Nvidia expands UK startup investment push as Jensen Huang steps up Europe AI outreach

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Nvidia expands UK AI investment

Highlights

Nvidia is taking stakes in five UK startups—Prima Mente, Boltz, Foresight, Hiverge, and Riverlane—as part of its European expansion ahead of next week’s Berlin GTC event.
Nvidia is committing recipients in the UK, alongside other unnamed British firms, to $1.16 billion in funding, following recent investments in several French startups.
Nvidia has participated in 116 investment rounds in 2026 so far, up from 12 in 2022, accelerating its growth in AI and quantum portfolios across Europe.

UK startup stakes unveiled in London

As reported by CNBC, Huang said in London on Wednesday that Nvidia is taking stakes in five UK startups as part of a broader European expansion ahead of the company’s GTC event in Berlin next week.

The companies named are biotechs Prima Mente and Boltz, project delivery platform Foresight, algorithm discovery startup Hiverge, and quantum company Riverlane. Huang tells founders from the stage that Nvidia may not be their largest investor but is their best investor, underscoring the strategic role the company wants to play in scaling young AI businesses.

He also highlights UK neocloud company Nscale during the event, praising chief executive Josh Payne and saying Nvidia’s backing helped attract additional investors. Huang says Nscale went from zero last year and could become the most valuable British company within a decade, reflecting the confidence he projects in selected AI infrastructure players.

Europe strategy and industry influence

The London appearance is part of a European tour that places Huang at the center of Nvidia’s regional investment and policy outreach. He says he is due to meet German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the coming days, after joking to reporters about sharing whiskey with "the Prime Minister [Andy Burnham]," a remark that appears to conflate local and national political roles.

During an extended exchange with journalists, Huang mixes optimism about Europe’s AI prospects with criticism of the region’s business climate. He says it pains him to see Germany, which he describes as highly advanced technologically, fall behind in technology, and argues that UK entrepreneurs face too many perceived reasons to fail despite the country’s innovation potential.

Nvidia’s investment pace gives that message added weight. The company is committing recipients in the UK, alongside other unnamed British firms, to $1.16 billion in Nvidia funding, and it announced stakes in several French startups earlier in the week. According to Dealroom data cited in the report, Nvidia has participated in 116 investment rounds in 2026 so far, up from 12 in 2022, extending a portfolio that includes companies such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Intel and xAI.

In our earlier coverage of Nvidia’s calls for international AI safety coordination, Jensen Huang argued that cooperation with Chinese AI companies is needed to monitor potential misuse and reduce cross-border risks. He also pointed to the UK’s intellectual capital as a reason London could serve as a neutral venue for global dialogue on AI safeguards between governments and leading developers.

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