Featured guest interview
Geopolitical Risk Is No Longer Someone Else’s Problem
Dana Linnet explains why geopolitical risk, cyber threats, supply chain disruptions, and global instability are now critical business concerns.
The world has changed faster than many boardrooms have. Cyber threats, supply chain breakdowns, emerging technologies, state-backed influence campaigns, and geopolitical shocks are no longer distant problems for governments to solve. They are business realities. Dana Linnet has built a career at the intersection of diplomacy, defense, technology, and strategy—and her message to leaders is clear: risk is no longer someone else’s problem.
That perspective was not formed overnight. Long before Linnet advised defense companies, institutional investors, or emerging technology firms, she was shaped by a family history steeped in service, sacrifice, and moral consequence.
She was born during the U.S.-Soviet nuclear arms race. Her grandfather served in World War II. Her uncle was a Korean War veteran. Several family members served in the Navy. Her father worked as an undercover DEA officer. And then there was “Uncle Carl,” her Swedish-South African godfather, who helped rescue Jews during World War II and later became active in the underground anti-apartheid movement in South Africa.
For Linnet, these were not distant stories. They were formative examples.
“Growing up surrounded by people who fought Nazism, communism, drugs, and apartheid set a pretty high bar,” she reflected. “It taught me that we should be making a difference in the world and for humankind.”
That early exposure to global struggle, personal courage, and public service helped shape the trajectory of a career that would later span diplomacy, national security, aerospace, advanced technology, venture-backed innovation, and strategic consulting. Today, Linnet is President and CEO of The Summit Group DC, a strategic consulting firm advising defense industry clients and institutional investors on growth strategy, U.S. policy, advanced technologies, and the realities of operating in a world defined by geopolitical volatility.
A Career Shaped By The Fall Of The Berlin Wall
Linnet’s path into global affairs became personal long before she advised companies or investors.
At 22, she eloped to Copenhagen to marry her Danish college sweetheart. It was a bold personal move, but it placed her in Europe at one of the most consequential moments in modern history: the fall of the Berlin Wall.
The atmosphere was electric. East and West were beginning to reconnect. Young people who had spent their lives divided by ideology, borders, and suspicion were suddenly able to meet, organize, and imagine a different future.
Linnet became involved in foreign policy through NATO and EU associations, working with young Danish students to reconnect with peers across the former Soviet bloc. They traveled, built relationships, helped organize networks, and watched as hope began to take institutional form.
Many of the young people they reached out to would later become leaders in their countries—foreign ministers, defense ministers, prime ministers, NATO ambassadors, and more.
It was also during that period that the U.S. Embassy noticed her.
“They figured out I wasn’t actually Danish,” Linnet recalled. “I was American.”
That discovery helped open the door to the U.S. Foreign Service, where Linnet would go on to serve in senior diplomatic roles across Europe, the Middle East, the Indo-Pacific, and Washington, D.C. What began as youthful idealism in post-Cold War Europe became a career built around the intersection of power, policy, security, and human consequence.
The same instinct that drew her into diplomacy later led her into the private sector. Linnet held senior roles at Lockheed Martin, Guidehouse, and in Silicon Valley, where she helped take an AI company through the so-called “Valley of Death” and into major government contracts and Series C valuation territory.
That combination—inside-government experience, private-sector execution, defense industry fluency, and technology awareness—became the foundation for her next move.
Why Geopolitical Risk Became A Business Problem
In 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the world, Linnet saw companies struggling to make sense of cascading risk. Supply chains were breaking. Governance systems were being tested. Revenue models were under pressure. At the same time, defense technology was accelerating, and venture-backed companies were trying to navigate government markets that many did not fully understand.
Linnet believed the traditional Washington consulting model was too fragmented. Companies often had to hire multiple firms to solve interlocking problems—policy, compliance, government relationships, market strategy, security, capital, and geopolitical context.
So she launched The Summit Group DC.
Her premise was simple: companies operating in sensitive sectors need more than narrow advice. They need integrated guidance from people who understand both government and business, both strategy and execution, both emerging technology and geopolitical consequence.
That view has only become more urgent.
For Linnet, geopolitical risk is no longer a concern reserved for multinational corporations or government agencies. It is now part of everyday business reality.
The New Threat Landscape Facing Companies And Investors
Years ago, a major disruption might have occurred once a decade. Then perhaps every five years. Now, Linnet says, business leaders are seeing multiple “black swan” events in a single year. Supply chain disruptions, cyber threats, state-backed influence campaigns, intellectual property theft, export control risks, and emerging technology competition are no longer rare events. They are part of the operating environment.
The implications are profound.
A small school district in Kansas can be hit by ransomware. A founder at a biotech or AI conference can be targeted for intellectual property. A family office can unknowingly invest in a company exposed to geopolitical or compliance risk. A promising defense technology startup can fail not because the technology is weak, but because it does not understand procurement, regulation, or the national security ecosystem it hopes to serve.
In Linnet’s view, the line between national security and business strategy has blurred.
That does not mean companies should retreat. In fact, Linnet believes the opposite. Government needs innovation, and it increasingly needs it from the private sector. Founders building in defense, aerospace, energy, cyber, AI, quantum, maritime, and space may have extraordinary opportunities ahead of them.
But opportunity without discipline can become exposure.
Her advice to leaders is practical: secure your systems, take compliance seriously, do not cut corners on export controls or cyber requirements, and teach your teams to recognize social engineering. The threat is not always a suspicious link in an email. Sometimes it is a friendly person at a conference asking too many questions.
“We want to be open,” Linnet said. “We want to engage people. But it is important to do your due diligence.”
Innovation, Security, And The Quantum Frontier
Linnet’s outlook is not only defensive. She is deeply interested in the future of innovation, particularly in technologies that could reshape national security, energy, maritime operations, and space.
That is part of what makes her enthusiasm for quantum computing significant. Linnet is not merely observing the sector from the outside. She is Chief Strategy Officer and a major shareholder in Artificial Brain, a U.S. quantum software company with a Dutch subsidiary focused on defense, energy, maritime, and space applications.
She sees quantum not as a buzzword, but as a foundational technology that could reshape entire domains.
AI may dominate today’s headlines, but Linnet is looking further ahead. AI and quantum, she notes, solve different problems in different ways. For her, quantum represents a frontier with implications that most leaders are only beginning to understand.
“I like to be ten steps ahead,” she said.
Leading With Principle In Uncertain Times
Despite her focus on high-stakes technologies and global security, Linnet’s leadership philosophy remains notably human.
She often returns to lessons from mentors. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell taught her to take care of people. Former Lockheed Martin CEO Marilyn Hewson emphasized doing the right thing, respecting others, and performing with excellence.
Those principles may sound simple, but in Linnet’s world, simplicity is not the same as softness. In environments defined by risk, pressure, competition, and uncertainty, principles become stabilizers. They help leaders make decisions when the data is incomplete and the stakes are high.
Her final piece of advice may be the most unexpected: create more joy.
For executives, investors, and founders operating in complex markets, joy can sound almost irrelevant. Linnet sees it differently. Without the capacity to step away, recover, reconnect, and remember why the work matters, even the most consequential careers can become unsustainable.
The world Linnet describes is not an easy one. It is faster, more interconnected, more contested, and more vulnerable than many leaders want to admit. But it is also full of opportunity for those willing to think clearly, act responsibly, and prepare seriously.
Her message to business leaders is not alarmist. It is a call to maturity.
Geopolitical risk is not someone else’s problem anymore. It is part of the boardroom. It is part of the investment memo. It is part of the founder’s pitch, the supply chain, the inbox, the conference floor, and the technology roadmap.
And for those willing to face that reality directly, Linnet believes there is still room to build, innovate, protect, and lead.
Interview Transcript
Alan Olsen:
Welcome to American Dreams. My guest today is Dana Linnet. Dana, welcome to today’s show.
Dana Linnet:
Thank you for having me, Alan.
Alan Olsen:
Dana, I’m excited to have you here. You are currently CEO of The Summit Group DC, but there are many things you’re doing. I’d love to start with your story. You have a fascinating career across diplomacy, national security, aerospace, and business. Take us back—where did your journey begin, and how did it lead to where you are today?
Dana Linnet:
I’ll try to make a long story short. I think my journey began, like many people’s stories, with multiple influences.
I was born during the time of the U.S.-Soviet nuclear arms race, which was a very impactful period in our history. My family also had a history of service. My grandfather, Sidney, was drafted into the Army during World War II. My uncle Jim was a Korean War veteran. Several uncles served in the Navy, and my father was an undercover DEA law enforcement officer.
Actually, my first diplomatic assignment—and my first diplomatic passport, if you will—was with him as a DEA kid when we were headed to Rome. That changed when he was injured, but that is another story.
Another important influence was my godfather, Uncle Carl, who was Swedish-South African. He rescued Jews in Sweden during World War II. Later, when he moved to South Africa to do business, he became active underground in the anti-apartheid movement. Here was this white Swedish man working underground against apartheid in South Africa.
So growing up surrounded by people who fought Nazism, communism, drugs, and apartheid set a pretty high bar. It taught me that we should be making a difference in the world and for humankind. I really do credit those who raised me.
Alan Olsen:
It is amazing to see the different things you’ve been able to do, the areas you’ve touched, and the places your career has taken you. Let me ask you this: Was there a defining moment early in your career when you realized you were drawn to global affairs, national security, and working on issues that really mattered?
Dana Linnet:
Yes. I was a political science major because I was always interested in those issues. But the more defining moment came when I was 22. I was young and eloped to Copenhagen to marry my Danish college sweetheart.
While I was there, I became very involved in foreign policy through the NATO and EU associations. The Berlin Wall had just come down. It was an incredibly euphoric and moving moment in history. There was a real chance to begin uniting—or reuniting—East and West.
I was working with organizations that helped reconnect young people from the East, who had been cut off, with those of us in the West. I saw up close what the communist Soviet system had done to entire generations of people, especially people my own age. I also saw the hope they had.
That was really the turning point when I thought, “This is consequential. This is something I have to be involved in.”
I still look back on that band of young Danish students traveling throughout the former Soviet Union, connecting with people, bringing them in, and helping them stand up their own organizations. I still have many friendships from that time. Many of those young people we reached out to later became leaders in their countries—foreign ministers, prime ministers, defense ministers, NATO ambassadors, and more.
It was also during that time that I learned the U.S. Embassy was watching me. They figured out I was not actually Danish—I was American—and they began recruiting me for the Foreign Service to become a diplomat. Had I not done that work, they probably would not have noticed me, and I might not have gone into diplomacy.
For me personally, that point in history was very special and very consequential.
Alan Olsen:
You founded The Summit Group DC in 2020. What were you seeing in the world at that time that made you feel companies needed a different kind of guidance?
Dana Linnet:
I started the company in 2020, and of course we all remember what happened then: the COVID pandemic.
I began seeing the disruption in March, and by May I had started the company because I could see that many companies were not prepared for how to respond to that kind of global disruption. There were issues of governance, revenue, people, and crisis management.
At the same time, the defense technology revolution was coming to the forefront. It was underway, but many people did not really know what they were doing with it. They just knew they had to be part of it.
I saw that clients lacked the pairing of inside-government and outside-government knowledge needed to compete during such a precarious time of upheaval. When companies outsourced for help, they often had to hire four different firms to get all the competencies they needed.
I thought, “Why don’t we rationalize this and create a more holistic, one-stop approach that gives clients exactly what they need, when they need it, at a reasonable and respectable rate?”
That is how we disrupted the Washington consulting model with this platform. People still come to me because they are working with other firms that can only give them one of the five or eight things we do.
Companies needed someone who understood the landscape: the defense technology side, the venture capital side, how these technologies work, and how PE- and VC-funded defense startups interact with government. But they also needed government insight, relationships, and secure compliance guidance so they knew they were doing things correctly.
They needed someone who could put all of this into geopolitical context so they could be proactive rather than reactive. I think we cracked the code on that in many ways, Alan, and I am very happy we did it because I believe it has made a real difference in the industry.
Alan Olsen:
Today we hear a lot about geopolitical risk, supply chains, cyber threats, and emerging technology. Why do these issues matter—not just to governments, but also to business leaders and investors?
Dana Linnet:
Right now, the word is geopolitical—geopolitical risk. It matters for several reasons.
If you look back, a black swan event or major supply chain disruption used to happen maybe once every ten years, then once every five years. It was not an everyday occurrence. Now we are seeing black swan events several times in a single year. We have had several in just the last twelve calendar months.
The velocity of geopolitical risk is increasing, and that presents a unique challenge for companies and investors. It is no longer just about dependency or interdependency. It is about what that interdependency means for revenue, survival, and the survival of our systems.
We used to think of geopolitical risk as something that applied only to large global companies, large entities, or large family offices. But now small local schools in Kansas are getting cyber-ransomed. Mom-and-pop businesses are being hit. There is no real escape, and we cannot bury our heads in the sand anymore.
We are at a point where grandparents are being cyber-ransomed by trafficked individuals sitting in call centers in Thailand or Burma, operations often connected to larger criminal or state-backed networks. That money can then be turned around and used to weaponize tools against the United States government and against all of us.
We are also seeing Iranian and North Korean government operatives socially engineering their way to our children and grandparents on Facebook. These operations can influence people and opinions. Some of this activity can be traced back to specific Russian units, Chinese units, or organized crime gangs.
This matters because no one is immune. They are out there trying to steal your intellectual property, my intellectual property, and our clients’ intellectual property.
That is why we want to empower people to pay attention to geopolitical risk, cyber threats, emerging technology, and the intensity with which China, in particular, will pursue intellectual property. Many people do not even know it is happening.
We are trying to help investors and business leaders protect their crown jewels, protect their people, and protect what they have. It is really important now more than ever.
Alan Olsen:
When we think about innovation in sensitive areas like defense, aerospace, energy, and advanced technology, how should leaders approach these opportunities while still being responsible and thoughtful about the risks?
Dana Linnet:
Great question. The bottom line is that government really needs and wants our innovations. If you are a founder out there, I am speaking to you: they want your technology. They are willing to speed up processes, move faster, and cut red tape. That is half the battle.
The other part is asking, “How can you be responsible and thoughtful?”
First, invest in the capabilities that secure your systems. Do not cut corners on export controls. Do not cut corners on cyber compliance or CMMC. Those things are fundamental.
Second, everyone in your company needs to learn how to activate their “Spidey senses.” This goes back to what I said earlier. If a Chinese academic or a Serbian-Russian person is following you around a biotech or AI conference trying to become your best friend, you need to be alert to the possibility that someone may be trying to socially engineer you for your intellectual property.
They may be trying to work their way into your friend circles, your professional spaces, or your investor circles. Of course, we all know not to click on suspicious links. But the human intelligence piece is something leaders and founders need to tune into and protect against.
We want to be open, and we want to engage people. But it is important to do due diligence on the people who are asking questions, seeking access, and trying to build relationships with you.
Alan Olsen:
As you look ahead, Dana, where do you see the greatest opportunities for private sector innovation to strengthen national security and improve lives?
Dana Linnet:
Alan, you and I had a side conversation about this, so I will say it again: I am a huge believer in quantum computing. I think it is going to change things fundamentally in ways we cannot even imagine.
We talk a lot about AI, and that is still very important. AI and quantum are two different technologies that solve completely different problems in different ways. But I really see quantum as the technology of the future.
And it goes beyond quantum cryptography and the things we commonly hear about. That is why I personally invested in a quantum computing artificial brain. When I see what they are doing with quantum computing technology, it is absolutely mind-blowing.
That is where my brain is living right now. I like to be ten steps ahead, and that is where I am focused.
Alan Olsen:
Dana, with all the high-stakes environments you’ve been part of, what principles have guided you personally? And what advice would you give to leaders who want to make a meaningful impact in uncertain times?
Dana Linnet:
Personally, I have always tried to support good people. That is part of why you and I met and why we are having this conversation. I look at the things you are doing in the philanthropic world and elsewhere, and that kind of work is very important.
My late mentor, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, used to say, “Take care of people, and they will always take care of you.”
I think people sometimes forget that no matter how advanced machines become—quantum, AI, or anything else—it still comes down to people. People are the differentiator. People are the difference-makers. The world cannot really make it without us.
The second thing is that it can get very stressful out there. It is a crazy world. We have talked about all this geopolitical risk. We cannot grind away 24/7. We have to take care of ourselves and step away from things occasionally in order to be productive and healthy.
Third, I would point to the foundational principles of another mentor of mine, my former Lockheed Martin CEO, Marilyn Hewson. She said, “Do the right thing, respect others, and perform with excellence.” That became the company motto.
If you do those things, you are in good shape. I would also add: do things in life that bring you joy. Without joy, all of this is really pointless. Create more joy. I hope that is helpful.
Alan Olsen:
Very helpful. Dana, thank you for being with us today. For individuals who want to reach out to you, perhaps to learn more about The Summit Group DC or some of the organizations you are involved with, how can they contact you?
Dana Linnet:
It is easy. They can email me at dana@sumgrpdc.com. Or they can go to our website and fill out a contact form. I have an incredible executive assistant, Justine, who makes sure we stay on top of everything that comes through. We are absolutely reachable.
Alan Olsen:
Thank you.
Dana Linnet:
Thank you, Alan. It was a pleasure to be here. I appreciate being invited.
Alan Olsen:
Thank you, Dana. I appreciate you being with us today on American Dreams.