Course Details Wednesday, December 11, 2024 1:00pm-4:00pm followed by Networking Reception 4:00PM-5:30PM Thursday, December 12, 2024 9:00am-5:30pm Location: Potomac Institute Ballston Headquarters (Arlington, VA) Objective: To equip alternate investment managers and business executives with an understanding of contemporary economic statecraft and how it may affect their organizations and business dealings. Summary: Exclusively designed for business executives and leaders working in private equity, venture capital, hedge funds, alternative investment funds to explore current economic statecraft activities impacting the public and private sectors. Geopolitical rivals have weaponized economics to gain strategic competitive advantages against the U.S. in recent years. Much of their activity takes place below the threshold of war, yet still vitally threatens national security and prosperity, manifesting as disinformation, deliberate supply chain disruption, and economic manipulation and coercion. Left unchecked, these activities lead to vulnerabilities in key U.S. industries and markets, reduced trust in institutions, and threaten the very threads of society. Experts from government, industry, and academia will share how they view asymmetric economic threats, what they are doing about it, and how policymakers and the private sector can collaborate to ensure a secure and prosperous future.    Session Descriptions Economic Statecraft: Understanding the Problem and Why We are Here Mr. Frank Finelli & Dr. Tim Welter This session will set the stage for the course with an introduction to contemporary economic statecraft, what the threat is, and why CEOs and VC executives should care. It will introduce disconnects between the motivations of business executives (growth and returns, predictable markets, stability) and the practical realities of contemporary economic statecraft. How does the US balance pursuit of prosperity and security to ensure competitive advantage?  Macro Trends in Global Economics: Industrial & Currency Policies of Peer Rivals Mr. Bob Murray T his session facilitates an exploration of macro trends in global economics related to the industrial and currency policies of peer competitors. For example, treatment of the globalization of the yuan, the rise of alternatives to Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications (SWIFT), the advent of central bank digital currencies, the One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative, actualization of trade policies of the “BRICS” (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, et al) organization and its expansion, and other macroeconomic trends underpinning and contributing to shifts in the global geopolitical landscape. Corporate Responsibility and the Global Competitive Environment Dr. Rob Wiltbank This session will focus on investing in values and value-driven investments and why it matters to preservation of free, open, and trusted markets. What are the implications of choosing the right partners to invest with, selecting board members, raising capital, customers, and merger and acquisition (M&A) transactions, etc. when it comes to economic statecraft? What sorts of practices are more effective and/or responsive in different areas of concern? What resources (people, agencies, playbooks) are useful to facilitating those practices? How does the US balance pursuit of prosperity and security in a manner congruent with our societal values and ensures competitive advantage? Law and Policy: Understanding US Government Activities and Implications Dr. Will Norris Who are the government players in the economic statecraft space and what are they doing? This session examines government agencies and entities involved in economic statecraft. What are their roles and responsibilities, from the Committee for Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), Treasury, DoD, the FBI and Congress? What are the laws, authorities, and mechanisms driving their activities? How is the policy evolving and what are the shortfalls? Collaboration with Government Agencies and Others The Honorable Nazak Nikakhtar This session will explore the role of collaborative networks and public-private partnerships focused on mitigating risks and finding opportunities while navigating the perils of asymmetric economic activity. Why is it important to partner with government and when? What might that look like, and how might businesses be incentivized to collaborate? Also, what are the nongovernmental entities working to help the private sector navigate perils and opportunities (BENS, DIN, etc.). This session will help executives and business leaders understand how they fit in and how to partner with government entities and others.   How the USG Should Incentivize Private Sector Partnership Mr. John Wilson A workshop culminating the course, this session provides the opportunity for VC and business executives to provide their insight as to what will realistically incentivize them to partner with the USG in economic statecraft activities. How should the USG think about the problem differently, to be more effective? What private sector views should inform policymakers in their approach to crafting policy and decisions? How should the principles and implications of contemporary economic statecraft be integrated into academia (MBA programs, business school curricula, etc.). How do we educate rising business leaders?   Register Now Click below to register for the upcoming course: Register Read the Companion Piece The 2024 Economic Statecraft Summit Report Download PDF Course Director Dr. Tim Welter