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 06
NYC
Founders Friday by Neo with David Caputo
Founders Friday by Neo with David Caputo for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
NOV 06
NYC
Level Up With Lovable
Level Up With Lovable for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
NOV 06
SF
Medical AI Day Featured Keynotes, Ft Stanford, NextMed Health, Qualcomn | TechEquity Ai Summit 2026
Medical AI Day Featured Keynotes, Ft Stanford, NextMed Health, Qualcomn | TechEquity Ai Summit 2026 for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
NOV 06
SF
Robotics Hack @ CCSF
Robotics Hack @ CCSF for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
NOV 06
NYC
AI 究竟属于谁？｜CEC 对话马文彦暨《Who Owns AI?》新书分享会
AI 究竟属于谁？｜CEC 对话马文彦暨《Who Owns AI?》新书分享会 for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
NOV 06
NYC
CEC x Google Gemini AI Workshop & Mini Buildathon
CEC x Google Gemini AI Workshop & Mini Buildathon for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
NOV 06
NYC
NYC Voice Agent Hackathon with Take2AI & Reach Capital
NYC Voice Agent Hackathon with Take2AI & Reach Capital for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
NOV 06
SF
Treehub Health x AI Founders Lunch with Bo Shi of Valtruis
Treehub Health x AI Founders Lunch with Bo Shi of Valtruis for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
NOV 06
NYC
Growth & Leadership Lab
Growth & Leadership Lab for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
NOV 06
NYC
Join fellow Columbia graduate students and alumni ready for the future of talent work
Join fellow Columbia graduate students and alumni ready for the future of talent work for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
NOV 06
NYC
Machines of Tomorrow: The Future of Physical AI
Machines of Tomorrow: The Future of Physical AI for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
NOV 06
NYC
App After Dark: Mobile App Hackathon
App After Dark: Mobile App Hackathon for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
NOV 06
NYC
Frontier Model: The Race to Go Public
Frontier Model: The Race to Go Public for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
NOV 06
SF
Gemini Argon vs Claude Fable vs GPT Sol
Gemini Argon vs Claude Fable vs GPT Sol for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
NOV 06
SF
Qualcomm UNO Q Hack Night #3
Qualcomm UNO Q Hack Night #3 for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
NOV 06
SF
Built at the Frontier: AIAS⁺ Startup & Builder Night
Built at the Frontier: AIAS⁺ Startup & Builder Night for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
NOV 06
SF
Diwali Special Founders Session 🪔
Diwali Special Founders Session 🪔 for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
NOV 06
SF
Women of SaaS San Francisco – Leading the AI-First Team
Women of SaaS San Francisco – Leading the AI-First Team for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
NOV 06
SF
Physical AI: Building a More Resilient World by OpalAI
Physical AI: Building a More Resilient World by OpalAI for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
NOV 06
SF
Networking with Mextropic : AI X Bio Happy Hour
Networking with Mextropic : AI X Bio Happy Hour for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
NOV 06
SF
AGI, Inc. x EO Watch Party
AGI, Inc. x EO Watch Party for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
NOV 07
NYC
LOCALHOST NYC: Sovereign AI Hackathon 🗽
LOCALHOST NYC: Sovereign AI Hackathon 🗽 for the NYC builder network with curated in-person attendance.
NOV 07
SF
MakerMods Physical AI Hackathon
MakerMods Physical AI Hackathon for the SF builder network with curated in-person attendance.
NOV 07
NYC
AISUM Agent Bowl ’26 | NYU Coffee Gathering
AISUM Agent Bowl ’26 | NYU Coffee Gathering 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.