Inclusive Growth Summit 2025: Innovation, AI, and Economic Resilience
Whether they're shaping public policy, developing technology, launching companies, or strengthening communities, the 400 leaders who came together in Washington, D.C., for the 2025 Global Inclusive Growth Summit were united by a shared objective: to discover new ways to expand access to opportunity and enhance resilience for everyone.
“No one has exclusive rights to innovation,” said Shamina Singh, founder and president of Mastercard's Center for Inclusive Growth, the organization behind the annual summit. “When we pull the best insights from nonprofits, businesses, creatives, futurists, and historians alike, we can find meaningful solutions, take action, and drive change.”
Throughout the event, participants explored a range of ideas — from advancing economic inclusion to fostering trust in digital technologies, particularly AI, to embracing authenticity as a leadership strength.
Andy Kuper, CEO and founder of LeapFrog Investments, emphasized the power of inclusive digital models: “The future belongs to businesses that engage vast numbers of people through small but frequent transactions. We shouldn’t view poverty as a problem to avoid, but rather recognize the opportunity to empower billions of emerging consumers — generating both profit and positive impact.”
Linda Kirkpatrick, Mastercard’s president for the Americas, spoke to the momentum in financial technology: “This moment is exciting because it brings together the stability of traditional finance and the agility of modern digital tools. Our global infrastructure can now support and scale even emerging digital currencies.”
Andrea Jung, president and CEO of Grameen America, highlighted how modest investments can spark meaningful change: “People often ask what $2,500 can do in the U.S. The answer? Launch a business. We’ve seen over 240,000 cases where this funding didn’t just provide stability — it created upward mobility.”
Lisa Plaggemier, executive director of the National Cybersecurity Alliance, addressed the need to demystify cybersecurity for small businesses: “We help entrepreneurs understand and plan for cyber risks just like they would for any other threat. A recent Mastercard study revealed that nearly half of small businesses had suffered a cyberattack, and one in five ended up closing or filing for bankruptcy afterward.”
The summit also showcased the Mastercard Strive Marketplace, which featured small and micro businesses using data-driven digital tools to promote inclusive economic growth.
Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince shared optimism about AI’s protective role in cybersecurity: “With access to vast internet data and machine learning, we’re detecting threats that would otherwise go unnoticed. In the AI era, data is power — and the good guys have more of it.”
Navrina Singh, founder and CEO of Credo AI, advocated for ethical frameworks in AI development: “Terms like ‘governance’ and ‘guardrails’ may sound restrictive, but they’re crucial to making AI applications trustworthy. It’s not just about humans trusting AI — with autonomous agents, we also need AI systems to trust one another.”
Danielle Holly of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation discussed rethinking design through a regenerative lens: “The circular economy isn’t just about waste — it’s about reimagining how products are created. AI is helping us retrain the workforce to think about multiple lifecycles when designing goods.”
Pat Smith, CEO of Pat Smith Enterprises, spoke about the democratizing force of the creator economy: “Social media can seem overwhelming, but you don’t need fancy tools to get started. Everyone has something valuable to share — use what you’ve got.”
Finally, Rich Lesser, global chair of Boston Consulting Group, emphasized authenticity and trust as leadership essentials: “Effective leaders welcome critical thinking and tough questions. Skepticism fuels progress. But cynicism — doubting people’s intentions — erodes trust. Resilient leadership starts with earning that trust through genuine actions.”
“No one has exclusive rights to innovation,” said Shamina Singh, founder and president of Mastercard's Center for Inclusive Growth, the organization behind the annual summit. “When we pull the best insights from nonprofits, businesses, creatives, futurists, and historians alike, we can find meaningful solutions, take action, and drive change.”
Throughout the event, participants explored a range of ideas — from advancing economic inclusion to fostering trust in digital technologies, particularly AI, to embracing authenticity as a leadership strength.
Andy Kuper, CEO and founder of LeapFrog Investments, emphasized the power of inclusive digital models: “The future belongs to businesses that engage vast numbers of people through small but frequent transactions. We shouldn’t view poverty as a problem to avoid, but rather recognize the opportunity to empower billions of emerging consumers — generating both profit and positive impact.”
Linda Kirkpatrick, Mastercard’s president for the Americas, spoke to the momentum in financial technology: “This moment is exciting because it brings together the stability of traditional finance and the agility of modern digital tools. Our global infrastructure can now support and scale even emerging digital currencies.”
Andrea Jung, president and CEO of Grameen America, highlighted how modest investments can spark meaningful change: “People often ask what $2,500 can do in the U.S. The answer? Launch a business. We’ve seen over 240,000 cases where this funding didn’t just provide stability — it created upward mobility.”
Lisa Plaggemier, executive director of the National Cybersecurity Alliance, addressed the need to demystify cybersecurity for small businesses: “We help entrepreneurs understand and plan for cyber risks just like they would for any other threat. A recent Mastercard study revealed that nearly half of small businesses had suffered a cyberattack, and one in five ended up closing or filing for bankruptcy afterward.”
The summit also showcased the Mastercard Strive Marketplace, which featured small and micro businesses using data-driven digital tools to promote inclusive economic growth.
Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince shared optimism about AI’s protective role in cybersecurity: “With access to vast internet data and machine learning, we’re detecting threats that would otherwise go unnoticed. In the AI era, data is power — and the good guys have more of it.”
Navrina Singh, founder and CEO of Credo AI, advocated for ethical frameworks in AI development: “Terms like ‘governance’ and ‘guardrails’ may sound restrictive, but they’re crucial to making AI applications trustworthy. It’s not just about humans trusting AI — with autonomous agents, we also need AI systems to trust one another.”
Danielle Holly of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation discussed rethinking design through a regenerative lens: “The circular economy isn’t just about waste — it’s about reimagining how products are created. AI is helping us retrain the workforce to think about multiple lifecycles when designing goods.”
Pat Smith, CEO of Pat Smith Enterprises, spoke about the democratizing force of the creator economy: “Social media can seem overwhelming, but you don’t need fancy tools to get started. Everyone has something valuable to share — use what you’ve got.”
Finally, Rich Lesser, global chair of Boston Consulting Group, emphasized authenticity and trust as leadership essentials: “Effective leaders welcome critical thinking and tough questions. Skepticism fuels progress. But cynicism — doubting people’s intentions — erodes trust. Resilient leadership starts with earning that trust through genuine actions.”
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