Twenty small-business owners are about to walk away with $5,000 checks apiece, and Grammy winner Kandi Burruss is flying in to talk shop with them. The Teach to Fish North Miami Business Summit returns Monday, Oct. 5, and Tuesday, Oct. 6, marking its fifth consecutive year of connecting entrepreneurs with funding, mentors and each other.
According to official summit materials from teachtofishbusinesssummit.com, the two-day event unfolds at the Hilton Miami Aventura, with a Summit Pass covering both days. The Miami Times likewise identifies Hilton Miami Aventura as the venue for the summit's main events. Either way, the summit has grown from a local gathering into what organizers describe as a regional conference for aspiring and established business owners alike.
An optional Networking Derby kicks things off Sunday, Oct. 4, at NoMi Village, requiring its own separate registration and ticket. Admission to the main event runs $20 for North Miami residents and $35 for everyone else, with an extra $10 tacked on for anyone who wants in on the Kandi Burruss experience, per the same site.
Kandi Burruss Headlines a Conversation on Business and Reinvention
The reality-TV star and Grammy Award winner is set to headline a featured Power & Purpose conversation touching on business ownership, longevity and reinvention, according to the event's official programming. Burruss has written songs for Destiny's Child, Pink, Ariana Grande and Ed Sheeran over the course of her music career, and she later opened a clothing store after deciding to pursue business ventures outside of music, building out additional companies in fashion and beauty products along the way.
Per the seed reporting from the Miami Times, Burruss is expected to discuss building businesses, taking risks and growing a brand across industries, framing the entertainment business as fickle even as she pivoted into other ventures. She reportedly advises new business owners to make and follow a budget, research their ideas thoroughly, trademark their business names, and lock down websites and social media handles before ever announcing a brand.
Pitch Competition Doubles Down on $100,000 in Grants
The summit's live pitch competition returns for its second year after debuting in 2025, when it awarded $100,000 to up-and-coming entrepreneurs. This year's version will hand out 20 separate $5,000 grants, again totaling $100,000, according to teachtofishbusinesssummit.com.
North Miami Vice Mayor Kassandra Timothe, who launched the Teach to Fish summit in 2021 and was elected as District 2's first Black and Haitian councilperson, has said the summit has distributed more than $500,000 in grant awards through the Community Redevelopment Agency since its founding, per the Miami Times. Timothe created the summit after promising would-be entrepreneurs greater access to business answers, and she describes it as a place for people starting, funding or expanding businesses.
Workshops Cover AI, Branding and Legal Basics
Beyond the marquee names, the summit's programming leans practical. Sessions are built around business growth, digital tools, marketing and public-sector opportunities, according to nomibusinesssummit.org. Attendees will have access to CPAs, technical advisors and business attorneys, along with experts in branding and artificial intelligence, and organizers say the event provides one-on-one specialized help alongside broader business resources.
The summit is presented in partnership with the City of North Miami and the North Miami Community Redevelopment Agency, whose members originally suggested holding an annual business education conference. It's billed as serving aspiring entrepreneurs, existing business owners and anyone looking to scale up, and it aims to help attendees learn how to do business with and invest in North Miami specifically.
City Picked Aventura Hotel Over Costlier FIU Venue
The North Miami CRA ratified an agreement with Aventura Hospitality LLC, doing business as Hilton Aventura Hotel, for the summit at a cost not to exceed $66,780 plus applicable taxes and service charges, according to a report from Citizen Portal. City staff reportedly said Florida International University's venue price exceeded $100,000, making the Aventura package — which includes food, receptions, a sponsored closing reception and shuttle service from City Hall for North Miami residents — the lower-cost option.
For entrepreneurs who can't make the summit but still want a hand from the city, North Miami separately offers a free small-business training program limited to city business owners, according to the City of North Miami. The city also runs broader business grants as part of its economic-development efforts, and the North Miami CRA's Business Attraction and Expansion Grant can cover 50% of project costs up to $200,000 for qualifying relocation and expansion expenses, per the North Miami CRA.
