Wharton Club Of DC

Hundreds of leaders attended the Summit at Valo Park, Tysons, on October 1. Many also celebrated innovation thanks to our gracious hosts at the Japanese Embassy on October 2.

These are a few of the many positive comments we received from attendees:

From Krishnaveni Gorijavolu, Founder, Orbyntis | Enterprise AI • Agentic AI • SAP BTP & Business AI | Life Sciences & Pharma | Regulatory Strategy & Compliance | J&J AI Engagement | ex-Novartis/Sandoz | Health Data & Informatics| Founder, Orbyntis | Enterprise AI • Agentic AI • SAP BTP & Business AI | Life Sciences & Pharma | Regulatory Strategy & Compliance | J&J AI Engagement | ex-Novartis/Sandoz | Health Data & Informatics
 

Two days in Washington, D.C. gave me two very different perspectives on the same future.

• It was an honor to meet and exchange a few thoughts with Kyoichiro Kawakami Minister at the Embassy of Japan in the United States. Our conversation around AI and the rapidly changing technology landscape made the evening particularly memorable.
• One number caught my attention.
• Japan is targeting $805 billion in foreign direct investment by 2030 and $1 trillion in the early 2030s.
• At the same time, Japan was presented as the largest foreign direct investor in the United States in 2025, for the seventh consecutive year.                            

• But the numbers weren’t what stayed with me most. It was the direction of investment: physical AI, advanced computing, energy, manufacturing, infrastructure and high-skilled talent.
• We often talk about AI as though it is primarily a technology race. It isn’t anymore.
  • AI is becoming an economic strategy. An infrastructure strategy. A workforce strategy. And increasingly, a national competitiveness strategy.
  • The next decade will not be defined simply by who builds the most capable models.
  • It will also depend on who can build the infrastructure around them, attract the right talent, create productive international partnerships, deploy capital intelligently and establish enough trust for these technologies to operate at scale.
  • That was perhaps my biggest takeaway from Washington.
• Innovation does not happen in isolation. Technology, capital, policy, infrastructure and trust are becoming increasingly interconnected.
• Very different conversations across two days. But they pointed toward the same future.
• Grateful for the conversations, perspectives and people I had the opportunity to meet in Washington, D.C. A special thanks to Alan Schlaifer for his inspiring leadership and continued support for innovation.
• hashtag#ArtificialIntelligence hashtag#Innovation hashtag#GlobalInvestment hashtag#Japan hashtag#USJapan hashtag#Technology hashtag#Leadership hashtag#FutureOfAI

From Ryan Kim, our intern and freshman at Rutgers University:
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7512949218316042242/ 

Last week, I had the honor of joining the 12th Annual Wharton Innovation Summit as a panelist for the “AI and the Future of Work” section, speaking about AI in academia and what the future may entail. I also had the rare opportunity to visit the Japanese Embassy and meet ministers involved in U.S.–Japan relations.

Being part of the team behind this event made the experience especially meaningful. From redesigning the website and managing the LinkedIn to connecting with speakers and attendees, I’m honored to have contributed to bringing this summit to life.

• What I’ll remember most are the people and conversations. Hearing leaders across AI, healthcare, and quantum share their perspectives left me inspired and excited about the future we can help shape together. And an extremely heartfelt thank-you to Alan Schlaifer for your mentorship, generosity, humor, and hospitality. You made this experience so memorable, and not enough words can be said to say how grateful I am to work with you. 
• A special shoutout to the team I had the pleasure of working with: Andre Chalonec, PMP, Ruwan Salgado, Brian Barnett, and Ginger Greenfield. It was a privilege to be part of this alongside you!
• So wonderful to talk with the people pictured (in the photos he took, we hope to be posted later): Frank St. John, @Charles F. Sills (CEO/President of America Defense), Kyoichiro Kawakami, Nicole Wheeler McNamara, Sarah Murphy Gray, PhD, E. Francisco López, JD, SDVOSB, Nate Moulton, Esther Kim, Armani P., Jennifer K. Zimmons, PhD, MBA, Ryan Schmaltz, David Kelley, Brian Han, John Hoeveler, Emma Sharma, and Nuala O'Connor.
• And finally, to my friends Hugo Chen and Josh Cho, and my sister Sharon Kim thank you for joining me and making the experience even more special. Love you guys!
• Grateful for the connections, the inspiration, and the opportunity to contribute to such an important conversation. Hope to stay connected with you all.
• #WhartonDC #FutureOfWork #AI #Innovation

• Suresh Nair, MS
• President and CEO: Championing AI and Quantum Computing Innovation | Advocate for Quantum Literacy | Pioneer in Advanced Business Intelligence and Natural Language Processing Solutions
  • What a wonderful evening at the Embassy of Japan in Washington, DC, as part of the Wharton DC Innovation Summit!
  • It was a pleasure connecting with representatives from the Japanese Embassy, industry leaders, and innovators from organizations such as IQM Quantum Computers.
  • I truly enjoyed the conversations around emerging technologies, particularly quantum computing, AI, quantum literacy, and workforce development, and the exciting opportunities for collaboration between the U.S. and Japan. It was especially great to connect with Nate Moulton, Dr. Tim Akers, Alan Schlaifer, Jason Espinoza, and Bob Kolodney.
  • These conversations remind me that innovation is as much about people and partnerships as it is about technology.
  • A big thank you to the Wharton Club of DC and the Embassy of Japan for the wonderful hospitality and for bringing together such an engaging group of people!
  • #WhartonDC #QuantumComputing #QuantumLiteracy #QuantumWorkforceDevelopment #AI #Innovation #USJapanCollaboration