The Bronx Summit is coming back to Mott Haven for a fifth year on September 26, bringing local entrepreneurs, creatives, and one formerly incarcerated media mogul under the same roof at DREAM Charter High School. The daylong event, running from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., will spotlight a live business pitch competition offering $1,500 in seed funding, alongside panels, vendors, and a headline appearance by Wallace Peeples, better known as Wallo267.
Cofounders Jason Acosta and Kevin Brooks, who also cohost the Live From The Bronx podcast, built the event from a single 2022 gathering into what organizers now bill as an annual borough tradition, according to amNewYork. The pair first launched it as the All the Way Up Bronx Summit on May 13, 2022, as an offshoot of that same media brand, per the Jason Acosta Blog. That inaugural version was designed to connect local talent with established leaders across fashion, technology, finance, and entertainment.
Brooks told amNewYork the event has become something people look forward to, while Acosta said many people now want to have a role in the summit itself. This year, the pair opened a speaker application to diversify the panel lineup, and the result is more than 15 panelists and speakers covering tech, fashion, mental health, media, culinary arts, and other creative industries. Attendees, who must be at least 21, can expect live music, a DJ, interactive activations, local food and drink vendors, and networking time built into the schedule, the outlet's report notes.
A $1,500 Pitch, and a Headliner Who Did 20 Years
The centerpiece of the day is the business pitch competition, where up to four finalists get three minutes each to pitch their idea live to a panel of borough business leaders, with the winner walking away with a $1,500 seed grant, according to Capital Klub. The competition is aimed at entrepreneurs working in the Bronx's creative economy or social impact sectors, tying the contest directly to the borough's broader hustle culture.
Headlining the summit is Peeples, an entrepreneur and motivational speaker who cohosts Barstool Sports' Million Dollaz Worth of Game podcast. Peeples spent 20 years in prison for armed robbery before his 2017 release, after which he built a multi-million-dollar media career and went on to serve as Chief Marketing Officer for REFORM Alliance, according to Complex. He has since leaned into that personal redemption story to advocate for criminal justice reform and economic empowerment.
A Panelist Building the Nation's First Hip-Hop High School
Among the featured panelists is Jason Reyes, principal of the newly opened Bronx School of Hip-Hop, which amNewYork describes as the nation's first hip-hop public high school. The school was approved by the NYC Department of Education in December 2025 and opened its doors this September at 1600 Webster Ave. in Claremont, per the Bronx Times. The curriculum weaves hip-hop history, music production, and elements of urban culture into standard academic coursework.
That curriculum was co-created with Columbia University Teachers College professor Christopher Emdin, who incorporated his reality pedagogy model to treat urban youth culture as an instructional asset in math and literacy, according to Teachers College Columbia University. Emdin's framework trains teachers to treat students' lived experiences as key educational tools rather than obstacles.
Inside the Former Icehouse Hosting the Summit
DREAM Charter High School, the summit's host site at 20 Bruckner Blvd., sits inside a 200,000-square-foot former icehouse built 120 years ago by Yankee Stadium developer Jacob Ruppert. The building was redesigned by architect Sir David Adjaye and reopened as a school in January 2023, according to DREAM Charter Schools. The Mott Haven facility now accommodates 1,300 students and features murals created by legendary Bronx graffiti group Tats Cru.
The summit's return also lands amid efforts to support Bronx entrepreneurship. Micro-loans and local business incubators have since targeted commercial hubs in neighborhoods like Mott Haven and Hunts Point.
Creative Jobs Are Shrinking Even as Local Startups Grow
That local momentum contrasts with a tougher citywide picture for creative workers. A December 2025 report by the Center for an Urban Future found that New York City's creative sector faces post-pandemic contraction, with film and television jobs down 19.1% and graphic design jobs down 13.8% since 2020. Shrinking corporate opportunities in traditional arts industries have made local pitch grants and peer networking events more crucial for creatives trying to stay afloat.
The summit's mission also echoes borough-wide policy efforts. In June 2026, the Bronx Economic Development Corporation and community coalition Our Bronx released the borough's first-ever Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy, supported by a grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration, according to Norwood News. That initiative establishes prioritized development targets focused on sustainable growth, local job creation, and small business support.
Acosta, a South Bronx native who grew up in the New York City foster care system, manages media initiatives aimed at elevating local creative talent, a throughline that runs to the summit stage he built with Brooks. Tickets for the September 26 event start at $30.
