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Microsoft is joining the ranks of Apple, Facebook and Amazon, and investing in artificial intelligence research in Europe, with the launch of an AI startup programme.
Read more: 'Now is the best time in history to be an entrepreneur in Europe': State of European Tech report
Parisian coworking base Station F calls itself the largest startup campus in the world. The space has the capacity for 1,000 small companies, eight event spaces and one makerspace. It’s here that Microsoft wants to lend its expertise and launch an AI programme designed to help startups accelerate their projects. Like a mini-incubator for AI ideas, the tech giant will lend expertise across all necessary areas – from science and technology to business acumen, helping founders connect with investors, mentors and researchers in the field.
According to a post by EVP and president of Microsoft global sales, marketing and operations, Jean-Philippe Courtois, five startups will initially be welcomed into the fold, starting with Recast.ai, a platform where developers can “build, train, deploy and monitor intelligent bots”. Courtois says Microsoft hopes to have helped 100 startups within the first year of the programme.
Read more: More than 100 entrepreneurs sign up to help Facebook and Station F find the best startups
“I firmly believe AI will play a major role in tackling some of the big global challenges we currently face in healthcare, farming, environment and education,” says Courtois. “It’s relevant to businesses, governments and individuals in all countries. By helping a new wave of AI-led companies to expand internationally, we further democratise AI and help bring its benefits to more people.”
Microsoft has had a focus on the French ecosystem for several years now, with Courtois claiming the company has helped 3,000 startups expand. A lot of this is through helping integrate its own cloud infrastructure, Azure, into their services. Now, the tech giant wants to get in at the ground level in a sector that is booming across Europe and has the potential to impact every industry.
Based in a former train station built in 1929, Station F will host 3,000 desks for its 1,000 startups across 34,000m2 of space. In addition to Microsoft, the base is already home to Facebook's first startup incubator, Facebook Garage.
Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg announced in February that the social network will have 80 desks near the building's entrance. On a six-monthly cycle, Facebook will work with ten to 15 startups to help them develop their businesses. “We’re thrilled to be a founding partner and start the Facebook Startup Garage here,” Sandberg said at an event in Paris in January. It's the first time Mark Zuckerberg's company has invested in a physical space for startups.
Facebook's Garage will help data-driven startups in France and has already picked some of its first recruits. These include Chekk, which allows personal management of information online; location service, Mapstr; The Fabulous, a science-based health app; and Karos, which helps with carpooling.
Last year, London-based VC Atomico released its The State of European Tech report, which revealed that Europe is leading the way when it comes to deep tech – including artificial intelligence, virtual reality, augmented reality, drones, robotics and 3D printing. It found that $2.3 billion had been invested into deep tech in Europe in 2015, with the UK having the most investment, followed by France.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
