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 30
SF
BASS SBC 2026
BASS SBC 2026 for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 30
SF
SBC DAO Workshop 2026
SBC DAO Workshop 2026 for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 30
SF
Hack the Video Agent Context Graph (OpenAI + Neo4j + AWS + TwelveLabs)
Hack the Video Agent Context Graph (OpenAI + Neo4j + AWS + TwelveLabs) for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 30
NYC
BuzzFeed AI Demos & Happy Social Hour
BuzzFeed AI Demos & Happy Social Hour for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 30
SF
0g Hack VC Delarosa Builders Brunch
0g Hack VC Delarosa Builders Brunch for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 30
SF
Context Corner: A Lunch Series
Context Corner: A Lunch Series for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 30
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.
JUL 30
NYC
🐟 Fish Audio's $52M Toast: Voice AI Happy Hour in NYC
🐟 Fish Audio's $52M Toast: Voice AI Happy Hour in NYC for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 30
NYC
Founders & Investors Soiree | Supermoon, MongoDB, Avahi
Founders & Investors Soiree | Supermoon, MongoDB, Avahi for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 30
NYC
Distilled x Hyde: Post-Training & Prosecco
Distilled x Hyde: Post-Training & Prosecco for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 30
NYC
An Alternate Vision for AI: Future-building with RAD Collective
An Alternate Vision for AI: Future-building with RAD Collective for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 30
NYC
HuLane Mixer: Rooftop Edition
HuLane Mixer: Rooftop Edition for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 30
NYC
PMAI: GTM Symposium
PMAI: GTM Symposium for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 30
SF
San Francisco | Claude Code for Real Estate Workshop
San Francisco | Claude Code for Real Estate Workshop for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 30
NYC
Forus: Models & Methods in Medicine
Forus: Models & Methods in Medicine for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 30
SF
Best Work Of Your Life
Best Work Of Your Life for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 30
SF
Hack Night - Can Your Agent-Written Code Survive Production?
Hack Night - Can Your Agent-Written Code Survive Production? for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 30
SF
AI Builders Pitch Night @ Brex
AI Builders Pitch Night @ Brex for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 30
SF
Bay Area Voice AI Night ｜StepFun X Seamate with PLAUD, Firework & Cresta
Bay Area Voice AI Night ｜StepFun X Seamate with PLAUD, Firework & Cresta for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 30
SF
DaVinci Cafe- Private Gathering on AI Infra
DaVinci Cafe- Private Gathering on AI Infra for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 30
SF
IREN AI Social
IREN AI Social for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 30
SF
☕️ OpenAI Codex Community Meetup-San Francisco #8
☕️ OpenAI Codex Community Meetup-San Francisco #8 for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 30
SF
Agents & APIs SF Developer Meetup
Agents & APIs SF Developer Meetup for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 30
SF
Builder Night
Builder Night 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.