New York doesn't slow down in August. It just gets a little more fun.
The out-of-office replies pile up, the calendar loosens, and the conversations that actually move things forward tend to happen somewhere other than a conference room. That's exactly the kind of month we like.
This August, we're bringing together the Founders, Operators, Finance Leaders, and People Leaders who make up the Niural AI community. Some of you will settle in for dinner. Some will pick up a paddle and discover muscles you forgot you had. Others will learn that a good cocktail, like a clean payroll run, is mostly about getting the ratios right.
However you join us, the goal is the same one it always is: get great people into the same room.
Net Gains: A Founder Pickleball Social
The networking event where a solid backhand counts as a strong first impression.
We're challenging 20 founders to a pickleball match. Equal parts competition, conversation, and questionable footwork.
Been playing for years? Great. Picking up a paddle for the first time? Also great. We'll have paddles ready and coaches on hand, so all you need to bring is a water bottle and comfortable clothes.
Attendance is kept small on purpose, so the conversations stay real and the games stay competitive. To give more founders a shot at the court, you're welcome to join up to two sessions across the series.
📅 August 5 & August 19 · ⏰ 6:00–8:00 PM · 📍 Upper East Side, NYC
The Founder's Table
The best founder advice rarely comes with a slide deck. Usually it comes with dinner, somewhere between the first course and the third story about a hiring decision nobody warns you about. This is an intimate evening for founders, operators, and industry leaders from across New York, a chance to step away from the day-to-day, meet people building genuinely interesting companies, and trade ideas in a room where nobody's pitching.
No panels. No presentations. Just a table, good food, and a few conversations worth remembering.
📅 Thursday, August 11 · ⏰ 6:00–9:00 PM · 📍 Midtown Manhattan
Liquid Assets: A Mixology Class
Because the best ideas usually start with, "want to grab a drink?"
This one's for the HR, People, and Operations leaders; the people who know culture isn't built in a spreadsheet.
Spend an evening learning to shake, stir, and garnish a few signature cocktails (or mocktails), then put your new skills to use while swapping hiring stories and comparing notes on the very specific chaos of scaling a team.
Leave with a couple of new recipes, a few new connections, and at least one drink you can confidently make again at home.
📅 Thursday, August 13 · ⏰ 5:30–8:30 PM · 📍 New York City
Find Your Room
Three events, three very different crowds. We keep each room small and pointed at one community, because a founder's dinner shouldn't feel like a trade show, and a cocktail class shouldn't feel like a webinar with garnish.
So find the room that sounds like you. Come to compete, come to unwind, or come to finally have the conversation you've been meaning to have.
Spots are limited, and most events run approval-only, so put your name in early. We'll save you a paddle, a chair, or a glass.
