About this event
Most owners and operators know AI could help. They just don't know where to point it. This is a hands-on clinic. Come with your AI strategy questions and your blockers, and we'll work through them live.
John Xu (founder of Spatial Labs) and Adam Stinson (founder of Dark Horse Growth) run the room for Orange County service-business owners and operators. First we'll show you what good looks like, with real before/after AI workflows pulled from actual businesses. Then we open the floor. Bring a strategy question or a blocker, we'll diagnose it and sketch the AI fix live, and OCAI's ambassadors will be in the room to weigh in.
What to expect
- Three real before/after AI workflows for service businesses: lead follow-up that never drops a ball, inbound-call triage, proposal and quote drafting, automated review requests
- The Hot Seat. Bring your AI strategy question or your biggest blocker and we'll work it on the spot. No slides, no theory.
- A clear sense of what's worth automating in your business right now, and what isn't
- Straight talk on the tools, and what it really costs and takes to get there
- Drinks, and a room full of OC owners and operators worth knowing
Who should come
- Owners and operators of service businesses: home services, professional services, agencies, med/dental, real estate, local brands
- Anyone who feels they "should have AI doing this by now" but doesn't know where to start
- Operators trying to grow output without growing headcount
Schedule
- 6:00 PM — Open networking
- 6:30 PM — Three AI workflows that actually earn their keep
- 6:50 PM — The Hot Seat: live strategy and blocker-solving from the room
- 7:30 PM — Your next step + open Q&A
- 7:45 PM — Networking & drinks
- 8:00 PM — Close
Come with one problem
The owners who get the most out of the night are the ones who show up with something specific in mind. An AI strategy you're unsure about. A task that eats your week. A process that keeps breaking. A hire you keep almost making. Bring it. If we solve yours from the stage, you'll leave with a plan. If we don't get to yours, grab John or Adam after. Every attendee can claim a free AI Opportunity Audit: a one-page roadmap of the top three things worth automating in your business, and what they're worth.
Your hosts
John Xu founded Spatial Labs to help businesses put AI to work, turning everyday bottlenecks into automated, reliable workflows. He partners with owners and operators to find the automations that pay off most, then actually build them.
Adam Stinson is the founder of Dark Horse Growth, an agency that builds AI marketing agents for small businesses. A regular OCAI speaker, his hands-on sessions on AI marketing and context engineering have packed rooms across Orange County.
About Orange County AI
Orange County AI is the largest AI community in Orange County. We connect founders, operators, and technologists through events, education, and hands-on collaboration.
The Ticket 500 is Don DiCostanzo's invite-only entrepreneur space in Newport Beach. RSVP is free, but the room is limited (20–30 seats) and subject to approval, so apply via the Free RSVP tier.
Where
When
July 24th, 2026 @ 6:00pm PST