On Tuesday, King Charles III convened some of America's most powerful technology leaders during his four-day state visit.
King Charles Highlights UK Startup Funding Challenges
Charles met with Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) founder Jeff Bezos, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) CEO Tim Cook, Nvidia Corp. (NASDAQ:NVDA) CEO Jensen Huang, Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NASDAQ:AMD) CEO Lisa Su, Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM) CEO Marc Benioff and Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) President Ruth Porat to discuss barriers facing emerging British startups, Reuters reported.
The king pointed to the "valley of death" — the critical stage where university-born ventures often struggle to secure funding.
"These are the people I always think have the greatest difficulty getting off the ground," Charles said.
Jensen Huang Sees Major AI And Quantum Opportunity
During the meeting, Huang highlighted the strong potential in AI, quantum computing, and robotics, but noted the need for stronger venture capital support.
"We just need a vibrant VC ecosystem and a startup culture," Huang said.
Charles lightened the mood by joking to the executives, "You're all deadly competitors," prompting Huang to respond, "No one has to die."
Jeff Bezos Reflects On Amazon's Early Investor Rejections
Bezos shared that when he launched Amazon in 1995, he faced repeated setbacks in raising $1 million, with 40 investors declining to invest.
"And all those 40 are kicking themselves," Charles quipped.
Following the meeting, the AMD CEO took to X and shared a photograph of her meeting with King Charles. "Enjoyed the discussions."
Big Tech's $42 Billion Bet On Britain's AI Future
The gathering came after September commitments made during President Donald Trump's U.K. visit.
At the time, major tech firms including Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT), Nvidia, Google and OpenAI pledged $42 billion (£31 billion) toward British investments in AI, quantum computing and civil nuclear energy over the coming years.
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Photo courtesy: Lev Radin / Shutterstock.com
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