In this deep-dive season closer, Aarish sits down with Emmet King to unpack the real state of AI, venture, and the hidden strengths of the Nordic ecosystem. They explore why Scandinavia punches far above its weight, where the AI bubble will burst first, why distribution beats innovation, and what it actually takes for an application-layer AI startup to survive 2026. From trust, data moats and workflow depth, to manufacturing intelligence, robotics, and the limits of context—this conversation goes way beyond the hype. Emmett also reveals his most contrarian belief as a tech investor, and what genuinely moves him in life. Timestamps: 00:00 – Intro & Why the Nordics Punch Above Their Weight 08:00 – Europe’s Culture Shift: Ambition, Failure & Jante 14:00 – The AI Bubble & Where the Reset Starts 19:40 – What AI Apps Must Have to Survive 2026 27:00 – Hardware, Sensors & Industrial AI’s Next Frontier 44:45 – What Dies, What Consolidates & What Wins in AI 53:00 – Emmett’s Contrarian Take & What Moves Him Emotionally Find Emmet King online at: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmetking/ Twitter: https://x.com/J12Ventures J12 Ventures: https://www.j12ventures.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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.