Bodegas TV launched NYC's first in-store video network, bodegas.tv, on June 4, 2026, at the #NYTechWeek Bodega & Small Business Innovation Summit. The Summit took place from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM at Stuyvesant Yacht Club, 10 Centre St., The Bronx. Co-hosted by the Bodega & Small Business Group (BSBG) and Cortes Global Equity Partners, the event convened over 100 NYC bodega owners, startup founders, investors, and technologists to explore what organizers call the “Sovereign Bodega” framework—modernizing the corner store’s digital infrastructure without displacing the cultural identity that makes bodegas essential to their communities.
The summit’s programming centered on four pillars of bodega modernization, all anchored in the “Sovereign Bodega” thesis: modernization without displacement, technology without erasure. Panels covered Media Tech & AI, FinTech, Security, and Infrastructure. Panelists included Andre Ureña, Co-Founder & Chairman of Centro AI; Milbert Kiggundu-Bentham, Co-Founder & CEO of Alvix Advisory; Samira O., Founder of Building Experimental AI Products; Charlie Barnet, Co-Founder of World Mobile; Arabel Alva Rosales, J.D., President & CEO of AAR Tech; Jean Michael Lif, Co-Founder of RDÉ; Riya Goel, Investment Banker at Bank of America; and Steve Yanovsky, Founder of Brand Alchemy. Yanovsky, a media innovation veteran who led digital strategies for Apple, ESPN, and Pepsi, co-founded DriverTV, the automotive industry’s first contextual video-on-demand network acquired by NBCUniversal.
“Our bodegas are always open. They are the ones who are building relationships, community, and they are the ones creating jobs,” said Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson. Carlos Collado of the National Supermarket Association, Bodega and Small Business Association, added, “Technology is something we can all integrate into our businesses. We are in every corner and we are here to stay.” Ozzie Cortes of Cortes Global Equity Partners said, “Bodegas are institutions that are highly community focused. I care because I’m a member of the world community, and I support small businesses. I’m amazed by the level of support from all the participants and bodega owners and people who are part of Tech Week, and the amount of commitment and resolve to protect bodegas. People really love and care about bodegas, this is the beginning for bodegas to involve more technology.”
Bodegas TV is a smart-screen video network deploying inside NYC’s bodegas, delivering hyper-local media, advertising campaigns, and AI-curated content directly to the point of purchase. The network targets Latino and urban communities, contributing to $45 billion in annual spending in NYC's corner stores. The launch at NYTechWeek marks the beginning of a planned expansion to 500 bodegas by end of 2026, and 2,000 bodegas within three years. For more information, visit bodegas.tv.
