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

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.

AI Has Killed the Music Industry

What happens when making music no longer requires talent, training, or expensive studio time? In this episode of Nothing Ventured, we sit down with the founder of Mozart AI Sundar Arvind which is an AI-powered music creation platform that’s redefining how music is made. From generating full tracks on your phone to scaling to 100,000+ users and raising $6M, this is a conversation about speed, creativity, and the future of building in the AI era. Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 00:39 What is Mozart AI? 01:40 AI vs Human Creativity 02:20 30K Users Overnight 03:17 Building for Beginners vs Pros 04:12 Music Without Limits 06:42 Does AI Kill Creativity? 09:18 Idea → Song in Seconds 10:21 Why Songwriters Win 12:42 Spotting AI Music 15:56 Can AI Understand Taste? 17:58 Who Owns AI Music? 22:45 Beginners vs Pros 24:23 Vibe Mode vs Studio Mode 28:56 What He’d Do Differently 30:10 AI = Faster Creation 32:20 Scaling with a Small Team 34:34 Idea → Product Fast 36:06 Going Viral 37:06 Capital = Speed 38:05 Vision for the Future 41:14 Future of Music Platforms 42:24 Music Discovery 44:17 Fans → Creators 45:47 Contrarian Founder Advice 50:42 What Drives Him Find [guest name] online at: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sundar-arvind/ Twitter: https://x.com/MOZARTaiMusic Mozart AI: https://getmozart.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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Most Startups Are Stuck in the Middle

In this April edition of Nothing Ventured News, we break down a venture landscape that isn’t recovering it’s dividing. Capital is flooding into elite late-stage deals and highly disciplined early-stage bets, while the middle gets completely hollowed out. Mega-rounds are back, AI still dominates, but the real story is deeper: capital is concentrating, not expanding. We explore: Why VC isn’t “back” it’s selective The rise of defence tech, space, and infrastructure beyond AI How hard tech and real moats are back in fashion Why liquidity is improving… but still fragile And how geopolitics and sovereignty are reshaping where money flows If you’re building, investing, or just watching the market this is the reality check you need. 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.