Upside #30 - Can Europe win AI, Fusion & Quantum?

In this episode of Upside, hosts Dan and Mads from SuperSeed are joined by Ben Prade, Partner at GP Bullhound. Topics covered:State of European Venture Capital Geopolitics & VC - the Munich Security Conference, JD Vance, European autonomy in defence and tech, China filling the voidVC Fundraising & LPsAI and defence are hot baby! Shift from US pension to government cash, VCs must engage in ecosystem building, economic policies influencing VC strategies.The Future of European VC European VC has outperformed the US in IRR (20.8% vs 18.2%) over the last decade. We're nailing AI, Fusion and Quantum.Quantum: Hype vs RealityMicrosoft's Majorana 1 Quantum Chip, cautious optimism, power PR and viable quantum computing by 2030.Grok 3 Grok 3 is out, speed and benchmarks vs Claude and GPT 4.5.FusionFrance’s CEA West Tokamak reactor sets a new record with 22 minutes of continuous fusion, limitless clean energy, realistic timelines for commercial fusion.Startup Funding Dynamics - Go big early?Peter Walker’s Carta report:Theory 1: AI reduces startup costs, meaning less = more.Theory 2: AI increases competition, making capital more crucial for scaling.= Seed StrappingAsteroid Mining Spotlight on Karman Plus, autonomous asteroid mining. Government funding in space.