The fact that the news that broke at the end of September was first reported by the British Financial Times says a lot. And the fact that it has not yet been confirmed by the company itself says much more.
Black Forest Labs is expected to close a $200 to $300 million round, reaching a valuation of $4 billion. The Freiburg startup, which specializes in generative deep learning models for image and video generation, would be one of the fastest-growing AI startups in Europe. The company would also be the second most valuable AI startup in Germany behind Helsing. There they reached 12 billion in their last round, n8n recently “only” reached 2.5. And all within months. Black Forest Labs, or BLF for short, was not founded until 2024.
They just don't say whether it's all true. In general: You, the founders of the unknown unicorn from the Black Forest, say next to nothing publicly. They avoid the media. Interview requests remain unanswered.
There is a lot to discuss: What does BLF actually do better with its Flux model than, for example, Midjourney and Nano Banana? How do such quiet founders without hype get investors like Andreessen Horowitz and General Catalyst within months? What do Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg see in Black Forest Labs that made them both want to cooperate with the startup? What is the secret behind the success of the so reserved AI researchers in Freiburg in Breisgau? And: Can Black Forest Labs really compete with OpenAI and Google?
Beginnings in the ivory tower
Source: https://www.businessinsider.de/gruenderszene/business/black-forest-labs-was-steckt-hinter-dem-geheimnisvollen-unicorn/
