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.
NOV 04
NYC
ON_Discourse Breakfast Club for AI Builders: Demo's & Discourse
ON_Discourse Breakfast Club for AI Builders: Demo's & Discourse for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
NOV 04
SF
NOW•NEW•NEXT : AdTech Breakfast
NOW•NEW•NEXT : AdTech Breakfast for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
![[Invite only] AI Foundry: Build Day with AWS](https://images.lumacdn.com/uploads/bf/581a49d0-42a6-4cc3-8471-cb0215aed4ad.png)
NOV 04
SF
[Invite only] AI Foundry: Build Day with AWS
[Invite only] AI Foundry: Build Day with AWS for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
NOV 04
SF
SF Coffee Club | Early Stage B2B Tech Founders & Funders
SF Coffee Club | Early Stage B2B Tech Founders & Funders for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
NOV 04
SF
Different by Design: Lessons from Building Lovable
Different by Design: Lessons from Building Lovable for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
NOV 04
SF
Physical AI Over Matcha: What Broke When You Changed the Robot?
Physical AI Over Matcha: What Broke When You Changed the Robot? for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
NOV 04
SF
S1E1: Peter Walker
S1E1: Peter Walker for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
NOV 04
NYC
Who controls the narrative? Financial Marketing in the age of AI
Who controls the narrative? Financial Marketing in the age of AI for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
NOV 04
SF
At The Top, San Francisco: An Executive Forum for Women Leading in Customer Success, Onboarding, Support & Operations
At The Top, San Francisco: An Executive Forum for Women Leading in Customer Success, Onboarding, Support & Operations for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
NOV 04
SF
Company Brain Hackathon: Build an AI Agent That Knows Your Organization
Company Brain Hackathon: Build an AI Agent That Knows Your Organization for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
NOV 04
SF
Workshop: From Sprawl to Control — A Hands-On Guide to Snowflake AI Gateway
Workshop: From Sprawl to Control — A Hands-On Guide to Snowflake AI Gateway for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
NOV 04
NYC
AI Builders Night New York @ Modal
AI Builders Night New York @ Modal for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
NOV 04
NYC
IV Accelerator Demo Day | Cohort I
IV Accelerator Demo Day | Cohort I for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
NOV 04
SF
AWS at Founders Inc.
AWS at Founders Inc. for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
NOV 04
NYC
eCom New York
eCom New York for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
NOV 04
NYC
AI AFTER: NYC Founders & Entrepreneurs Afterwork Hangout #6 @230 Fifth Rooftop
AI AFTER: NYC Founders & Entrepreneurs Afterwork Hangout #6 @230 Fifth Rooftop for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
NOV 04
NYC
AI Founders Dinner
AI Founders Dinner for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
NOV 04
NYC
DeepTech DeepDive With ØDX
DeepTech DeepDive With ØDX for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
NOV 04
NYC
Fonzi’s November Tech Talk
Fonzi’s November Tech Talk for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
NOV 04
NYC
founders: build your AI Head of Content (Stanley & Wispr Flow)
founders: build your AI Head of Content (Stanley & Wispr Flow) for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
NOV 04
NYC
Fund Enablement Roundtable: Agentic Workflows, Tools & Partners Behind your Fund
Fund Enablement Roundtable: Agentic Workflows, Tools & Partners Behind your Fund for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
NOV 04
NYC
Lawtrades: Private Screening of You Can See Everything
Lawtrades: Private Screening of You Can See Everything for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
NOV 04
NYC
Pizza & Build: Mobile App Hackathon
Pizza & Build: Mobile App Hackathon for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
NOV 04
NYC
Secrets of AI-Pilled Organizations
Secrets of AI-Pilled Organizations 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.