The best AI conversations usually happen off the stage.

We kept noticing the same pattern: the moments people remember most happen after the main event, in smaller rooms, or in conversation with someone who cares just as deeply.

How it started

distilled started with a single tweet and a simple idea: get 10 to 12 people in the same room and see what kind of conversations could emerge.

The response was much bigger than we expected, and what began as a small experiment quickly started to feel like a real community. We're trying to build that feeling, on purpose, for NYC's AI community.

Small by design

The room stays intimate so the conversation can actually go somewhere.

High-signal

Builders, researchers, operators, and investors who care deeply about the work.

Worth returning to

The goal is to leave with energy, sharper ideas, and people you want to see again.