On Thursday, June 4, 2026, Bodegas TV will officially launch bodegas.tv—New York City’s first captive-audience in-store video network—at the Bodega & Small Business Innovation Summit, an official event of #NYTechWeek 2026. The Summit runs from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM at Stuyvesant Yacht Club in the Bronx.
Co-hosted by the Bodega & Small Business Group (BSBG), Tech Ranch, and Angeles Investors, the Summit will convene 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.
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 reaches the Latino and urban communities that drive an estimated $45 billion in annual spending through NYC’s corner store ecosystem. The official launch at NYTechWeek marks the beginning of a planned expansion to 500 bodegas by end of 2026, and 2,000 bodegas within three years.
Summit programming will explore four pillars of bodega modernization, all anchored in the “Sovereign Bodega” thesis—modernization without displacement, technology without erasure: Media Tech & AI (transforming storefronts into hyper-local media hubs through decentralized broadcasting and intelligent automation), FinTech (deploying integrated financial systems and frictionless micro-payments that unlock new revenue streams for small businesses), Security (AI-powered ambient systems that protect assets while enhancing the customer experience), and Infrastructure (synchronizing inventory, data, and content across distributed physical locations).
Confirmed panelists include Andre Ureña (Co-Founder & Chairman, Centro AI; Founder, Latin American Professional Alliance), Milbert Kiggundu-Bentham (Co-Founder & CEO, Alvix Advisory; former Bank of America executive), Samira O. (Founder, Building Experimental AI Products; AI strategy background spanning Amazon, Scale AI, MIT, and UPenn), Charlie Barnet (Co-Founder, World Mobile; built family telecom to $100M+ revenue), Arabel Alva Rosales (President & CEO, AAR Tech; former Acting Chairman of Chicago Transit Authority), Jean Michael Lif (Co-Founder, RDÉ; Harvard-trained policy analyst), Guillermo “Will” DeJesus (Co-Founder & CFO, Negozee), Mohamed Toure (Data Scientist, Shopify), and Riya Goel (Investment Banker, Bank of America; Founder, Barnard Investment Group).
“Corner stores have always been more than a place to shop—they are community anchors and, for many families, the first face of entrepreneurship. This collaboration brings together the operators, builders, and investors who understand that deeply. Bodegas TV exists to make sure technology serves the people who built these communities,” said Maria Probert of Bodegas TV.
This initiative matters because it directly addresses the digital divide and economic empowerment of immigrant and minority-owned small businesses. By integrating smart screens and AI into bodegas, the network creates new revenue streams for owners while preserving the cultural fabric of neighborhoods. The implications extend beyond advertising: the platform could enable financial inclusion, enhanced security, and data-driven inventory management, potentially transforming thousands of corner stores into modern retail hubs without erasing their identity. As bodegas collectively generate $45 billion annually, this network could become a powerful tool for economic mobility and community resilience.
