Fairness by Design Tech Sprint 2026
Reimagining Digital Finance Through Consumer-Centered Design
On April 29–30, 2026, Consumer Reports, in partnership with the Alliance for Innovative Regulation (AIR), hosted the inaugural Fairness by Design Tech Sprint at Atlanta Tech Village.
The two-day sprint brought together builders, Consumer Reports members, researchers, subject matter experts, regulators, and judges to explore how digital financial products can better serve consumers through more transparent, trustworthy, and equitable design.
Unlike a traditional hackathon, the Fairness by Design Tech Sprint embedded consumers throughout the design process—from identifying problem areas and validating problem statements to testing concepts and helping evaluate the final solutions. The goal was not simply to generate ideas, but to demonstrate a new model for designing technology with consumers rather than for them.
Watch Demo Day
Problem Statements
Teams explored two consumer challenges identified through eight weeks of Consumer Reports research, surveys, and focus groups involving more than 800 consumers. Rather than prescribing solutions, the research identified specific moments where consumers experience harm and challenged builders to design new approaches.
Fraud: Verification
& Recovery
How can digital solutions help consumers determine what is legitimate before they act, and provide clear, coordinated pathways for reporting, response, and recovery when fraud occurs?
The Data Black Box
How can digital solutions help consumers clearly understand, meaningfully control, and confidently share their financial data without requiring expertise or sacrificing access to essential services?
Winning Concepts
OVERALL WINNER
Canary
Early-warning
fraud signals for peer-to-peer payments.
EXCELLENCE IN RESPONSIBLE DESIGN
First Call
Improving fraud reporting and recovery for community financial institutions.
CONSUMER IMPACT AWARD
My Data, My Choice
Giving consumers greater visibility and control over downstream data sharing.
Speakers
Craig Newmark
Craig Newmark Philanthropies
Founder & CSR
Phil Radford
Consumer Reports
President & CEO
Dr. Nick Suppiah
Kennesaw State University
Fintech Program Director
Judges
From left to right: Dr. Nick Suppiah, Fintech Program Director at Kennesaw State University; Kevin Phillips, CEO at Fintech Transformations Group & CRO at Pipe Technologies; Alexandra Villarreal O'Rourke, CEO at Alumbra; Joseph Vall-Llobera, Director of Examinations at Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
