Meta Launches Program to Boost Startup Adoption of Llama AI

Meta Introduces Llama for Startups Program

Meta is initiating a new initiative designed to encourage the adoption of its Llama AI models by emerging companies.

This program, known as Llama for Startups, will furnish participating businesses with “direct support” originating from Meta’s Llama team. Financial assistance will also be provided in select instances.

Eligibility Requirements

To qualify, firms must be U.S.-based, legally incorporated, and have secured less than $10 million in funding. Applicants are also required to employ at least one developer and be actively engaged in the development of generative AI applications. The application deadline is May 30.

Program Benefits

“Participating members could be eligible to receive up to $6,000 monthly for a period of up to six months,” Meta detailed in a recent blog post. “This funding is intended to help offset the expenses associated with building and refining their generative AI solutions.”

Meta’s specialists will collaborate closely with selected startups to facilitate onboarding and explore advanced applications of Llama that could prove beneficial.

Strengthening Meta’s Position in the Open Model Landscape

The unveiling of the Llama startup program arrives as Meta endeavors to solidify its leadership position within the highly competitive open model arena.

To date, Meta’s Llama models have accumulated over a billion downloads. However, competitors like DeepSeek, Google, and Alibaba’s Qwen present challenges to Meta’s ambition of establishing a comprehensive model ecosystem.

Recent Challenges Faced by Llama

Llama has encountered several obstacles in recent months.

Reports from The Wall Street Journal indicate that Meta has postponed the release of its flagship AI model, Llama 4 Behemoth, due to concerns regarding its performance on crucial benchmarks.

Furthermore, in April, Meta addressed accusations of manipulating results on the popular crowdsourced AI benchmark, LM Arena. The company utilized a version of its Llama 4 Maverick model, specifically “optimized for conversationality,” to achieve a favorable score on LM Arena, but released a different version of Maverick to the public.

Ambitious Revenue Projections for Generative AI

Meta holds substantial aspirations for Llama and its broader generative AI offerings.

The company previously forecasted that its generative AI products would generate between $2 billion and $3 billion in revenue by 2025, potentially escalating to $460 billion to $1.4 trillion by 2035.

Expanding the Llama Ecosystem

Meta has established revenue-sharing agreements with companies hosting its Llama models.

Recently, the company launched an API for customizing Llama releases. Moreover, Meta AI, the company’s AI assistant powered by Llama, may eventually integrate advertisements and offer a subscription service with enhanced features, as stated by CEO Mark Zuckerberg during the Q1 earnings call.

Significant Investment in Generative AI

The development of these products has incurred considerable costs.

Meta’s “GenAI” budget exceeded $900 million in 2024, and is projected to surpass $1 billion this year. This figure excludes the infrastructure expenses required for running and training the models.

Meta has previously announced plans to invest between $60 billion and $80 billion in capital expenditures for 2025, primarily focused on the construction of new data centers.