Fast.ai
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Fast.ai does
Fast.ai is a non-profit research lab and education platform founded in October 2016 by Jeremy Howard (former Kaggle president and Enlitic founder) and Rachel Thomas (math PhD, former Uber data scientist) and headquartered in San Francisco. The organization is dedicated to democratizing deep learning by providing free, practical education with minimal mathematical prerequisites, primarily targeting programmers with at least one year of coding experience alongside domain experts, under-represented groups via fellowship programs, and academic researchers. The core technology stack is the fastai library for PyTorch, a high-level deep learning framework covering computer vision, NLP, tabular data, collaborative filtering, and multimodal models, supported by an ecosystem of utility libraries: nbdev (literate programming in Jupyter), fastcore, fastdownload, fastgpu, fastchan, and fasttransform. Course offerings include Practical Deep Learning for Coders (Parts 1 and 2, with multiple iterations), Applied Data Ethics, Introduction to Machine Learning for Coders, Code-First Introduction to NLP, Computational Linear Algebra, and the recently launched How To Solve It With Code / Solveit platform developed under the Answer.AI umbrella.
The business model is a non-profit freemium structure: all courses, software libraries, and community forums are entirely free, while monetization is limited to one-time book sales through Amazon (the 600-page 'Practical Deep Learning for Coders with fastai and PyTorch' published by O'Reilly Media at $89.99) and the freemium Solveit platform. Go-to-market is product-led and community-led, distributing through course.fast.ai, YouTube playlists, a 160+ article blog, and an active forum with tens of thousands of students. The organization has no venture funding, 1-10 employees, and a hybrid channel including a credentialed in-person certificate program at the University of San Francisco Data Institute. In November 2024, Fast.ai announced it is joining Answer.AI as part of a new chapter, integrating its educational work with a broader AI R&D lab focused on practical end-user products from foundational research.
Fast.ai firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Fast.ai
- Legal name
- fast.ai
- Website
- https://fast.ai
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Fast.ai industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Machine Learning Education Software
- NAICS
- Computer Training (611420), Educational Support Services (61171)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- AI & Machine Learning (Foundations & Applied) (EDAMACAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- AI-Powered Tutoring & Study Assistant Platforms (EDANAGAD), AI Tutoring Systems (Conversational Tutors, Homework Helpers) (EDAFAFAC)
Keywords
Where Fast.ai is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Fast.ai business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Educational Courses (Free): All core courses are provided entirely free including Practical Deep Learning for Coders (Part 1 and Part 2), Applied Data Ethics course, Introduction to Machine Learning for Coders, and Computational Linear Algebra. Revenue is not generated directly from courses.
- Book Sales: The book 'Practical Deep Learning for Coders with fastai and PyTorch' is sold on Amazon for $89.99, providing revenue from educational materials.
- Solveit Platform: How To Solve It With Code course platform, launched in partnership with Answer.AI. New educational platform designed to make exploration and iterative development easier and faster.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free courses - all course content including videos, notebooks, and forums are completely free |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Paid book - Physical and digital book available on Amazon |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Fast.ai product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Fast.ai provides free, practical-first deep learning education through a comprehensive course ecosystem and produces the open-source fastai library for PyTorch, which delivers high-level components for computer vision, NLP, tabular data, and collaborative filtering. It also publishes the O'Reilly book 'Practical Deep Learning for Coders with fastai and PyTorch' and supporting developer tools (nbdev, fastcore, fastdownload, fastgpu, fastchan, fasttransform).
Product overview
Fast.ai is a research lab and education platform focused on democratizing deep learning. The core product is the fastai library for PyTorch, a deep learning framework providing high-level components for practitioners. The company offers a comprehensive course ecosystem including Practical Deep Learning for Coders (Part 1), Cutting Edge Deep Learning Part 2, How To Solve It With Code, and specialized courses on NLP, Machine Learning, and Applied Data Ethics. Supporting software tools include nbdev for Python package development, fastdownload for archive handling, fastchan conda distribution, fastcore and fastgpu utility libraries, and fasttransform for reversible pipelines. All courses and software are free, with the education platform complemented by a 600-page published book and active community forums.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- fastai for PyTorch: A deep learning library providing practitioners with high-level components that can quickly and easily provide state-of-the-art results
- nbdev
- fastcore
- fastgpu
Products and services
- fastai for PyTorch Open-source deep learning library built on PyTorch that provides high-level components for computer vision, NLP, tabular data, and collaborative filtering, enabling practitioners to achieve state-of-the-art results with minimal code.
- nbdev Python programming environment for creating complete Python packages, including tests and rich documentation, entirely within Jupyter Notebooks, enabling literate programming for deep learning practitioners.
- fastdownload
Quantifiable outcome
- Students able to reach top half of Kaggle leaderboards within two weeks of starting the course
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Fast.ai
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Fast.ai technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability12 records
Feature5 records
Fast.ai partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Answer.AIcoreFast.ai announced joining Answer.AI in November 2024, marking 'A New Chapter for fast.ai'. Answer.AI is described as a new kind of AI R&D lab creating practical end-user products based on foundational research breakthroughs. The partnership announced 'How To Solve It With Code', a new kind of educational experience. This appears to be a fundamental organizational integration rather than a simple partnership.
- University of San Francisco Data InstitutecorePartnership with USF Data Institute to offer the first university accredited, open access, in-person deep learning certificate in the world. Courses recorded at the Data Institute with classes held Monday evenings in downtown San Francisco. The partnership enabled both in-person and MOOC delivery of courses.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Fast.ai competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Fast.ai social profiles
Digital presenceFast.ai financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Fast.ai leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Fast.ai funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Fast.ai M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Fast.ai
What does Fast.ai do?
Fast.ai provides free, practical-first deep learning education through a comprehensive course ecosystem and produces the open-source fastai library for PyTorch, which delivers high-level components for computer vision, NLP, tabular data, and collaborative filtering. It also publishes the O'Reilly book 'Practical Deep Learning for Coders with fastai and PyTorch' and supporting developer tools (nbdev, fastcore, fastdownload, fastgpu, fastchan, fasttransform).
Is Fast.ai a public or private company?
Fast.ai is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Fast.ai founded?
Fast.ai was founded in 2016. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Fast.ai based?
Fast.ai is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Fast.ai make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Educational Courses (Free) is the primary driver. The others are book Sales and solveit Platform.
Does Fast.ai have an API?
No public API is recorded for Fast.ai.
What industry is Fast.ai in?
Fast.ai's product category is Machine Learning Education Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMACAG, AI & Machine Learning (Foundations & Applied), with a secondary code of EDANAGAD, AI-Powered Tutoring & Study Assistant Platforms. Its NAICS code is 611420 and its SIC code is 7372.