Innovate for Impact (IFI) NYC 2026 - The Power of Human Connection
Register for the Morning Main Program — Monday, September 21, 2026 · 9:00 AM–1:00 PM ET
Six interconnected conversations. One central question: can innovation make us more connected — to each other, to ourselves, to the places we experience and to the planet?
Innovate for Impact NYC 2026 brings together business leaders, innovators, entrepreneurs, investors, institutions and changemakers during New York Climate Week for an open morning program exploring The Power of Human Connection.
Leaders from across industries, disciplines and perspectives come together for a morning that moves from the places we experience to the communities we build, our capacity to thrive, what humans should learn, the technologies reshaping our lives and the future those choices create.
Across travel and hospitality, sport and entertainment, health and wellbeing, learning, artificial intelligence, infrastructure, energy and investment, the morning asks not only what innovation makes possible — but what it enables us to become.
Now in its 3rd Edition.
WHAT YOUR REGISTRATION INCLUDES
This registration covers the open morning main program only: 9:00 AM–1:00 PM ET at The Loft at Virgin Hotels New York City.
MORNING AGENDA AND THE LINE-UP
9:00 – 9:10 AM · Opening — The Power of Human Connection
Cristina Calvo — CEO, Overview Effect
9:10 – 9:50 AM · The Places That Connect Us
Reimagining travel through people, place & nature
Radha Balani — Expert Partner, Strategy & Leadership, Think Beyond (moderator)
Olivia Korchagin — Founder & Music Curator, LIV KAT
Dr Amber Carter — Marine social-ecological scientist & Postdoctoral Resilience Fellow, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Hector Zapata — CEO & Founder, Tripping Cool
9:50 – 10:30 AM · The Experiences That Unite Us
How sports, culture & entertainment can mobilize communities for impact
Radha Balani — Expert Partner, Strategy & Leadership, Think Beyond (moderator)
Rishi Jain — Director of Impact, Liverpool FC
Dr Sam Paine — Senior Consultant, Think Beyond
Cheryl Slean — Director of US Program, Climate Spring
Lorine Pendleton — Founding Partner, 125 Ventures
Pete Stuart — Sr. Managing Director, Impact Strategy, NASCAR
10:35 – 11:10 AM · The Future of Well-Being
How travel, hospitality & destinations are being redesigned around health, longevity and human connection
Cristina Calvo — CEO, Overview Effect (moderator)
Susan McPherson — Founder, CEO and Author, McPherson Strategies
Ornella Nicolacci — Founder, Living Ayni
Michella Metzler — Founder & CEO, OYA.health
11:10 – 11:45 AM · The Humans We Are Becoming
Rethinking learning, skills & human potential in the age of AI
Prosper A. Amuquandoh — Global Energy Professional and AI Governance Fellow, Harvard University (moderator)
Dr Heather MacCleoud — Founder & CEO, Impact Sphere Global
Liz Gallo — Founder & CEO, WhyMaker
Jigyasa Labroo — Co-Founder and CEO, Slam Out Loud
11:45 AM – 12:20 PM · Can Technology Make Us More Human?
AI, trust, health & human agency in a world being rewritten
Sel Watts — Founder & CEO, wattsnextpx (moderator)
Hrishabh Sandilya — Co-Director, European Philanthropic Initiative for Migration
Dr Kellee M. Franklin — Board of Advisors, ION Video
Shilpi Nayak — Founder & General Partner, 434 VC
Daniella Foster — SVP & Global Head of Public Affairs, Market Access and Sustainability, Bayer Consumer Health
Paul Manwell — CEO & Co-founder, Archimetis AI
12:20 – 12:55 PM · The Future We Choose
Building a world where innovation, prosperity & planet can thrive together
Jody Weiss — Founder, Women Funding the World (moderator)
Hadia Sheerazi — Senior Fellow, Constructive
Steve Melhuish — Founding Partner, 100x100
Livio Scalvini — Executive Director of the Leonardo Centre & Professor of Impact Finance, Imperial College London
Ge Yu — Founder, ANNDERSTAND
Simona Ceci — Founder and Principal, Dara Strategies
12:55 – 1:00 PM · Closing — Where It All Connects
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
This program is designed for leaders, founders, investors, innovators, policymakers, creatives and changemakers interested in the intersection of business, technology, human experience and planetary impact.
Registration is open and confirmed automatically. Capacity at The Loft is limited, so we recommend registering early.
ORGANIZERS AND PARTNERS
Presented by: Rise & Shine Foundation
Produced by: Overview Effect
Event Partner: Singapore Global Network
Supporting Partner: Green My Experience
Join us for a morning of ideas, perspectives and human connections that cross industries and move from conversation toward action.
Singapore Global Network communications are optional and collected separately during registration. Singapore Global Network Privacy Statement: https://singaporeglobalnetwork.gov.sg/privacy-statement/
#InnovateForImpact #IFI2026 #PowerOfHumanConnection #ClimateWeekNYC #SustainableInnovation #HumanCenteredAI #ImpactLeadership #ClimateAction