Our Events
Join us for walks, workshops, and hackathons built around community and AI. RSVP directly here or find us on Luma / Meetup.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Everyone tells you AI will transform your business. Almost no one shows you how to point it at the one thing that actually pays the bills: finding customers. Most AI sessions leave you with a notebook full of ideas and nothing running when you get home. This one is built the opposite way. You will walk out with a working lead generation system that you set up yourself, during the session, using free or easily accessible AI tools. This workshop is brought to you by Community Innovations Foundation (CIF), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit helping under-served communities turn AI into lasting economic advantage, are running this hands-on workshop together. The focus is not AI in the abstract, but on your business, your customers, and a system you own and can keep using. What You'll Build: Your AI Toolkit: Using free AI tools that capture and organize leads, set up live so it is working before you leave the room. A Capture-to-Contact Flow: A simple, repeatable path that turns an interested visitor into a contact you own, not a name trapped inside someone else's app. The Driver's Seat, Not the Passenger's: How to direct the AI and check its output, so the system works for how you run your business instead of a generic template. Meet our presenters: Dailin Hu Dailin is the Founder and Board Chair of CIF. She is a Senior Applied Scientist at Blizzard Entertainment, where she builds AI systems at scale, before that she was in a PhD program focusing on AI research at UC Irvine. She started CIF on a simple conviction: the people who stand to gain the most from AI are too often the last to get practical, hands-on access to it. Through workshops like this one, she helps small business owners skip the hype and put AI to work on the problems that actually move their business. Mike Boccieri Mike Boccieri is a production leader with 20 years shipping multi-platform titles in the games industry and 25+ years building interactive products, and a member of CIF's board of directors. His work involves taking complex technical chaos and turning it into clear, actionable momentum, aligning the granular details of a project with the people who have to execute it. Whether rescuing a project in trouble, untangling organizational bottlenecks, or scaling a AAA title, he specializes in turning ambiguous, high-pressure situations into focused teams that deliver.
PAST EVENTS
Together, SCORE OC and CIF are helping small business owners move beyond AI talk and start building something practical for their own business. During this 2-hour working session, you will be guided step-by-step as you begin creating a lead generation engine using free tools available from Google. No software purchase or installation is required. Just bring your laptop, information about your business, and access to your Google account.
Soul Fest is a Juneteenth celebration hosted by the Microsoft Black Gaming Community, rooted in collective liberation, community and the soul of creativity. This event is both a celebration and a moment to reflect, connect and uplift one another. CIF is participating as an vendor exhibit, come visit our table and celebrate!
Bring your real questions. Leave with real answers. Join us for a free monthly virtual session where small business owners get hands-on help putting AI to work. Whether you're trying to write better marketing copy, generate leads, save time on admin, or just figure out where to start, this is your space to ask anything and work through it live. What to expect: Live Q&A: ask about any AI tool, prompt, or challenge you're facing Real examples you can copy and adapt to your own business A look at our free prompt library and how to use it A friendly, judgment-free room of fellow business owners Who it's for: Small business owners and entrepreneurs at any level, from total beginners to those already experimenting with AI. Come with a question, a problem, or just curiosity. We'll take it from there.
CIF is partnering with SCORE Orange County to offer a hands-on workshop where small business owners can learn how to build their own AI-powered lead generation engine. This session will cover the basics of AI, how to set up and use tools like Gemini, and practical strategies for generating leads and growing your business using AI.
CIF is partnering with SCORE Orange County to offer a hands-on workshop where small business owners can learn how to build their own AI-powered lead generation engine. This session will cover the basics of AI, how to set up and use tools like Gemini, and practical strategies for generating leads and growing your business using AI.
CIF is partnering with SCORE Orange County to offer a hands-on workshop where small business owners can learn how to build their own AI-powered lead generation engine. This session will cover the basics of AI, how to set up and use tools like Gemini, and practical strategies for generating leads and growing your business using AI.
The OC Business Expo welcomes entrepreneurs, tech innovators, investors, and business leaders for an evening of connection and opportunity. Featuring keynote insights, a dynamic fireside chat, 150+ exhibitors, and access to TAVAN resources designed to help businesses grow, scale, and thrive.
![[OCIACC] OC BUSINESS EXPO 2026](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fuav0habyxnnv9zwb.public.blob.vercel-storage.com%2Fevents%2Foc-business-expo-2026.png&w=3840&q=75)
Hands-on, beginner-friendly session where participants learn to build simple AI-powered applications and creative projects. No coding experience required!
Are you a small business owner or operator looking to maximize your business efficiency? Join us for an interactive workshop designed to demystify Generative AI for local businesses! In this session, our goal is to provide immediate value using Google Gemini. You will not just be listening; you will be doing! We want to ensure every participant is able to replicate the workshop contents on their own laptop. 7:00-7:45pm: Workshop 7:45-8:00pm: Q&A session 8:00-9:00pm: Open Networking
Come take a screen break and talk to others who share your interest in AI. Find out what other people are using it for, whether it's content, coding, school, small business, creative experiments, or daily life... and you might leave with a few new tricks (and a new friend)! All experience levels, identities & ages welcome :)
Learn how to set up and run large language models (LLMs) on your personal computer in this hands-on workshop. Participants will gain practical skills to harness the power of AI locally.
Step out and connect! Join us for a walk-and-talk that blends fresh air with fresh ideas. Everyone's welcome.
Step out and connect! Join us for a walk-and-talk that blends fresh air with fresh ideas. Everyone's welcome.
Step out and connect! Join us for a walk-and-talk that blends fresh air with fresh ideas. Everyone's welcome.