An event hosted by Verci, a coworking space and members' club in NYC for founders, entrepreneurs, and creatives.
Ami Yoshimura/Verci
If "taste" is the buzzword in the AI world right now, then IRL events have become the best way to demonstrate it.As AI becomes more competitive and taste — the idea of having superior aesthetic judgment — emerges as a key differentiator, AI companies and young founders are hosting intimate, curated gatherings — often dinner parties — to cultivate cool and build real-world communities.Hosting an intimate dinner in sf for lore builders. Founders, narrative architects, writers, world builders. Humans at the intersection of storytelling x culture x craft x storytelling x philosophy x design.Keeping it to <10. Who should be in the room? 🫶— Joumana (@JoumanaElomar) June 23, 2026 Many of these curated events follow a similar blueprint: a promo that looks like an A24 film poster and grainy, film-like photos that make it feel more like a 90s-era house party than a tech founders' event."I think trusted (human) curation is so important now, even more than ever," said Michelle Fang, who leads Stripe Startups, a program offering financial support and resources to early-stage, venture-backed companies, and has a weekly newsletter that rounds up in-person tech events in San Francisco.Fang said that when she first started the newsletter in 2023, she posted an average of 20 to 30 in-person events a week. That number has now risen to 70 to 80 a week."There's been a noticeable shift in both the frequency and types of events happening in SF, especially over the past year," she said.AI has accelerated this trend dramatically, she said, as the AI boom brings an influx of talent who want to establish their community in the city.
