Google, Meta and OpenAI join forces in F/ai, the new accelerator for artificial intelligence startups in Europe

The leading giants of the artificial intelligence industry put aside their rivalry to launch F/ai, an ambitious Paris-based startup accelerator that seeks to boost the growth and global competitiveness of European AI companies.

Big tech companies have found common ground in F/ai, a new business accelerator launched from Europe and led by the renowned Paris-based incubator Station F. The program marks a milestone in the industry, as it brings together, for the first time, direct competitors in the artificial intelligence ecosystem under a single initiative.

The announcement was made on Tuesday, when Station F confirmed its partnership with Meta, Microsoft, Google, Anthropic, OpenAI, and Mistral—an unprecedented move in the sector. This group is further strengthened by strategic infrastructure partners such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), AMD, Qualcomm, and OVH Cloud, reinforcing access to computing power, semiconductors, and cloud services.

The F/ai accelerator is designed as an intensive program for early-stage startups, where founders receive training, mentorship, specialized advice, and direct access to potential investors and clients. The central objective is to accelerate the market launch of AI applications built on models developed by the partner labs.

In this first stage, 20 European startups will participate in a curriculum focused on generating revenue faster and facilitating access to subsequent funding rounds. “We focus on rapid commercialization. Investors are starting to think that European companies aren’t reaching $1 million in revenue quickly enough,” explained Roxanne Varza, director of Station F.

The program lasts three months, runs twice a year, and its first edition began on January 13. While the names of the selected startups were not revealed, many were recommended by venture capital funds such as Sequoia Capital, General Catalyst, and Lightspeed, and they develop solutions ranging from agentic AI to applications for finance and commerce.

Unlike other accelerators, F/ai does not offer direct funding, but rather more than $1 million in loans per startup, which can be used to access AI models, computing power, and technological services from partner companies, significantly reducing barriers to entry.

The initiative aims to close the historical gap between Europe and the US and Chinese AI ecosystems across the entire AI value chain. In this sense, Station F aspires to replicate in Europe the impact of accelerators like Y Combinator, which propelled companies such as Airbnb, Stripe, and Reddit, and where OpenAI was even born. “It’s for European founders with a global ambition,” Varza summarized.

Finally, the program also benefits large US AI labs, which find fertile ground in Europe to expand their technologies. According to Marta Vinaixa, partner and CEO of Ryde Ventures, once a startup begins building on a specific model, change becomes complex: “The earlier you start and the more you accumulate, the harder it is to change,” a key factor that explains the strategic value of F/ai for the entire ecosystem.

Source: www.itsitio.com