Feb 2026 • Virtual
Portfolio Projects Start Building in 2026: A Live AI Project Kickoff
Speaker: Daniel Barulli
Kickoff event for forming teams working collaborative AI projects.
A technical AI community centered on real systems, shared learning, and impact—beyond the hype.
We host events with external speakers, run portfolio-grade volunteer projects, and share practical playbooks for building and deploying AI responsibly.
Serving a growing community of technically minded learners, builders, and researchers (virtual-first).
Virtual events Technical + research-minded Curated speakers Optional recording Project-based learning
Why get involved?
Practical + rigorous
- Curated talks with practical takeaways—not vendor pitches.
- Thoughtful Q&A and discussion with an engaged technical audience.
- Optional recordings and post-event summaries for long-tail impact.
Want to speak?
We keep it low-friction: flexible format, clear audience, and respectful moderation.
Speaker info →Want to volunteer?
We run hands-on team portfolio projects focused on AI skills. Join us!
Volunteer info →What we do
We bridge theory, practice, and community for optimized learning & engagement:
Events
Expert talks, Q&A, fireside chats, and occasional demos—designed for a mixed audience that leans technical.
- Speaker-first format
- Clear takeaways
- Live Q&A
Portfolio Projects
Volunteer teams build real artifacts (datasets, dashboards, pipelines) that members can showcase publicly.
- Defined scopes
- Reusable templates
- Mentored execution
Knowledge Sharing
Workflows, playbooks, and lightweight standards for building useful AI systems (not just prompts).
- Practical patterns
- Evaluation mindset
- Open tooling where possible
Events
Virtual or hybrid sessions with external speakers. Format is flexible: talk + Q&A, fireside chat, or demo.
Upcoming events
Past events
Archive of our past events:
Intro to ML Fundamentals
Daniel Barulli, PhD • NYC AI from Scratch
View details →
AI in Scientific Discovery
Daniel Barulli, PhD • NYC AI from Scratch
View details →
Using Knowledge Graphs and LLMs to Represent Scientific Knowledge
Sebastian Lobentanzer, PhD • Helmholtz Center Munich
View details →
Data Curation for Computer Vision Models
Daniel Gural • Voxel51
View details →
Understanding Multimodal Models
Shafik Quoraishee • NYTimes
View details →
The Cognitive Consequences of AI
Daniel Barulli, PhD • NYC AI from Scratch
View details →
Topics we cover
We balance practical engineering with research literacy.
Agentic workflows & evals
RAG for research / literature
Applied ML systems
AI for science & healthcare
Human factors & cognition
Open-source AI tooling
Data-centric AI
Responsible deployment
Knowledge graphs & structure
Experimentation & measurement
Model risk & monitoring
Product + research alignment
For speakers
We make speaking simple and high-signal: a thoughtful audience, flexible format, and clean logistics.
Why speak with us
- Engaged technical audience (builders, researchers, practitioners)
- Format flexibility: talk + Q&A, fireside chat, or demo
- Optional recording + promotion for long-tail visibility
What we ask
- 45–60 minutes of content + discussion (flexible)
- A short title + abstract we can publish for RSVP
- A quick A/V check (10 minutes) ahead of time
Speaker logistics
Low-friction
Virtual-first
Zoom/Meet. We handle moderation, Q&A, and timing.
Optional recording
You choose: recorded, unlisted, or no recording.
Low overhead
Bring slides or speak conversationally. We’ll adapt.
Suggested themes
Agentic workflows, evaluation, AI for science/healthcare, RAG for research, human factors.
For sponsors & partners
Support high-quality programming and connect with a serious technical audience—without gimmicks.
Supporter
A simple way to help keep events consistent and high-quality.
$ — flexible
- Logo on site (Supporters)
- Mention in event intro slide
- Thank-you post (LinkedIn)
Partner
For organizations that want recurring visibility to technical talent and practitioners.
$$ — per quarter
- All Supporter benefits
- Partner spotlight post
- Optional 60s partner intro (1 event/quarter)
Program Sponsor
Sponsor a themed mini-series (e.g., AI for Science, Agentic Systems).
$$$ — per series
- All Partner benefits
- Series co-branding
- Recruiting/partner link in follow-up email
What sponsors get
Visibility to talent
Builders and practitioners who show up consistently.
Association with rigor
Curated themes, research literacy, and practical standards.
Long-tail value
Optional recordings, recaps, and speaker content that persists.
About
NYC AI from Scratch is a community for technically inclined professionals and researchers who want to build useful AI systems with rigor and clarity.
We curate speakers and projects that emphasize real workflows, evaluation, and responsible deployment—without hype.
Daniel Barulli, PhD
Organizer • Cognitive neuroscientist → data scientist & AI researcher
Mission
Build a community that treats AI like engineering: clear goals, measurable performance, and real-world constraints.
Join, propose a talk, or sponsor
Reach out with a topic idea, a speaker nomination, or a partnership inquiry.
Email
daniel@nycaifromscratch.com
LinkedIn
Organization page →
Meetup
RSVP & updates →
YouTube
Recordings (coming soon) →
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