In this episode of Nothing Ventured, host Aarish dives into the latest trends and insights from the venture capital landscape as of June 2025. He reflects on the significant developments in Q4 2024 and Q1 2025, highlighting Nvidia's remarkable performance, which saw revenue soar to $39 billion and $44 billion in consecutive quarters. Despite facing challenges like export controls and the US-China chip war, Nvidia rebounded to become the world’s most valuable company, underscoring the fundamentals driving current AI euphoria in the venture space. Aarish also critiques the emergence of pre-planned AI ventures, exemplified by the $2 billion funding for Mira Murati's Thinking Machines Lab, which lacks a clear product or mission, raising questions about the sustainability of such hype-driven investments. Tune in for a concise, no-fluff analysis of the current state of venture capital, exploring the intersection of hype, hope, and hard truths in the industry. Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Nothing Ventured in the News 00:00:17 - Overview of June 2025 in Venture Capital 00:00:49 - Nvidia's Explosive Growth and AI Euphoria 00:01:45 - The Rise of Pre-Planned AI and Faith-Based Investing 00:02:37 - Startup Failures and the Need for Diligence 00:03:49 - Europe's Big VC Play and Structural Challenges 00:05:03 - AI's Impact on San Francisco Real Estate 00:05:55 - Momentum in India and Spain's Tech Markets 00:07:10 - The Split in U.S. Venture Capital 00:08:03 - Norsken VC's Commitment to AI for Good 00:08:46 - Failure Files: Coros and Builder.ai 00:09:29 - Conclusion: Investing in Substance Over Hype 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