Meta Launches Program to Boost Startups' Use of Llama AI Models

Meta, the tech giant behind Facebook and Instagram, is making a push to get more startups using its Llama AI models. The company has announced a new program called "Llama for Startups" that aims to provide support and funding to eligible companies.

The program is open to any U.S.-based startup that meets the following criteria:

- Incorporated company

- Raised less than $10 million in funding

- Has at least one developer on staff

- Building generative AI applications

Eligible startups can apply by the May 30th deadline. If accepted, they may receive up to $6,000 per month for up to six months to help offset the costs of building and enhancing their AI solutions. Additionally, the startups will get direct support from Meta's Llama team to help them get started and explore advanced use cases.

This new initiative comes as Meta looks to cement its lead in the competitive open AI model space. Llama, Meta's large language model, has already been downloaded over 1 billion times. However, the company faces growing competition from rivals like DeepSeek, Google, and Alibaba.

Meta has big ambitions for Llama and its broader generative AI portfolio. The company has predicted its generative AI products could generate $2-3 billion in revenue in 2025, and $460 billion to $1.4 trillion by 2035.

To support these goals, Meta has been investing heavily in its AI efforts. In 2024, its "GenAI" budget exceeded $900 million, and this year it could top $1 billion. The company is also planning to spend $60-80 billion on new data centers in 2025 to power its AI infrastructure.

Despite this investment, Llama has faced some setbacks in recent months. Meta reportedly delayed the rollout of a flagship Llama 4 Behemoth model over performance concerns. The company also had to defend against allegations that it cheated on a popular AI benchmark.

The new Llama for Startups program appears to be part of Meta's strategy to drive broader adoption of its AI models and maintain its competitive edge. By providing funding and support to promising startups, the company hopes to foster the development of innovative generative AI applications built on Llama.