Prince Charles to Jeff Bezos, Tim Cook, Jensen Huang: Tell us your problem with British startups

During his four-day state visit to the United States, King Charles III gathered some of America’s most influential technology leaders to discuss the hurdles faced by British startups.

According to a report by Reuters, the meeting included Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Lisa Su, CEO AMD, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff and Alphabet’s Ruth Porat. During the gathering, Charles highlighted that the funding gap which often plagues university-born ventures, describing it as the “valley of death” where promising ideas struggle to secure capital. “These are the people I always think have the greatest difficulty getting off the ground,” he told the executives.

Nvidia CEO on the potential of British startups

During the meeting, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang stressed on the potential of British startups in AI, quantum computing, and robotics, but stressed the need for a stronger venture capital ecosystem. “We just need a vibrant VC ecosystem and a startup culture,” Huang said. The king lightened the mood by joking, “You’re all deadly competitors,” prompting Huang to reply, “No one has to die.”

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos recalled his early struggles

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos recalled his own difficulties raising $1 million in 1995, noting that 40 investors declined to back him.

Charles quipped in response: “And all those 40 are kicking themselves.”AMD CEO Lisa Su also shared a photograph from the meeting on social media platform X. “Honored to meet His Majesty King Charles today and grateful for the opportunity to join this special gathering. Enjoyed the discussions on AI, advanced technology, and the global partnerships that help drive innovation,” wrote Su.

Big Tech’s $42 Billion Bet on Britain

The gathering follows commitments made last September during President Donald Trump’s U.K. visit, when major tech firms including Microsoft, Nvidia, Google, and OpenAI pledged $42 billion (£31 billion) toward British investments in AI, quantum computing, and civil nuclear energy.