The Economic Club of New York announced the winners of the third annual Innovation and Social Impact Challenge. The Innovation and Social Impact Challenge was created in 2022 in celebration of the Club’s 115th anniversary as the premier platform for non-partisan discussion dedicated to connecting the world’s brightest minds for the conversations that shape our future.

“The Innovation and Social Impact Challenge is closely aligned with our mission,” states Barbara Van Allen, President and CEO of the Economic Club of New York, “which is to serve as a catalyst for innovative ideas and thoughts, leveraging our platform to introduce impactful content into the wider business and economic communities.”

This year, the Challenge was presented to the Club’s Class of 2024 Fellows with four themes to choose from: Artificial Intelligence, Corporate Governance, NYC Challenge, and/or Energy Independence. The eight participating teams and individuals brought forward concepts that can benefit not only New York or the United States, but also the broader community and humankind. The 2024 judges included Club Trustees Dan Neff [Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz], Reshma Saujani [Girls Who Code & Moms First], Club President and CEO Barbara Van Allen, and ECNY Member Janice Ellig [Ellig Group].

At the Club's Signature Luncheon with Ken Griffin, CEO of Citadel, on November 21, 2024, two projects were recognized as the 2024 Innovation and Social Impact Challenge Winners:

• 1st Place – Sahana Athreya [Navigator AI], for her work on “Implementation of Ethics in AI Warfare.”
• 2nd Place – Sahana Athreya [Navigator AI], Derby Chukwudi [J.P. Morgan Asset Management], and Rahmila Nadi [Harvard University] for their work on "Harnessing AI in Finance to Enhance Decision-making, Productivity, Risk Analysis and Regulatory Compliance."

The Economic Club of New York’s 2024 Innovation and Social Impact Challenge winners will go on to receive a monetary prize, an additional donation to a charity of their choice, and the potential to see their proposals come to fruition.