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.
OCT 20
NYC
The Human Edge: A Founders Salon for the Age of AI
The Human Edge: A Founders Salon for the Age of AI for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
OCT 20
SF
Stacked: Breakfast on the Agentic Data Stack
Stacked: Breakfast on the Agentic Data Stack for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
OCT 20
SF
The Connected CFO: Scaling AI, Data and Financial Operations
The Connected CFO: Scaling AI, Data and Financial Operations for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
OCT 20
NYC
Claude Code Workshop with Provectus - New York City
Claude Code Workshop with Provectus - New York City for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
OCT 20
NYC
Claude Workshop with Provectus - New York City
Claude Workshop with Provectus - New York City for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
OCT 20
SF
Fireside Chat with Sriram Krishnan
Fireside Chat with Sriram Krishnan for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
OCT 20
SF
Inference & RL Coffee Club at Pytorch week
Inference & RL Coffee Club at Pytorch week for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
OCT 20
NYC
GTM Intelligence: AI Night with Ramp + MeritFirst
GTM Intelligence: AI Night with Ramp + MeritFirst for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
OCT 20
SF
Agents and humans in exquisite cooperation to reach a regenerative future
Agents and humans in exquisite cooperation to reach a regenerative future for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
OCT 20
NYC
AI Agents Build Day with Genspark
AI Agents Build Day with Genspark for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
OCT 20
NYC
Build AI Automations You Can Rely On
Build AI Automations You Can Rely On for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
OCT 20
NYC
Figma agent: Builder night (Tuesday, October 20)
Figma agent: Builder night (Tuesday, October 20) for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
OCT 20
NYC
Jordan Innovation / Finance
Jordan Innovation / Finance for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
OCT 20
NYC
The Marketing Meetup x BeReal: New York. How We Connect Now - AI, Socials, and Brand
The Marketing Meetup x BeReal: New York. How We Connect Now - AI, Socials, and Brand for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
OCT 20
NYC
The Women Shaping AI: New York Panel + Drinks
The Women Shaping AI: New York Panel + Drinks for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
OCT 20
NYC
Stop The AI Race hangout in NYC
Stop The AI Race hangout in NYC for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
OCT 20
NYC
Inside the Loop with Mercor: RL Environments, Benchmarks, and Evals
Inside the Loop with Mercor: RL Environments, Benchmarks, and Evals for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
OCT 20
SF
A New Era of Care: AI, Robotics & The Human Experience
A New Era of Care: AI, Robotics & The Human Experience for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
OCT 20
SF
Kylon Launch Party
Kylon Launch Party for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
OCT 20
SF
SOUTH BAY PHYSICAL AI AND ROBOTICS - ROBOBUSINESS EDITION
SOUTH BAY PHYSICAL AI AND ROBOTICS - ROBOBUSINESS EDITION for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
OCT 20
SF
A Gossip Goblin GenJam
A Gossip Goblin GenJam for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
OCT 20
SF
EdTech Forward: Content, Community & What's Next
EdTech Forward: Content, Community & What's Next for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
OCT 20
SF
GP, LP & Builders Mixer @ Focus Innovation Studio
GP, LP & Builders Mixer @ Focus Innovation Studio for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
OCT 20
SF
Robothaus: A Physical AI Happy Hour | Orbifold AI x RLWRLD x Sierra Ventures x Rho
Robothaus: A Physical AI Happy Hour | Orbifold AI x RLWRLD x Sierra Ventures x Rho 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.