Software Engineering

סתם מפגש של חברי קהילת מעקף לדבר על מה שבא לנו. אין אג'נדה פשוט יושבים ביחד ומפטפטים.

**TAMI Sonic (Music Night)** Join our bi-weekly informal meetups devoted to playing and experimenting with sound. ========== TAMI wiki: [https://telavivmakers.org](https://telavivmakers.org) TAMI main Telegram channel: [https://t.me/+0t5M0-jK9iIwZmM8](https://t.me/+0t5M0-jK9iIwZmM8)

Join us in the search for the true, the good and the beautiful. We will be reading and discussing a fascinating philosophical text in English. Welcome anyone interested in understanding life more deeply, regardless of age or prior knowledge. The love of wisdom is enough. Please join our WhatsApp group: https://chat.whatsapp.com/CDjIJ8i1LZsJ2a7WJXFxhG?mode=wwt Sapere Aude! (Kant's Motto: Dare to Think!)

**Join Us for PyData Meetup @ Melio!** Get ready for insightful sessions, networking with the PyData community, and, of course, pizza and beer! A big thanks to **Melio** for hosting us and supporting the community. **📅 Details** Date: Sunday, June 14th, 2026 Time: 18:00 - 21:00 Location: Melio Office, Hagag Towers, North Tower, Floor 32, HaArba’a St 28, Tel Aviv Language: This meetup will be held in Hebrew **🕒 Agenda** 18:00: Gathering, snacks, and drinks 🍕🍻 18:30: Welcome words 18:45: **A Match Made in Heaven: LLM Judgment at Vector-Search Speed,** Shon Mendelson, Staff AI Scientist @ Intuit 19:15: **Dr. Data: How We Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the AI Bomb**, Dr. Adi Sarid, CEO @ Sarid Research 19:45: **Cost-Efficient AI Systems in Practice,** Michael Levinger, Senior AI Engineer @ Melio **🎤 Featured Sessions** **A Match Made in Heaven: LLM Judgment at Vector-Search Speed** **Speaker: Shon Mendelson, Staff AI Scientist @ Intuit** Last year, I spent far too long chasing a stubborn data quirk: why our system couldn't see that “The Law Offices of John Miller” and “Miller, John S. PLLC” were the same entity. It led to a bigger question: can you achieve LLM-level judgment at vector-search speeds? Traditional vector search is fast, but often misses subtle context like this, while relying entirely on LLMs is too slow and costly for production at scale. In this talk, I’ll share how we bridged that gap at Intuit with a hybrid system that combines fast vector search, efficient small transformer-based models, and fine-tuned SLMs. The result is a system capable of handling millions of weekly entity comparisons, significantly boosting recall while maintaining precision levels comparable to traditional methods. **Dr. Data: How We Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the AI Bomb** **Speaker: Dr. Adi Sarid, CEO @ Sarid Research** When GenAI dropped, our quant market research agency had a beautifully naive thought: "We can finally replace all our human labelers with a simple API call!" Spoiler alert: Scaling AI without hallucinations isn't quite that simple. Join us for a brutally honest, technical look at our data science team's journey from prompt-panic to AI-powered productivity. We’ll share our biggest wins and hardest lessons regarding evaluation frameworks, the rapid obsolescence of custom packages, and the newfound "full-stack audacity" of modern data scientists. **Cost-Efficient AI Systems in Practice** **Speaker: Michael Levinger, Senior AI Engineer @ Melio** Deploying large language models and AI agents in real-world systems requires a constant trade-off between cost, latency, and performance. This talk explores how to optimize LLM- and agent-based systems using techniques such as caching, model routing/cascades, tuning, RAG, and distillation—significantly reducing costs without sacrificing quality. Through a case study of an ATO-agent system, we’ll also cover practical approaches to cost estimation, monitoring, and budgeting. In addition, we’ll compare leading industry models—such as Gemini, Claude, and GPT—focusing on differences in response speed, cost efficiency, and real-world performance, and how to choose the right model for each use case within broader agentic workflows. **🚀 RSVP** Space is limited – RSVP now to secure your spot! We look forward to seeing you there! **📍 How to find us:** Enter the North Tower in Hagag Towers (Ha'Arbaa 28), go up to floor 32, and find us there. **We highly recommend using public transport, but if you’re coming by car, [here is a list of nearby parking lots](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15GIvUZWui78k4b0EyikjvzNMnDede4lY/edit?gid=751370004#gid=751370004).**

סתם מפגש של חברי קהילת מעקף לדבר על מה שבא לנו. אין אג'נדה פשוט יושבים ביחד ומפטפטים.

**TAMI Sonic (Music Night)** Join our bi-weekly informal meetups devoted to playing and experimenting with sound. ========== TAMI wiki: [https://telavivmakers.org](https://telavivmakers.org) TAMI main Telegram channel: [https://t.me/+0t5M0-jK9iIwZmM8](https://t.me/+0t5M0-jK9iIwZmM8)

Join us in the search for the true, the good and the beautiful. We will be reading and discussing a fascinating philosophical text in English. Welcome anyone interested in understanding life more deeply, regardless of age or prior knowledge. The love of wisdom is enough. Please join our WhatsApp group: https://chat.whatsapp.com/CDjIJ8i1LZsJ2a7WJXFxhG?mode=wwt Sapere Aude! (Kant's Motto: Dare to Think!)

Join us in the search for the true, the good and the beautiful. Each meet is in one of two formats: a shared reading and open discussion of philosophical texts, or a continuing series of lectures based on the reading of a fascinating book of philosophy. Both formats are in Hebrew, with some reading of English texts, assisted whenever needed. We meet weekly Friday on 80 Rokach Boulevard, Tel Aviv, at the gardens of the Council for a Beautiful Israel. Welcome anyone interested in understanding life more deeply, regardless of age or prior knowledge. The love of wisdom is enough. Please join our WhatsApp group: https://chat.whatsapp.com/JeAa2uRNTlF0rdrVTLzUC0?mode=wwt Note: there's always enough sitting room, but some of it is on the grass or a mat on the floor. If you want to guarantee yourself a chair, please bring one with you. Sapere Aude! (Kant's Motto: Dare to Think!)

**Founders Running Club** (FRC) brings founders, investors, tech, creative people and startup enthusiasts together for weekly easy runs and networking. We like to be comfortable when we run and finish with coffee and conversations. Choose your pace or follow a pacer—pets, friends, family, are welcome. Join locall Tel-Aviv chat with all news and updates https://chat.whatsapp.com/IWWgu9DznjzLvMe8p6cVCu?mode=ac_t For any questions pleae contact Tel-Aviv city leaders: Lev +972 55-7704496 Ilia +972535007183 Nastya +972533838320 Dan +972537162316 More about FRC global: 🗓️ Launched in San Francisco, July 16, 2022 🌍 Now in 35+ cities 📅 Running + Networking events + Community **Join the community** [http://foundersrc.com/chats](http://foundersrc.com/chats) **Stay updated**: Instagram [http://instagram.com/foundersrc/](http://instagram.com/foundersrc/) LinkedIn [http://linkedin.com/company/foundersrc/](http://linkedin.com/company/foundersrc/) Podcast [http://podcast.foundersrc.com/](http://podcast.foundersrc.com/) Strava [http://strava.com/clubs/foundersRC](http://strava.com/clubs/foundersRC) Website [http://foundersrc.com/](http://foundersrc.com/)

Columbus Code & Coffee is an inclusive, informal co-working session. People of all skill levels attend, and we love it that way. Many people (optionally) bring projects to work on, and many other people (optionally) socialize the entire time. It's entirely up to you! **What to Expect at the Intro Circle** \~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~ Near the beginning of the event (1:30 pm), we do a standup: * Organizer announcements, updates, and logistics Round 1 - (7 secs max): * Your name * What you're working on * What you can help others with Round 2: * Community events you wanna plug. If none, that's cool too. Round 3: * Job opportunities you're hiring for OR announce that you are looking for one. If none, that's cool. After the introduction circle, everything is self-organized! Feel free to work alone, pair up, attend one of our workshops/presentations, or mingle!

## 🤝 Host Information A co-hosted event by ProductTank Columbus & Women in Product Columbus 💡 About the Workshop AI adoption is stalling across organizations — not because of a lack of motivation or tools, but because it's fundamentally a behavior design challenge. This hands-on workshop applies proven Behavior Design models and methods to help you move from a vague organizational wish to boost AI adoption to 3-5 concrete, testable interventions you can act on starting tomorrow. Whether you're a product manager, on a product team, or just someone trying to get AI to actually stick at work, you'll leave with a clear picture of what's worth focusing on, what to ignore, and how to drive real, sustained adoption — no guesswork required. 🛠️ What to Bring Laptop: Fully charged and ready to go. AI Assistant: Have your favorite AI assistant pulled up. (Dom will be using Claude, but feel free to use whichever assistant you prefer!) 🍕 Logistics & Perks Food & Drink: Pizza and drinks provided! Parking: Plenty of free spaces available on-site. ###

Join the Columbus AI community for a special event. **Battle of the Personal Agents** is your chance to see what people are actually building with AI agents and personal automation systems. Whether you’re running OpenClaw, Hermes, or a completely custom solution, bring your agent and show the community how it works. We’re interested in real-world implementations: the problems your agent solves, how you use it day-to-day, how it’s hosted and managed, how you built it, and why you’ve chosen to keep using it. Live demonstrations are encouraged, so be prepared to show your code, architecture, workflows, and your agent performing real tasks. This is less about polished presentations and more about sharing practical experience, comparing approaches, and learning from one another. If you’d like to present, please contact Chris Slee (via meetup) before the event so we can allocate enough time for everyone’s demonstrations. Come ready to show what you’ve built, discover what others are doing, and maybe find a few ideas worth taking home. Whether you’re deep in the field or just getting curious, come connect with others building and exploring AI in Columbus. Sponsored by [Transform Labs](https://www.linkedin.com/company/transformlabs/) Sign up also accessible via [Transform Labs Luma](https://luma.com/transformlabshq)

Over a billion documents processed. Millions of Veterans impacted. Hundreds of thousands of employee hours saved. Faster decisions. Greater accuracy. More benefits in the hands of our disabled Veterans. We created Smart Search, the world’s largest consumer of Amazon Textract, right when GenAI began reshaping what’s possible. Since then, we’ve built a suite of AI‑driven solutions that transform this data into real, measurable outcomes—accelerating benefits decisions for our Nation’s Veterans. Join us for a focused conversation on how an outcome‑driven approach to AI is helping us boost accuracy, streamline workflows, and deliver faster results for those who have served. This is a follow up to the AWS re:Invent 2023 "Intelligent Document Processing with Gen AI for Public Sector" presentation. About Speaker: Cameron Williams is a Senior Technical Project Manager and cross-functional technical leader at Booz Allen Hamilton with 15+ years of experience architecting and evolving scalable, cloud-native systems, from greenfield development to complex enterprise modernization. https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameronw711/ **THANK YOU** *Franklin University* for hosting our meetup! To learn more about *Franklin University*, please visit their website: https://www.franklin.edu/ **DIRECTIONS** Franklin University Fisher Hall 300 E. Main St, Columbus, OH 43215 Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/jxjBA2hUmS5qrvhq8 Parking is FREE! Please park in Lot C in front of Fisher Hall. See attached map. NOTE: Map the address only. When mapping with Google Maps it may use the Fisher Hall at OSU, which is NOT correct. **Want to sponsor the pizza and/or bar tab?** Please contact me if you would like to sponsor this meetup's pizza and/or bar tab: angelo@mandato.com

We are bringing Microsoft Build sessions to Columbus Ohio! The Central Ohio Azure Meetup and Central Ohio .NET Developer's Group (CONDG) are coming together to bring some of the labs and breakouts from Microsoft Build to your backyard. In this free, 1 day event, you are going to Build stuff with us! And yes, there will be free food. Please RSVP via [Microsoft Build //localhost:columbus | Microsoft Reactor](https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/reactor/events/27247/).

**Important time note:** Please plan on arriving between 5:30 and 6:00 as the elevators lock after 6 and you'll need to message us and we'll need to come get you. The building address is 4450 Bridge Park The entrance is 6620 Mooney St, Suite 400 You will need to scan your ID at the door to get a visitor badge. **Abstract** *Customize the IDE: Building Extensions for Visual Studio Code* Visual Studio Code is one of the most widely used development environments today, and much of its flexibility comes from its extension ecosystem. Extensions allow developers to customize the editor with new features, integrations, and workflow improvements tailored to their needs. In this session, we’ll cover what extensions are and the different types available, including full extensions written in TypeScript or JavaScript, along with lighter-weight extensions such as color themes, language packs, language support, code snippets, and keymaps. We’ll also look at practical reasons a developer might create an extension, from automating repetitive tasks to adding custom tooling. The session includes a hands-on walkthrough of creating a new extension, testing it locally, and understanding the basic project structure. We’ll close with a brief overview of how extensions are packaged and published to the Visual Studio Marketplace and other distribution options. **YouTube Link** TBD

Columbus Code & Coffee is an inclusive, informal co-working session. People of all skill levels attend, and we love it that way. Many people (optionally) bring projects to work on, and many other people (optionally) socialize the entire time. It's entirely up to you! **What to Expect at the Intro Circle** \~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~ Near the beginning of the event (1:30 pm), we do a standup: * Organizer announcements, updates, and logistics Round 1 - (7 secs max): * Your name * What you're working on * What you can help others with Round 2: * Community events you wanna plug. If none, that's cool too. Round 3: * Job opportunities you're hiring for OR announce that you are looking for one. If none, that's cool. After the introduction circle, everything is self-organized! Feel free to work alone, pair up, attend one of our workshops/presentations, or mingle!