Future of AI-Powered Commerce | Panel + Rooftop Party
The Future of AI-Powered Commerce | Panel + Rooftop Party for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 28
NYC
Runtime Social NYC: Pong & Production AI 🏓
Runtime Social NYC: Pong & Production AI 🏓 for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 28
SF
Enterprise AI at Scale: Talks + AI Agent Workshops, Ft Google, Snowflake, Thoughtspot & Datasaur
Enterprise AI at Scale: Talks + AI Agent Workshops, Ft Google, Snowflake, Thoughtspot & Datasaur for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 28
SF
AI × Health Happy Hour at Esther Wojcicki’s
AI × Health Happy Hour at Esther Wojcicki’s for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 28
SF
Legacy Lounge Palo Alto: The Capital Playbook
Legacy Lounge Palo Alto: The Capital Playbook for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 28
SF
Physical AI and Robotics Meetup
Physical AI and Robotics Meetup for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 28
SF
Robotics Founders & VCs Private Dinner · Palo Alto
Robotics Founders & VCs Private Dinner · Palo Alto for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 28
SF
Agentic AI Meets Go-to-Market: Panel and Mixer for Marketing and Growth Leaders
Agentic AI Meets Go-to-Market: Panel and Mixer for Marketing and Growth Leaders for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 28
SF
AI Infra Sellers Meetup #5
AI Infra Sellers Meetup #5 for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 28
SF
Circle × Pantera: The Agentic Economy
Circle × Pantera: The Agentic Economy for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 28
SF
Durable Multimodal AI Meetup with HeyGen, Vapi, and Modal
Durable Multimodal AI Meetup with HeyGen, Vapi, and Modal for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 28
SF
Enterprise AI - LTMs and Structured Data
Enterprise AI - LTMs and Structured Data for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 28
SF
MCP V2 RELEASE EVENT
MCP V2 RELEASE EVENT 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.