Deals, Diplomacy, & Power

The Future of U.S. Economic Statecraft

Global competitors are deploying economic statecraft with precision—leveraging policy, finance, and diplomacy to win markets, shape global rules, and back national champions. For the United States, the challenge is no longer episodic engagement, but building a modern, durable approach to commercial diplomacy that can compete at scale.

This forum will examine how the U.S. can evolve its commercial diplomacy playbook—from transactional efforts to a forward-looking, institutional strategy that aligns public policy with business leadership. The discussion will focus on how government and industry can work together to open markets, set standards, and position American firms to lead in strategic sectors.

We will also explore how U.S. businesses—large and small—can better navigate the existing landscape of commercial diplomacy resources across federal agencies, and where there are opportunities to strengthen coordination and access. The dialogue will extend to the state level, highlighting how Texas can play a more proactive role in supporting companies competing in global markets.

Eric Almgren Board Member, Texas Semiconductor Innovation Fund

CEO, Chairman, GM, Investor, and Board Member with deep expertise in corporate and business development, business planning, fundraising, and corporate transactions in deeptech, semiconductors, computer science, and software.

Nisha Biswal Partner, Asia Group; Former Deputy CEO, Development Finance Corp

Experienced leader, manager, and global strategist with a demonstrated history of working in international affairs, trade, and economic development with extensive experience and networks in Asia. Skilled in Corporate and Nonprofit Strategies. Political Science, Government, Communication, and Crisis Management.

Elizabeth Stephenson, CEO, SYSTM Foods; Former President of FIJI Water
Chief Executive Officer of SYSTM Foods. Our family of brands focuses on healthy, better-for-you beverages, and includes Humm Kombucha, Chameleon Cold Brew Coffee and REBBL plant-based protein. We are a growth company changing the way that our customers access healthy food and nutrition, as we support them on their journey to living healthier, longer lives. Elizabeth brings more than 20 years of experience leading brands and companies. She is a seasoned operating CEO with comprehensive experience leading growth companies through periods of transition. Established record of building, leading, and operating renowned brands within both large corporate and start-up environments. Strength in building high-performing, multi-functional teams, both at the executive level and across distributed global organizations. Elizabeth previously served as the CEO of Intelligent Brands, the parent company of Sunbasket, Gobble, Intelligent Foods,, and Pruvit. The former President of The FIJI Water Group and POM Wonderful, as well as the Chief Strategy Officer at The Wonderful Company, Elizabeth, has an extensive background in the healthy food and nutrition CPG space. Elizabeth previously spent 14 years as a partner at McKinsey and Company, where she specialized in growth strategy, M&A, and Corporate Finance. She likewise served on the senior leadership team at AlixPartners, where she served as the Chief Marketing Officer and Global Head of Brand Strategy. Elizabeth began her career in the health and wellness space, where she was the co-author of the New York Times Number One bestselling health book RealAge: Are You as Young as You Can Be? and a co-founder of RealAge.com, one of the top 3 health and wellness sites on the Internet in the early 2000s, RealAge was acquired by Hearst Communications in 2006.

Dilawar Syed is an entrepreneur, board member, and former U.S. cabinet official whose leadership has spanned various public and private sector organizations, including as Deputy Administrator for the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and Special Envoy for Commercial Affairs at the State Department. In a decades-long career in Silicon Valley, Dilawar led and scaled ventures in AI, software, and consumer web. After his public service, he has joined the LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin as Senior Economic Policy Advisor, to lead a new initiative on advancing U.S. business competitiveness, and as faculty at the LBJ School and UT’s McCombs School of Business. He is advising several technology ventures as a board member. Dilawar’s most recent role as SBA Deputy Administrator began with a bipartisan vote of the U.S. Senate. Dilawar advanced the Biden Administration’s priorities for small businesses by democratizing access to capital ($56 billion in 2024), government contracting ($183 billion in 2024), and entrepreneurship enablement, especially in the underserved and rural communities. He coordinated SBA’s disaster response after Hurricanes Helene and Milton in the Southeast, the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore, MD, and the wildfires in Maui, HI. As Special Envoy for Commercial Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, Dilawar served as America’s top commercial diplomat, championing U.S. companies in markets abroad and strengthening U.S. competitiveness. He mobilized private sector support for Ukraine after Russia’s invasion, advocated for strategic deals in advanced tech, energy, aviation, and defense, and negotiated market access in his 24 bilateral engagements across the globe. Dilawar’s civic entrepreneurship has spanned local, state, and federal governments. Appointed by President Obama in 2010 to the White House Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, he led engagement with small businesses during the economic recovery. In 2017, he launched the California Entrepreneurship Task Force with the Governor’s Office to bridge Silicon Valley with rural communities and promote inclusive entrepreneurship. Dilawar has previously served as CEO of Lumiata, an AI healthcare company backed by Khosla Ventures and BlueCross BlueShields, and as President at Freshworks, where he founded the software company’s North America business. Freshworks had a successful IPO in 2021. Earlier, he held leadership roles at Yahoo! and Siebel Systems. Dilawar started his career in management consulting at Ernst & Young and Deloitte Consulting. Dilawar holds an MBA from The Wharton School and a BA in Computer Science and Economics from The University of Texas at Austin.

Info: Global competitors are deploying economic statecraft with precision—leveraging policy, finance, and diplomacy to win markets, shape global rules, and back national champions. For the United States, the challenge is no longer episodic engagement, but building a modern, durable approach to commercial diplomacy that can compete at scale.
This forum will examine how the U.S. can evolve its commercial diplomacy playbook—from transactional efforts to a forward-looking, institutional strategy that aligns public policy with business leadership. The discussion will focus on how government and industry can work together to open markets, set standards, and position American firms to lead in strategic sectors.
We will also explore how U.S. businesses—large and small—can better navigate the existing landscape of commercial diplomacy resources across federal agencies, and where there are opportunities to strengthen coordination and access. The dialogue will extend to the state level, highlighting

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

LBJ School of Public Affairs - Bass Lecture Hall, 2300 Red River Street, Austin, United States

Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.

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