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Sovereignty, Security, and Defence Software: Luca Leone on Kahootz and Building for the Real World In this episode, Erica Dill-Russell speaks with Luca Leone, CEO of Kahootz, about secure collaboration in defence, what sovereignty actually means in practice, and why these questions matter far more than many early-stage companies realise. Luca brings
Time: 32:30
In this episode, Erica Dill-Russell speaks with Luca Leone, CEO of Kahootz, about secure collaboration in defence, what sovereignty actually means in practice, and why these questions matter far more than many early-stage companies realise. Luca brings a rare mix of experience across engineering, defence business development, innovation support, and software leadership, and the conversation gets into the less glamorous but very real layers that sit underneath effective defence work.
They discuss how Kahootz grew from a healthcare-focused collaboration platform into a long-standing defence supplier, and why secure information-sharing is not a side issue but part of the architecture that allows defence, government, and industry to work together properly. The episode looks at sovereignty beyond the usual buzzwords, including not just where data sits, but who controls the platform, who supports it, where it is developed, and how far down the supply chain those questions need to be asked.
The conversation also covers cyber risk, supply-chain vulnerability, and the practical tension between security and usability. Luca explains why organisations cannot just lock everything down and hope for the best, why people remain one of the biggest risks, and why resilience matters just as much as prevention. There is also a very useful discussion about the reality of secure-by-design approaches, the burden this places on smaller firms, and the trade-offs companies have to make when they cannot afford to build an entirely sovereign stack.
The second half of the episode turns to Luca’s role with Constellation Software and the world of defence software M&A. They discuss what makes a software company attractive from an acquisition perspective, what investors and acquirers want to hear, and why understanding the customer properly is still one of the clearest signals of a serious company. For founders building in defence software, this is a very grounded conversation about growth, relevance, and long-term value.
If you work in defence software, secure collaboration, cyber, government technology, or are trying to understand how sovereignty, resilience, and customer understanding fit together, this episode is well worth a listen.
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Release Date: 16/04/2026, 15:26:01
