French AI startup Mistral AI is on the verge of securing a €2 billion funding round that would value the company at approximately €12 billion (about $14 billion) post-money, positioning it as one of Europe’s most valuable tech ventures.
Founded in 2023 by ex-DeepMind and Meta researchers, Mistral has quickly built a reputation through its open-source language models and Le Chat, a chatbot tailored for European audiences. The new investment marks its first major raise since June 2024, when it was valued at around €5.8 billion. This surge underscores the rising momentum of European AI players challenging U.S. dominance.
The potential deal highlights how Mistral’s rapid growth is strengthening Europe’s technological independence and placing the company among the most influential global AI developers.