Meta is launching a European startup acceleration program based at STATION F, in partnership with Hugging Face and Scaleway, and with the support of the HEC Paris Incubator.

Application call is open from June 24th to August 16th:

 
👉 APPLY HERE 👈

The Meta AI Startup Program is a 4-month AI accelerator designed for European startups developing advanced AI solutions with open-source foundation models. Our aim is to accelerate the development and market entry of these projects.

Meta partnered with notable European organizations — Hugging Face, Scaleway, HEC Paris and Station F — to provide a blend of technical guidance and business acumen, ensuring startups not only advance technologically, but also strengthen their market presence.

Hosted at STATION F in Paris, the world's largest startup campus, the program will accelerate 5 startups in the MVP or product stage, from early October to early February 2025. Applications are open for startups from across the EU, with a selection panel from Meta, Hugging Face, Scaleway and HEC Paris Incubator choosing projects based on their use of open foundation models and integration plans.

Selected startups will benefit from technical mentoring by Meta, access to Hugging Face’s tools and Scaleway’s computing resources to develop services based on open-source AI technology.

What is the program about?

 🚀 Our goal is to help you accelerate the development of your AI solution and reduce your time-to-market.

 📅 Apply before August 16th and get ready to join the program on October 1st 2024!

 ⌛ 4-month acceleration with in-person elements at STATION F in Paris.

 🎁 No fees required and no equity taken!

Get ready to fast track your project with significant visibility in the AI space!

👾 We are on the lookout for:

  • Startups with AI-based products - if your startup is pioneering AI technology, we're interested!
  • Startups integrating AI models into their existing products and solutions.

🦾 Companies should have at least an existing AI-powered Minimum Viable Product (MVP) that has been tested with clients.

🚀 A product based on an open-source AI foundation model or a desire to migrate to an open-source model.

🦾 Must have clearly identified AI technical challenges to fully benefit from the mentoring program.

💻 A technical team member (CTO, data scientist, data engineer, etc.) able to get involved and commit throughout the program.

💶 Companies must demonstrate financial stability by having secured funding or by generating consistent revenue.

🌍 Must be based in the EU and able to physically attend bi-monthly in-person mentoring sessions at STATION F in Paris for the duration of the 4-month program.

• Challenge on 1 slide max
• Customer’s needs on 2 slides max
• Market on 1 slide max
• Solution on 2 slides max
• Technical challenge (2 slides max): 1) Explain your technical stack, your technological choices, the AI models used and the datasets on which you train your model. 2) Share information about the challenges you identified and how you will accelerate your product or service.
• Positioning on 1 slide max
• Business model on 1 slide max
• Go-to-market strategy on 1 slide max
• Team (2 slides max, with 1 general + advisors if any and 1 tech only): 1) Describe the key people in your team, your experience and why you think you should join the accelerator. 2) Share information about your Tech team and its organization.
• Roadmap on 1 slide max
• Your needs on 1 slide max

If your application is chosen, you will have the opportunity to present your pitch in Paris in front of a panel of judges including executives from Meta, Hugging Face and Scaleway, as well as team members from HEC Paris Incubator.

Jury assessment criteria

Founding team / market potential / value proposition / technology readiness level ( product maturity x market maturity) / roadmap / pitch quality

• Meta: Benefit from dedicated mentoring sessions with research teams at Meta Fundamental Artificial Intelligence Research (FAIR).
  
• Hugging Face: Learn from some of the best open source engineering experts and benefit from privileged access to Hugging Face's APls.
• Scaleway: Get support from Scaleway's experts to address your IT issues and enhance your tech infrastructure. Get access to compute credits to design state-of-the art solutions.
  
• HEC Paris Incubator: Benefit from the support of the HEC Paris Incubator to work on your go-to-market and sales strategies. Access a network of over 700 experts on business topics. Prepare your fundraising strategy and gain access to investors.
• Station F: Benefit from free desks at Station F and get access to Station F's vibrant startup community, events and activities.