Is Mobile Gaming Dead? Why Istanbul Beats Helsinki & The $5B Micro Drama Gold Rush | Anton Backman

Is Mobile Gaming Dead? Why Istanbul Beats Helsinki & The $5B Micro Drama Gold Rush | Anton Backman

Is mobile gaming still a venture-worthy bet or has the gold rush ended? Anton Backman, General Partner at Play Ventures, has one of the most contrarian takes in VC right now. In this episode, Anton breaks down why the gaming funds that exploded during Covid are struggling, why Istanbul has quietly become the world's hottest hub for mobile games (and why Helsinki lost its edge), and why micro dramas are following the exact same monetisation playbook as mobile gaming. We also get into: → Why success in mobile is 50% product, 50% user acquisition and why most studios get both wrong → How Turkey's gaming companies out-pay investment banking for top graduates → Why a micro drama app briefly dethroned ChatGPT in India → The rise of real money gaming and what VC-backed startups are getting right → Why analogue is making a comeback in a world drowning in digital content Whether you're a founder, investor, or just fascinated by where attention (and money) is flowing — this one's packed. Find Anton Backman online at: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/antonbackman/ Twitter: https://x.com/retripaladin Play Ventures: https://playventures.vc This episode is sponsored by EmergeOne, fractional CFOs for venture backed tech startups from Seed to Series B. Get in touch at https://emergeone.co.uk/contact-us/ or join the CFO team at https://emergeone.co.uk/join-the-cfo-team/ Sign up for EmergeOne’s weekly newsletter, Off Balance at https://off-balance.beehiiv.com/subscribe Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Why AI Token Prices Are About To Explode | Meryem Arik

AI is scaling faster than the infrastructure supporting it. In this episode of Nothing Ventured, Aarish Shah sits down with Meryem Arik, Co-Founder of Doubleword, to explore the hidden economics powering the AI revolution. They discuss why token prices may have to rise, why AI companies are facing compute shortages, the growing GPU bottleneck, and how open-source AI models are challenging the dominance of OpenAI and Anthropic. Miriam explains why sovereign AI is becoming a critical geopolitical issue, why the UK should focus on inference rather than foundation models, and how governments are thinking about AI infrastructure, security and national competitiveness. They also explore AI's impact on jobs, Gen Z attitudes toward technology, agentic workflows, AI adoption, and what happens when AI becomes embedded in every industry. Topics Covered: AI token economics explained Why AI compute demand is exploding The GPU shortage and AI infrastructure crisis Open source vs closed AI models OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini and DeepSeek Sovereign AI and national security The UK's AI strategy AI agents and the future of work Why AI could become more expensive The future of AI adoption If you enjoy conversations about venture capital, startups, artificial intelligence, technology and innovation, subscribe for more episodes. Find [guest name] online at: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meryemarik/ Twitter: https://x.com/MeryemArik9 Doubleword: https://www.doubleword.ai/ This episode is sponsored by EmergeOne, fractional CFOs for venture backed tech startups from Seed to Series B. Get in touch at https://emergeone.co.uk/contact-us/ or join the CFO team at https://emergeone.co.uk/join-the-cfo-team/ Sign up for EmergeOne’s weekly newsletter, Off Balance at https://off-balance.beehiiv.com/subscribe #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #OpenAI #Anthropic #DeepSeek #AIInfrastructure #MachineLearning #VentureCapital #Startups #TechPodcast #NothingVentured Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Venture Capital in 2026: AI, Liquidity & Startup Funding Explained

In this episode of Nothing Ventured, we break down the real state of the venture capital market, from AI investment concentration and startup funding trends to liquidity pressure, emerging manager struggles and the growing power of platforms like OpenAI. We explore: • Why a handful of companies dominate venture funding • The liquidity crisis still facing founders and investors • Why emerging VC funds are struggling to survive • The rise of secondaries and engineered exits • How OpenAI, YC and platform ecosystems are changing startup investing • Why SpaceX and AI infrastructure matter for the future of venture capital • The shift from broad software investing to strategic infrastructure bets This is not a story about venture capital roaring back. It’s a story about power, concentration and ecosystem control reshaping the startup world. If you’re interested in venture capital, startups, AI investing, technology trends, private markets or the future of innovation, this episode is for you. #VentureCapital #Startups #AI #OpenAI #SpaceX #TechNews #StartupFunding #ArtificialIntelligence #VC #BusinessPodcast This episode is sponsored by EmergeOne, fractional CFOs for venture backed tech startups from Seed to Series B. Get in touch at https://emergeone.co.uk/contact-us/ or join the CFO team at https://emergeone.co.uk/join-the-cfo-team/ Sign up for EmergeOne’s weekly newsletter, Off Balance at https://off-balance.beehiiv.com/subscribe Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Quantum Is No Longer 10 Years Away | Kris Naudts & Zeynep Koruturk

In this episode, we welcome Kris Naudts & Zeynep Koruturk two leading voices in quantum investing and deep tech innovation from Firgun Ventures to break down where the industry is really heading. Quantum is often spoken about as a single technology but the reality is far more fragmented. In this episode, we break down the three core pillars of the quantum industry: computing, sensing, and communications —and why treating them as interchangeable is leading to major misallocations of capital and a misunderstanding of the space. We explore where venture capital is actually flowing, why hardware is dominating funding, and how middleware like error correction is quietly becoming one of the most important layers in the ecosystem. Timestamps: 00:01:25 — Quantum investing intro & capital misallocation across sectors 00:03:51 — Hardware vs software vs middleware in quantum 00:06:52 — Confusion in the quantum ecosystem (sensing vs computing vs crypto fears) 00:08:00 — Where quantum is in its lifecycle (3–7 year horizon shift) 00:09:25 — Early commercialisation + SPACs + emerging quantum “majors” 00:11:26 — Why exits may happen faster than expected in quantum 00:12:36 — Key barriers: talent, regulation, and adoption challenges 00:15:38 — Seed vs Series A/B funding gap in quantum VC 00:18:31 — Europe vs US vs China: capital, strategy & sovereignty 00:21:24 — Global competition and where quantum ecosystems are forming 00:24:54 — Hardware vs software trade-offs for investors 00:28:28 — Exit paths: public markets, consolidation & defence primes 00:30:57 — Non-dilutive funding (DARPA & government capital) 00:34:52 — Quantum use cases: pharma, finance, sensing 00:41:33 — Contrarian views: China, geopolitics & ecosystem blind spots 00:45:23 — What emotionally drives founders & investors in quantum Find Kris Naudts & Zeynep Koruturk online at: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-kris-naudts-md-phd-10403838/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/zeynepkoruturk/ Firgun Ventures: https://firgun.vc This episode is sponsored by EmergeOne, fractional CFOs for venture backed tech startups from Seed to Series B. Get in touch at https://emergeone.co.uk/contact-us/ or join the CFO team at https://emergeone.co.uk/join-the-cfo-team/ Sign up for EmergeOne’s weekly newsletter, Off Balance at https://off-balance.beehiiv.com/subscribe Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

AI vs Chemistry: The New Frontier of Innovation | Omer Omar

What if the next breakthrough in solar, OLEDs, batteries, or carbon capture already exists… hidden inside millions of undiscovered molecules? In this episode of Nothing Ventured, we sit down with Omer Omar co-founder & CEO of Apollo — a startup building a digital platform for discovering organic materials using AI, quantum chemistry, and massive molecular databases. Timestamps: 00:00 – Intro 01:20 – Making Material Discovery Faster 04:30 – Why Molecule Discovery Was Broken 07:05 – AI Meets Chemistry 09:20 – The Bias Problem in Material Science 13:00 – Why Electronics Lags Behind Biotech 15:30 – AI vs Generative Molecule Design 18:00 – The Future of Organic Electronics 22:10 – How AI Speeds Up Quantum Chemistry 24:10 – The Future of Solar & Wearable Tech 31:45 – University Spinouts & Tech Transfer 39:20 – Why Europe Struggles With Deep Tech 45:30 – The Future of Venture & Material Science 47:55 – Founder Life vs Academia Find Omer Omar online at: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/omerhomar/ Apoello: https://apoello.com This episode is sponsored by EmergeOne, fractional CFOs for venture backed tech startups from Seed to Series B. Get in touch at https://emergeone.co.uk/contact-us/ or join the CFO team at https://emergeone.co.uk/join-the-cfo-team/ Sign up for EmergeOne’s weekly newsletter, Off Balance at https://off-balance.beehiiv.com/subscribe #podcast #venturecapital #founderlife #techstartup #business #entrepreneur #success Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.