Research Summary:

General-purpose technologies require co-invention, the entrepreneurial effort that translates a technology into viable applications. Co-invention can begin from the technology or the application-domain side, generating distinct entrepreneurial trajectories with different geographic logics. Using a sample of 268 Norwegian AI ventures, we distinguish between technology- and domain-first trajectories and examine how each relates to the regional knowledge environment. In specialized regions, AI ventures emerge with application domains that align with regional expertise, yet regional specialization does not distinguish the two co-invention trajectories. What sharply differentiates them is the volume of domain-relevant research: technology-first ventures emerge disproportionately when relevant volume is high. The same geography can thus attract both trajectories for entirely different reasons. Entrepreneurial starting points sort ventures by geographic logic rather than by venture quality.