The First Europe's AI Accelerator

Netherlands-based Rockstart is set to kick off the first edition of the AI accelerator program in early October. Nordic startups are welcome to send their applications for the program until July 30, after which the selection process will begin. The ten startups chosen for the accelerator will get initial funding, office space in Den Bosch, access to a network of mentors and investors, and support from industry professionals like NVIDIA, Atlassian, Volksbank, and others.

You heard it right, Rockstart is bringing in some really important partners on board. One of them is NVIDIA, the leading force in GPU-based deep learning hardware. Startups will get access to NVIDIA’s engineers who would help them to design and implement their applications. They will also enjoy the benefits of NVIDIA’s Inception Program, aimed at revolutionizing industries with advances in AI and data science. Plus, startups chosen to the prgram will get discounts on hardware and get introduced to GPU Ventures,  NVIDIA’s venture arm, with checks from €400,000 to €4 million.

In addition to that, Rockstart startups will also get knowledge and expertise from Atlassian, enterprise software company, whose revenue exceeded $450m last year. With a product portfolio that includes the JIRA, Bitbucket, Confluence, HipChat, and Trello, it caters to the needs of every team, from two to thousands of engineers. The company has committed to sharing its knowledge around engineering best practices and providing startups with any guidance that they require in building the idea.

Finally, Rockstart AI startups will be coached by experts from Jheronimus Academy of Data Science (JADS). Together with a stellar lineup of mentors, they will support and guide the ten startups through the challenges faced on the technology front as well as the business development front.

We are extremely pleased and humbled to work in close partnership with large international corporations, academic institutes, investors, seasoned entrepreneurs and world-class technical experts. Our mission is to make The Netherlands the most attractive place in Europe to build AI startups,” said Marjel Quekel, Artificial Intelligence Program Director at Rockstart.

Last but not least, startups accepted to the program will receive €20,000 cash and €80,000 of in-kind funding, an office space in Den Bosch for the duration of the program, and support from mentors from relevant industries, as well as more than 50 perks and deals worth some €600,000. Plus, one of the lead investors of the AI Accelerator program has committed to invest at least €200,000 in an AI Startup of their choice after the Demo Day.

Apply by July, 3oth.