Q Investments International Ltd

[Shawnna Franz]

NotCois a Chilean food-tech company that uses artificial intelligence to create plant-based products, including NotMayo, NotMilk, and NotChicken. Privately held NotCo achieved unicorn status in 2021 and has a current estimated valuation of $1.5 B. In 2022, it formed a joint venture with Kraft Heinz to expand distribution of NotCo products and develop new products. As competitors in the annual Russell Investments International Case Competition (RIICC), UW student teams identified one new market outside of this list to target and developed a strategy for selling NotMilk in that market.

With just 48 hours to grapple with this real-world challenge before presenting to corporate judges, over 100 students came up with wide ranging recommendations including expansion plans to China, Germany, India, Indonesia and South Korea.

In September 2021, Wise (previously TransferWise) launched a new service called Assets for UK customers. The service lets customers earn returns on their balances by investing in stocks. Stock investments are in an index-tracking fund (iShares World Equity Index) managed by BlackRock. As of now, Assets is only available to customers in the UK, but Wise plans to roll it out in other countries in the future. Students played the role of an outside consulting team tasked to propose a marketing strategy for launching Assets in a new global market:

Students played the role of outside consultants who have been hired by Ooredoo, an international telecommunications company headquartered in Doha, Qatar. Teams analyzed both mobile financial service options (i.e., mobile wallet and OTC service) and recommended a future strategic direction for Ooredoo (given its most recent launch of a mobile wallet, M-Pitesan). Teams were tasked with analyzing the following uncertainties and opportunities:

Students played the role of outside consultants who were hired by the Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA), the marine cargo operating partnership of the ports of Tacoma and Seattle. NWSA was in the process of determining what it should be doing in the digital supply chain/blockchain space, and they asked participants to evaluate TradeLens. The teams were asked to address the following:

Student team members played the role of consultants, hired by the Washington State Wine Commission. The Commission was looking for recommendations on how Washington State wineries should market their products to China. The teams were asked to address the following questions:

Each of the participating teams spent 48 hours analyzing the 2016 case, Emirates Airline: Connecting the Unconnected (Harvard Business School, January 2014). Student teams played the role of outside consultants, and presented their recommendations to a panel of community member judges, who played the role of top management at Emirates Airline. The teams were asked to 1) consider the current strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for Emirates and 2) present recommendations as to which route expansions Emirates should pursue over the next five years.

Each of the participating teams spent 48 hours analyzing a business case on the IMAX Corporation. Student teams played the role of a strategic planning group within IMAX Corporation, and presented their recommendations to a panel of community member judges, who played the role of IMAX CEO and upper management of the company. The teams were asked to, 1) determine how IMAX should allocate its future expansion into the BRIC economies (Brazil, Russia, India, and China), 2) create specific recommendations for growth and risk mitigation, and 3) provide recommendations about how IMAX should invest in Research and Development going forward.

Consistent with a bipartisan request from the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, USDA is utilizing funds from the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) to address challenges related to trade and food insecurity impacting U.S. farmers and the international community. USDA will use:

The FY23 agricultural trade deficit is $19 billion, and USDA has projected that it will grow to $27.5 billion in FY24. There is also increased competition in our export markets in Asia and Africa. Therefore, additional investments in market development need to be made to keep ahead of the competition. Analysis has shown that for every $1 invested in export market development, exports are increased by $24.50. Increased agricultural exports means income directly back to producers. Trade promotion investment helps keep existing markets open and creates access to new markets. Further, investing in non-traditional markets will help the United States diversify away from dependence on a handful of large markets.

The new $1.3 billion investment in a Regional Agricultural Promotion Program, or RAPP, will enable exporters to break into new markets and increase market share in growth markets. Further, an investment in providing targeted technical assistance to the specialty crops industry will help it enter and expand markets that often impose onerous non-tariff barriers on their products. Five years ago, in reaction to the trade war with China, USDA developed the Agricultural Trade Promotion Program (ATP) to help exporters diversify their markets. The funds from ATP will expire next year and with that, many exporters are already curtailing their activities. Without being on the ground in markets, it is nearly impossible to build the trust and relationships needed to create opportunities. The RAPP will address this critical loss and ensure continuity of the relationships key to market development.

Recent challenges to supply chains and on-going conflicts have exacerbated what was already a dire situation of increased numbers of people experiencing food insecurity globally. An estimated 205 million people need life-saving food assistance, and some 768 million people are facing chronic hunger, according to the Global Report on Food Crises and FAO. American agriculture is well positioned to help fill these gaps. The United States produces more commodities than are consumed, and therefore has the opportunity to extend this food, via a USDA donation, to those who are in need.

USDA will purchase commodities and work with USAID, who is the lead federal agency on international emergency food aid programs, to ensure they reach those most in need around the world. The $1 billion donation will bolster ongoing efforts to address global hunger, as well as support U.S. agriculture through the purchase of surplus commodities. U.S. agriculture stakeholders are eager to assist in addressing hunger that continues in some areas of the world due to conflict, droughts and other challenges. Given the exceptionally high food needs around the world at this time, these additional commodities will fill critical resource gaps.

CFIUS is an interagency committee authorized to review certain transactions involving foreign investment in the United States and certain real estate transactions by foreign persons, in order to determine the effect of such transactions on the national security of the United States.

CFIUS operates pursuant to section 721 of the Defense Production Act of 1950, as amended (section 721), and as implemented by Executive Order 11858, as amended, and the regulations at chapter VIII of title 31 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

On September 15, 2022, President Biden issued Executive Order 14083 reflecting the evolving national security threat landscape and underscoring the critical role of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States in responding to new and emerging threats and vulnerabilities in the context of foreign investment. The Executive Order elaborates and expands on the existing list of factors that CFIUS considers, as appropriate, when reviewing transactions for national security risks, and describes potential national security implications in key areas.

FIRRMA was signed into law on August 13, 2018. FIRRMA strengthens and modernizes CFIUS to address national security concerns more effectively, including by broadening the authorities of the President and CFIUS to review and to take action to address any national security concerns arising from certain non-controlling investments and real estate transactions involving foreign persons.

On May 20, 2020, CFIUS released a new Case Management System (CMS), which allows easy submission of all transaction-related information through a secure online portal. As of June 1, the CMS portal must be used to file any draft or formal written notice or declaration pursuant to 31 C.F.R. parts 800 or 802. Additional resources, including instructions to register for the CMS, are available on the CFIUS Case Management System page.

Pursuant to Section 721, the Department of the Treasury, which serves as the CFIUS chair, hereby gives public notice that the Office of Investment Security (OIS) will be soliciting meetings with third-party compliance providers to discuss current and future CFIUS mitigation requirements. OIS invites any additional third-party providers who were not solicited, but wish to discuss CFIUS mitigation, to contact us at CF...@treasury.gov.

Section 721 of the Defense Production Act of 1950, as amended, mandates confidentiality protections with respect to information filed with the Committee. It prohibits the Committee from publicly disclosing any information filed with the Committee, subject to limited exceptions. Information and documentary material filed with the Committee are also exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552. Consistent with section 721, the Committee does not publicly confirm or deny that a transaction has been notified to CFIUS. If the parties themselves publicly disclose documentary material or information filed with CFIUS, such documentary material or information may subsequently be reflected in the public statements of the Chairperson of CFIUS.

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