STEM Mentoring

NOTE: This meetup is more technical than our normal subjects! Everyone is welcome to join but the content will be designed for developers and engineering leaders. Shaping our future with AI. Creating opportunity through AI fluency, connection and community. No jargon. No hype. No confusing terminology. **Join us for our next in-person meetup in London on Thursday February 19th.** Our theme for this meetup is **AI Coding the right way.** We'll be joined by Daniel Jones (AI Consultant, re:cinq) who has taught over 100 developers how to get the most of AI tools. Then we welcome a panel of engineering leaders to discuss the lessons they have learned on getting the best from their teams with new tools! **Where and When?** * Thursday, February 19th * Doors open at 18:00 * Talks start at 19:00 * Tessl HQ, 210 Pentonville Rd, London N1 9JY, UK **Talk: Agentic Coding For 100 Developers** (Daniel Jones) How has a $3b Stockholm SaaS company transitioned 100 developers to AI-native development over a few weeks? Deejay shares how he helped Odevo with exactly this, but the answer might be more than you expect - it involves just as much discovery and psychology and it does training. Learn about the social and business pre-requisites for such a transformation, the syllabus that enables developers to use multi-agent workflows, and how 'one-and-done' training is insufficient for this type of behavioural change. **About Deejay:** Deejay is an AI Consultant at re:cinq, and has over a decade of experience in assisting organisations with tech transformation. He's been a developer, manager, entrepreneur, keynote speaker, father, bassist, martial arts instructor, games developer, and wearer of a rather silly moustache. **Expert Panel: Leading Dev Teams Through AI Adoptions** There are no right answers but there is certainly a lot of talk about when it comes to adopting AI coding tools in the right way. This expert panel will share the lessons they've learnt so far and what's working for their teams. * Norberto Lopes, VP Engineering, Incident.io * Corey Leigh Latislaw, Head of Engineering at JustEat Takeaway * Daniel Jones, AI Consultant, re:cinq **About Norberto** Norberto is focussed on the intersection of building technology and how humans behave and work together. Currently VP Engineering at Incident.io, Norberto has enjoyed a varied career from startups to large companies. Growing teams across IT, product delivery, security, data infrastructure, and infrastructure. Read Norberto's excellent blog here: [nlopes.dev](https://nlopes.dev/) **About Corey** Corey Leigh Latislaw is Head of Groceries and New Verticals at JustEat Takeaway and previously led AI adoption alongside her day job at Trainline and Kin + Carta. She believes the human capacity for creativity is key to thriving in the age of AI. **Code of Conduct** This event has a code of conduct that you can [review here.](https://aifortherestofus.live/code-of-conduct) **Providing Your Name and Email** To register for this event you'll be asked to provide your full name and email address. This is a requirement for building security so please provide your real name and email address. After the event you will be automatically subscribed to event updates from AI for the rest of us and AI Native Dev. You can unsubscribe at any time.

🗓 **Agenda:** * 6:00pm: Doors open * 6:00pm - 6:30pm: Food, Drinks & Networking * 6:30pm - 7:15pm: Rafael Natali, Lead DevSecOps, Marionete * 7:15pm - 8:00pm - Additional Q&A & Networking 💡 **Speaker:** Rafael Natali, Lead DevSecOps, Marionete **Abstract:** Kubernetes gives us abstraction and power—but with great YAML comes great responsibility. In this talk, we’ll walk through live demos of real-world misconfigurations that allow attackers to escape containers and tamper with the host. You’ll see exactly what happens when Pods run in privileged mode, use hostPath volumes carelessly, or retain excess Linux capabilities. We’ll also show how to detect these attacks in real time using Falco, and enforce safety nets with Pod Security Admission. If you’ve ever wondered "what’s the worst that could happen?"—this session answers that with receipts. **Bio:** [Rafael Natali](https://www.linkedin.com/in/rafaelnatali/) has 20 years of experience in the IT industry, specifically as a System Administrator and DevSecOps professional. Throughout his career, he has developed extensive knowledge in designing, operating, and troubleshooting solutions that prioritize scalability and reliability. Rafael is also an expert in Automation as well as Continuous Integration and Delivery. He has been working with Kubernetes since 2018 and is recognised as a [Kubestronaut](https://www.cncf.io/training/kubestronaut/) since 2024. Currently, Rafael leads a team that is implementing a hybrid streaming data and analytics platform for a major insurance company in the UK. \*\*\* DISCLAIMER NOTE: We are unable to cater for any attendees under the age of 18.

**Important:** Register on the [event website](https://www.aicamp.ai/event/eventdetails/W2026021910)[ ](https://www.aicamp.ai/event/eventdetails/W2025110510)is required for admission. We are excited to partner with Coder for a special edition of our AI Meetup in February, focusing on AI governance and compliance for developers. AI is already part of how developers work: Coding assistants. Autonomous agents. Background tasks. PR reviews. But in most companies, AI usage is either completely ungoverned or quietly blocked. This meetup is for developers who want to understand what AI governance actually means in practice, without turning their workflow into a compliance nightmare. We’ll focus on how teams are introducing guardrails that protect source code, credentials, and infrastructure while still letting developers move fast. No policy decks. No buzzwords. Just real examples of how AI agents are being used safely inside modern dev environments. **You’ll walk away with:** * \- A clear understanding of what AI governance actually means for developers\, not just security teams * \- Insight into why AI agents need different permissions than humans and where most teams get this wrong * \- Practical examples of how guardrails can speed teams up instead of slowing them down * \- A simple mental model you can apply whether you’re experimenting with AI locally or rolling it out across a team **Who this is for:** \- Beginner → intermediate software developers \- Platform engineers and DevOps folks supporting dev teams \- Anyone using \(or wanting to use\) AI tools beyond simple autocomplete **Agenda:** \* 6:00pm\~6:30pm: Checkin, Food and Networking \* 6:30pm\~6:45pm: Welcome/community update \* 6:45pm\~8:30pm: Tech talks and Q&A \* 8:30pm\~9:30pm: Open discussion & Mixer **Tech Talk: AI Governance for Developers** **Speaker:** Eric Paulsen, Field CTO, Coder **Abstract:** In this session, we will deep dive into AI governance for developers. We will explores the often-unseen risks developers face when using AI tools—from unintended data exposure to tool lock-in—and how teams can implement lightweight, developer-friendly governance. Learn how to build secure, standardized AI workflows that provide guardrails without slowing innovation, so you can ship with confidence. **Speakers/Topics:** Check the [event website](https://www.aicamp.ai/event/eventdetails/W2026021910) for speakers and topics. If you have a keen interest in speaking to our community, we invite you to submit topics for consideration: [Submit Topics](https://forms.gle/JkMt91CZRtoJBSFUA) **Sponsors:** We are actively seeking sponsors to support AI developers community. Whether it is by offering venue spaces, providing food, or cash sponsorship. Sponsors will not only speak at the meetups, receive prominent recognition, but also gain exposure to our extensive membership base of 20,000+ AI developers in London and 500K+ worldwide.

This event is open to anyone who works in or is interested in the tech industry, whether you are a developer, designer, engineer, entrepreneur, student, or hobbyist. You will be able to meet new people, share your experiences, learn from others, and find potential collaborators or mentors. Attending our events earns you [Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points](https://gcs.civilservice.gov.uk/how-to-get-cpd-points). CPD offers numerous benefits, including skill enhancement, career progression, and up-to-date knowledge. It helps professionals stay competent, advance in their careers, and maintain professional credibility. We usually start around 2 p.m. at The Exmouth Arms, which offers a wide range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks to suit all tastes and burgers, sandwiches, and snacks to suit most dietary needs. The pub also offers a Lunch Special between 12 and 4pm for a Cheeseburger with fries for £9 & schooners for £4. It is worth noting that whilst the event is free, the food and drinks aren't. Come thirsty, curious, and ready to have a great time!

Join us to network and grab a drink or a meal. We will have a space dedicated for our group. Looking forward to seeing you! This months topic is The high achievers guide to the holidays!

**\*SIGN-UP ON LUMA\*** https://luma.com/u5kxljj6 Join us for a discussion of Rust in the Age of AI, with drinks and brunch! ​Following the [Rust Nation UK conference](https://www.rustnationuk.com/), [Fractile ](https://www.fractile.ai/)and [Red Badger](https://red-badger.com/) are excited to host a brunch discussion exploring how the Rust ecosystem is evolving to respond to rapid developments in Artificial Intelligence. ​We will be hosting a world-class panel discussion, with guest speakers: * ​[Jon Gjengset](https://www.youtube.com/c/JonGjengset) (Helsing) * ​[David Haig](https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-haig-9185957/) (Fractile) * ​[Stuart Harris ](https://www.linkedin.com/in/stuartharris4/)(Red Badger) * ​[Stephen Eckes](https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephan-eckes/) (ai-coustics) ​Afterwards, we will host a networking session with food and drink for attendees. ​**Date and Time:** Friday, February 20th, from 11 AM to 1 PM ​*About Fractile* ​Fractile is building chips, systems and software to radically improve the speed and cost of running frontier AI inference. [They are currently hiring](https://job-boards.eu.greenhouse.io/fractile), including for a Senior Rust Software Engineer. ​*About Red Badger* ​Red Badger is the digital product transformation consultancy for blue chips and scale-ups. Location **Red Badger** **2 Old Street Yard, London EC1Y 8AF, UK**

Do you have spare books lying around your home? Do you want to read new interesting books for free while socializing with interesting people? This is the event for you. We will enjoy nice drinks and snacks together at a beautiful lounge bar in London. You can bring your books and exchange them with whoever has the books you want to read. Since this is a Science and Philosophy book club, it would be great for you to bring non-fiction books that are insightful and thought-provoking. If you want to bring fiction books that are scientifically or philosophically insightful, feel free to bring those as well. Since it is a social event, I encourage everyone to make deep meaningful conversations and make new friends. You can come alone or bring your friends with you. If you come alone, there is no need to be shy or scared. I will welcome you and introduce you to cool interesting people to speak with. Also feel free to come even if you forget to bring any books.

Ready to think clearer, reason better, and express with clarity? Join us for a practical wholesome philosophy practice where we learn essential thinking skills through hands-on group practice. Leave academics and theory at the door— this is a skills-building adventure for everyday life! 🧠✨ This event's focus: **Develop Thinking Habits** 🎯 a part of the Wholesome Philosophy series — that help you build a complete thinking toolkit. **See below** 👇🏽 **Why should you sign up?** ✅ Practical toolkit you can use immediately ✅ Small group practice ✅ Private, quiet venue for focus ✅ Standalone session - Previous parts help, but not required **What is Wholesome Philosophy?** Practical philosophy for everyday life - helping you build useful skills for thinking clearer and communicating better in work, relationships, and daily conversations. You'll learn through pair work, and group practice. 💬 spread across **different sessions:** * **Clear Thinking & Better Arguments** — How to reason * **Develop Thinking Habits** — Spotting biases and fallacies * **The Art of Dialogue** — Having productive disagreements * **Constructing Your Position** — Building solid viewpoints * **Decision-Making Frameworks** — Choosing wisely under uncertainty * **Self-Examination & Growth** — Questioning your own beliefs Each session works standalone — attend one, some, or all. ***Want to join all?*** Speak to the facilitator about discounted pricing for the full (6 parts) series ✅ **Who is it for?** * You want to think clearer and communicate better * You feel frustrated when your point doesn't land * You want to spot weak reasoning (including your own) * You enjoy learning through practice, not just theory * You crave thoughtful conversation with curious people * You want practical tools you can use tomorrow No philosophy background needed — just show up ready to practice. 🎉 **What's in it for you?** * Make your points stick (without fighting) 💡 * Think more clearly about any topic even complex ones 🧠 * Have disagreements that don't turn into arguments 🤝 * Understand the world better 🌍 * Connect with curious, thoughtful people ✨ * Gain confidence in your reasoning abilities 💪 **How does it work?** * Facilitated practice session (2 hours) with structured exercises ⏱ * Small group discussions (4-6 people) 💬 * Pair work for hands-on practice 🤝 * Individual reflection moments 🧘 * Whole group sharing (optional, not required) 🌟 Everything is timed and guided — you'll know exactly what to do at each stage 📝 **What to expect** Collaborative discovery, without competitive learning. Practicing together, without performing for each other. What happens in the room stays in the room. 🔒 * **Depth**: Beyond small talk, but it's not therapy — we're developing thinking skills 🧠 * **Safety**: Wholesome Agreement principles apply — respect, curiosity, no judgment 🤝 * **Practical**: You'll leave with tools, not just concepts — things you can actually use the next day 🛠️ * **Participation**: These are practice sessions — your active participation creates the learning environment 💬 **Ready to upgrade your thinking skills?** 🌊 Join us for a Wholesome Philosophy practice session and walk away with various thinking tools — it's for anyone who wants to navigate life with a sharper, kinder mind. 🌟 We really hope to see you there! 👋 **About Deeper Connections** We have a mission at Deeper Connections to improve the quality of people's lives through conversation. All our events are centred around the concept of connecting deeply, because we believe we all deserve to be seen, felt and understood for who we really are. To have the 'deeper conversation' approach when relating with others can change our lives and can change the world. **Our Values** * **Respect:** Treat everyone with kindness and consideration. ❤️ * **Open-mindedness:** Be open to different perspectives and ideas. 🧠💡 * **Active Participation:** Share your thoughts and engage in meaningful discussions. 🗣️💬 **Staying in touch** Interested in finding out about all the events sooner than on Meetup or staying in touch beyond the events, you can join our WhatsApp channel and community using 👉🏽 [Deeper Connections WhatsApp Channel](https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb6CBAdIN9ijrEYdv33z) 👉🏽 [Deeper Connections WhatsApp Community](https://chat.whatsapp.com/EqGsmF3021RKTwBpGcuR80)

Vibe Coding Collective is teaming up with **ElevenLabs** & **Lovable** to push the boundaries of sound-first vibe coded apps. For one night, we’re getting full access to their tech to explore what’s possible when vibe coding meets voice and music generation. PLEASE JOIN THE WAITING LIST TO BE ACCEPTED =) Whether you want to build a voice-controlled game, an AI storyteller, or a children’s app, this is your playground. Use any tools you like (Lovable, Google AI Studio, v0, Cursor, Replit…) and plug in ElevenLabs' power. 🍻 👉 **Join our WhatsApp Chat**: [https://chat.whatsapp.com/BxLUpQMiXwo6d1vG7YSirT](https://chat.whatsapp.com/BxLUpQMiXwo6d1vG7YSirT) \#\# Format 🛠️ We’ll be teaming up in small groups (2–3 people). We'll provide a specific "Voice & Vibe" challenge, then it’s heads-down building. The goal is to **vibe, experiment with sound, and see how voice and music changes the way we interact with vibe coding**. ## New to vibe coding or voice tech? ✨ No worries! We’ll provide a special **ElevenLabs Starter Kit** with API recipes and prompt examples so even total beginners can get an AI talking in minutes. ## Schedule 🕒 *(Aim to arrive by 5:50 PM so we can get your API access sorted!)* * 6:00 – ElevenLabs Presentation & Tech Demo * 6:20 – The Challenge + Team Formation 🤝 * 6:30 – Round 1: Build & Hear 💻 * 7:00 – Break (Grab a drink, hear what others are cooking) 🍺 * 7:15 – Round 2: Polish & Play 🏗️ * 7:50 – The "Vibe Check" Demos 📺 (Show/Hear what you built!) * 8:10 – Hang out, network, make friends ✌️ ## Who is it for? Anyone! Curious coders, GameDevs, artists, musicians, sound designers, voice actors, entrepreneurs. If you’ve ever wanted to talk to your computer (and have it talk back), you belong here. ## What to bring: * Laptop! 💻 * Headphones (Essential for testing those voice vibes!) 🎧 * Vibes ⚡ ## Location 📍 London College of Political Technology Newspeak House 133-135 Bethnal Green Road London E2 7DG 👉 No gatekeeping. No silence (this time). Just new voices and friends!

Join other experienced and aspiring agile coaches and professionals to: * develop and practice your coaching skills in a peer-to-peer environment * share current successes and challenges in your work environment and get support from each other * learn from each other, build better relationships and experiment with new ideas

#### Turning Rentals Into Income: How Investors Pay Off Properties Faster #### **Featuring Guest Speaker: John Blackburn** **👉 Get your FREE TICKET [HERE](https://www.eventbrite.com/e/turning-rentals-into-income-how-investors-pay-off-properties-faster-tickets-1980492192461?aff=cicmeetupapp)** #### A lot of people get into real estate because they want freedom. Then they buy a rental…and realize most of the rent goes straight to the bank. They technically own property, but the mortgage controls the income. And waiting 30 years for properties to be paid off doesn’t feel realistic. This meetup is about understanding a different way to think about rental properties… one that focuses on paying them off sooner so the income is actually usable. **Featured Guest Speaker: John Blackburn** We’re excited to welcome John Blackburn as our guest speaker for this event. John has been actively investing in real estate since 2006 and has: * Been involved in **5,000+ real estate transactions** * Helped investors **acquire over $150 million in rental property** * **Raised more than $100 million** in private capital John didn’t start with family money or shortcuts. He built his portfolio by focusing on clear systems, real numbers, and long-term strategy. For this meetup, John will walk through how investors shift their focus from simply owning rentals to building properties that eventually pay them…without a mortgage attached. **What You’ll Learn** John will break down, in simple terms: * Why most rental properties don’t produce much usable income early on * Why buying more rentals isn’t always the answer * How investors structure their properties to pay off mortgages in a fraction of the time * How properties can work together to eliminate debt faster * What changes once rentals become free and clear This approach is often referred to as an accelerated paydown strategy — using rental income intentionally to reduce debt sooner, rather than waiting decades for mortgages to run their course. John will also share a simple calculator you can use to see how this works with real numbers and realistic scenarios. **The Core Idea** When a rental has a mortgage, the rent has one job: **pay the bank.** When a rental is paid off, the rent has a different job: **pay you.** Most people only see one timeline…30 years. This session shows how investors shorten that timeline and gradually increase their income as properties become free and clear. **Who This Event Is For** This event is for people who want more than just “owning rentals” on paper. * Rental owners who are tired of most of the rent going to the bank and want a clearer path to real, usable income * New investors who want to understand how rental properties actually build wealth over time before jumping in * People with capital who want to invest in real estate with intention and a long-term plan * Anyone serious about freedom and curious how rental properties transition from debt-heavy assets into income-producing ones **Event Details** **Location:** Ohio Brewing Company - 421 E 2nd Ave, Columbus, OH 43201 **Date & Time:** January 25th, 6–8 PM (Doors open at 5:30) **Cost:** Free (Seats are limited - RSVP required) **👉 Get your FREE TICKET [HERE](https://www.eventbrite.com/e/turning-rentals-into-income-how-investors-pay-off-properties-faster-tickets-1980492192461?aff=cicmeetupapp)** If you’ve ever wondered how rental properties actually turn into freedom —this is the room to be in.

Bring your business cards and network in person with other business professionals! Gold Star Referral Clubs is one of the most established professional networking organizations in the country, with multiple groups in central Ohio. Join us!

WQC has weekly Thursday night social nights at the Westerville Java Central. Come and grab a coffee and connect with the community: low stakes, chill environment, and tasty drinks. No registration is required; come as you are.

Connected Westerville Night of Networking flips the script on networking, with surprises and connections that'll make you say, "Who knew networking could be this much fun?!"

Join the Columbus AI community for our quarterly gathering — a casual, community-focused evening where everyone has a chance to share, learn, and connect. These open mic–style events give anyone in the community up to **5 minutes** to present a project, share a tool, pose a question, or offer a perspective on the evolving AI space. No slides required — just a welcoming space to exchange ideas and keep the local AI conversation moving. If you’d like to take the stage, message **Chris (the organizer)** with a **title and short description** of what you’d like to share. 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.transformlabs.com/services)