Living Cities CEO pushes for equitable capital at Fast Company summit

Living Cities CEO Joe Scantlebury used Fast Company's Impact Council annual meeting in New York to argue that innovation and long-term competitiveness depend on directing capital to overlooked communities. He said inclusive investment is key to stronger economies and broader prosperity as leaders debated America's future edge.

Why it matters: - Scantlebury tied equitable investment to economic growth, innovation, and long-term U.S. competitiveness. - The message lands as policymakers and business leaders debate how to sustain innovation and who benefits from it. - Living Cities framed the issue as a capital-allocation problem with direct effects on income and wealth gaps.

What happened: - Living Cities CEO Joe Scantlebury spoke on the mainstage at Fast Company's annual Impact Council meeting in New York. - Scantlebury joined Jean-Claude Brizard of Digital Promise and Deirdre White of Pyxera Global on the panel “Rebuilding America's Competitive Edge.” - Fast Company Editor-in-Chief Brendan Vaughan moderated the session. - Scantlebury is an Impact Council member and a regular contributor to Fast Company.

The details: - Scantlebury drew on Living Cities' 35 years of work expanding access to capital and advancing economic mobility. - He argued that inclusive investment helps foster innovation, strengthen economies, and support broader prosperity. - Scantlebury said the country should rethink how capital flows and who benefits from it. - He said America’s future competitiveness depends on investing in communities that have long been overlooked. - Scantlebury said, “Who and where we choose to invest in is part of the solution.” - Scantlebury added, “There's innovation everywhere in this country. There's innovation in every city. The question is whether the capital will follow and sustain the investments.” - Fast Company said this year's theme, “The United States of Innovation,” was held on the eve of America's 250th anniversary. - The meeting examined the role innovation has played in U.S. economic leadership and what is needed to sustain it in a more competitive global market. - Living Cities describes itself as an Action Engine for Equitable Cities, a collaborative of philanthropic foundations and financial institutions working to close income and wealth gaps. - Living Cities said its members, partners, and city-leader network work through knowledge sharing and collective action to address barriers to capital investment. - Living Cities said its work focuses on policy and systems changes nationwide and on profitable, inclusive wealth-building. - More information is available at Living Cities.

Between the lines: - Scantlebury's comments pushed the discussion beyond innovation as a tech or startup issue and toward the systems that decide where money goes. - The panel's framing suggests executives are increasingly treating equitable access to capital as a competitiveness strategy, not only a social goal. - Fast Company's theme and panel title positioned the conversation around national economic leadership, with equity presented as part of that equation.

What's next: - Living Cities is likely to keep advancing its capital-access and economic-mobility agenda through member collaboration and policy work. - The broader debate over equitable investment will continue as leaders look for ways to expand innovation without concentrating its benefits in a few places. - Fast Company's Impact Council will continue serving as a venue for executives and founders to shape conversations about innovation and progress.