E681 | Emil Eifrem, Neo4j: Building the AI Infrastructure Layer: Neo4j’s $100M Bet

Jan 14, 2026

Emil Eifrem, Founder and CEO of Neo4j, shares insights on transforming data infrastructure for AI. He discusses how Neo4j's technology was key during the Panama Papers investigation, revealing complex financial ties. Emil emphasizes the need for structured knowledge graphs to prevent LLM hallucinations. He introduces a $100M program to support AI startups, offering resources like free Aura credits and dedicated engineers. With over 300 startups joining in weeks, Emil expresses optimism about Europe's potential in leading AI infrastructure, despite regulatory challenges.

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ANECDOTE

Panama Papers Graph Revelation

The Panama Papers team loaded 1.6TB of messy scanned documents into Neo4j and visualized hidden relationships.
That discovery exposed seven-level financial links that table-based databases missed entirely.

INSIGHT

Graphs Encode Knowledge For AI

Knowledge is organizing unknown concepts by relating them to known ones, which is inherently graph-shaped.
Representing organizational information as a knowledge graph gives LLMs structured context and reduces hallucinations.

ADVICE

Re-Target Startups Now

Target startups as early adopters to capture the next wave of AI-native applications.
Change pricing and packaging to match startup needs rather than enterprise-only models.

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Welcome back to another episode of the EUVC Podcast. Today, Jeppe sits down with Emil Eifrem, founder & CEO of Neo4j, the world’s leading graph database and a core infrastructure layer for AI applications used by all 20 of the top US banks, 9 of 10 global pharma giants, and every major automotive OEM.

Emil recently announced a $100M global startup program to back founders building the next generation of AI-native products on top of graph technology — from knowledge graphs to hallucination-free LLMs.

We delve into why graph thinking matters now, how Neo4j came of age during the Panama Papers investigation, and why Europe is better positioned than people think to compete in the AI platform shift.

Here’s what’s covered:

02:00 — The Panama Papers “Coming Out Party”
How journalists used Neo4j to uncover 7-layer-deep financial relationships invisible to traditional databases — and why it triggered a wave of global adoption.
06:40 — Why Graphs Are the Missing Link for AI
Knowledge, meaning, context, and relationships: why LLMs without structured knowledge graphs hallucinate.
08:50 — The $100M Startup Program
Why Neo4j is returning to its roots to support AI-native founders — and why the packaging for startups had to change.
12:00 — What Founders Get
Free Aura credits, dedicated graph engineers, joint GTM, and access to the world’s largest graph developer community.
14:30 — Early Traction: 300+ Startups in Weeks
Why early demand is far ahead of expectations — and the kinds of companies applying.
16:10 — Community as a Strategic Moat
500+ annual global events, deep developer love, and why skill availability is now a CIO-level buying criterion.
19:00 — Building Deep Tech in Europe
Why Neo4j kept engineering in Europe, how the ecosystem matured, and what today’s founders can learn.
22:00 — Regulation & Competitiveness
Will Europe overregulate itself out of the AI race? Emil’s perspective on models vs infrastructure vs applications.
23:40 — The Future of AI Infrastructure
Why every company must rethink its stack — and why the biggest threat is assuming your business will survive without change.