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 22
SF
RobOpsCon 26
RobOpsCon 26 for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
OCT 22
SF
national renaissance hackathon at super{set}
national renaissance hackathon at super{set} for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
OCT 22
SF
Finance Transformation in the AI Era
Finance Transformation in the AI Era for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
OCT 22
SF
Stanford Computational Medicine Research Colloquium | AI in Oncology
Stanford Computational Medicine Research Colloquium | AI in Oncology for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
OCT 22
SF
Elevate Your LLM Performance: LMCache Meetup + Hands-on Workshop
Elevate Your LLM Performance: LMCache Meetup + Hands-on Workshop for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
OCT 22
NYC
After All Things Open Community Meetup: Agentic AI in the Wild: Open Source Agents in Production
After All Things Open Community Meetup: Agentic AI in the Wild: Open Source Agents in Production for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
OCT 22
NYC
Return to Eden / CHURCH
Return to Eden / CHURCH for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
OCT 22
NYC
Still Human - NYC book celebration (Bonnie Davis)
Still Human - NYC book celebration (Bonnie Davis) for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
OCT 22
SF
Fireside with Quan Vuong of Physical Intelligence
Fireside with Quan Vuong of Physical Intelligence for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
OCT 22
NYC
DirectorPlus (NYC): Agentic engineering and security in the agentic age
DirectorPlus (NYC): Agentic engineering and security in the agentic age for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
OCT 22
SF
Open Source AI Summit SF
Open Source AI Summit SF for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
OCT 22
SF
SPC Post-Training Forum: LangChain CTO, Ankush Gola
SPC Post-Training Forum: LangChain CTO, Ankush Gola for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
OCT 22
NYC
Double Diamond ⬩ October 2026
Double Diamond ⬩ October 2026 for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
OCT 22
NYC
Figma agent: Builder night (Thursday, October 22)
Figma agent: Builder night (Thursday, October 22) for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
OCT 22
NYC
GTM Build Night: Base44 Hackathon NY
GTM Build Night: Base44 Hackathon NY for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
OCT 22
NYC
Honcho x Variant Happy Hour - NYC agent builders
Honcho x Variant Happy Hour - NYC agent builders for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
OCT 22
NYC
Learn AI workflows to deliver a brand, website and launch video in three weeks: the pen.dev case study
Learn AI workflows to deliver a brand, website and launch video in three weeks: the pen.dev case study for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
OCT 22
NYC
Tech Table Talk: At The Intersection of Tech, Media & AI
Tech Table Talk: At The Intersection of Tech, Media & AI for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
OCT 22
NYC
Vention Unplugged x BMad: Building governed, scalable AI-native engineering teams
Vention Unplugged x BMad: Building governed, scalable AI-native engineering teams for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
OCT 22
NYC
An UNMUTED Debate: The AI-ndustrial Revolution?
An UNMUTED Debate: The AI-ndustrial Revolution? for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
OCT 22
NYC
IENYC Tech Summit 2026: AI Reality Check
IENYC Tech Summit 2026: AI Reality Check for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
OCT 22
NYC
RAD Case Study Night pt. 2 - Follow the Money
RAD Case Study Night pt. 2 - Follow the Money for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
OCT 22
NYC
Scaling AI Deployments
Scaling AI Deployments for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
OCT 22
SF
Production Agent Lab - Workshop & Pitch Night
Production Agent Lab - Workshop & Pitch 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.