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 27
SF
AGI-26 Conference
AGI-26 Conference for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 27
SF
Stop the AI Race: Occupy OpenAI
Stop the AI Race: Occupy OpenAI for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 27
SF
硅谷清华校友会｜清二代 OPC 创业营
硅谷清华校友会｜清二代 OPC 创业营 for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 27
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 27
NYC
AI & The Culture IRL | Build Your AI Dream Team
AI & The Culture IRL | Build Your AI Dream Team for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 27
NYC
Girlie Pops Who VibeCode
Girlie Pops Who VibeCode for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 27
NYC
NYC B2B: AI Founders & Investors Meetup
NYC B2B: AI Founders & Investors Meetup for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 27
SF
Autonomy in Motion: Drones, UAV, USV, UUV & Supply Chains - Silicon Valley Physical AI Meetup
Autonomy in Motion: Drones, UAV, USV, UUV & Supply Chains - Silicon Valley Physical AI Meetup for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 27
SF
Investors Summer Drinks
Investors Summer Drinks for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 27
SF
Building AI-Native Startups at Hackathon Speed: The Power of Trusted Allies & Community to Bring Bold Visions to Life - Light DAO
Building AI-Native Startups at Hackathon Speed: The Power of Trusted Allies & Community to Bring Bold Visions to Life - Light DAO Salon (SF) for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 27
SF
AM I? Free Doc Screening and Panel @ AGI-26
AM I? Free Doc Screening and Panel @ AGI-26 for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
JUL 28
NYC
AI Bagels in the Park
AI Bagels in the Park for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
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
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
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.
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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.