Startup Programs

Browse: Cloud Programs 6 AI Programs 5

Tool	Potential Value	Description	Approval Index
Google Cloud Cloud	$350,000	Up to $200,000 in Google Cloud credits over 2 years for Seed to Series A startups, up to $350,000 on the AI track, and $2,000 for pre-funded startups.	Conditions
Approval Index Conditions Specific eligibility criteria apply Eligibility Start tier ($2,000 for 1 year): pre-funded, founded within the last 24 months, and no Google Cloud credits beyond the free trial Scale and AI tiers: Seed to Series A, founded within the last five years, and no more than $5,000 in Google Cloud credits received before AI tier: Gemini is the foundation of your core product, and Pre-Seed/Seed raised within five years or Series A within 12 months Must have a company website Programs Google for Startups Cloud Program Up to $200,000 Google for Startups Cloud Program (AI track) Up to $350,000 View full breakdown Apply on Google Cloud
Cloudflare Infra / Edge	$350,000	Three credit tiers, $10,000 to $350,000, based on how much you've raised and whether you're funded by a Cloudflare partner.	Conditions
Approval Index Conditions Specific eligibility criteria apply Eligibility Founded within the last 10 years Funded within the last 12 months, up to Series B Actively developing a technology product, with a live website Active on LinkedIn, X, or GitHub For-profit business with a business email on your domain Programs Cloudflare for Startups Up to $350,000 View full breakdown Apply on Cloudflare
AWS Cloud	$200,000	Up to $200,000 in AWS credits through AWS Activate. Self-funded startups can get up to $5,000; startups backed by an Activate Provider can get up to $200,000. Credits also cover third-party models on Amazon Bedrock.	Conditions
Approval Index Conditions Specific eligibility criteria apply Eligibility Pre-Series B and founded in the last 10 years AWS account on the Paid plan. Accounts on the 6-month Free plan can't receive Activate credits, so upgrade first New to Activate credits, or requesting more credits than you received before Portfolio tier: an Org ID from your Activate Provider (accelerator, angel investor, or VC firm) Programs AWS Activate Portfolio $200,000 AWS Activate Founders Up to $5,000 AWS Credits for AI Startups $200,000+ View full breakdown Apply on AWS
Databricks Data & AI	$200,000	Databricks for Startups gives early-stage venture-backed startups up to $200,000 in credits across Databricks and Neon.	Conditions
Approval Index Conditions Specific eligibility criteria apply Eligibility Early-stage, venture-backed startup that recently raised institutional funding Pre-seed through Series A; no accelerator required Programs Databricks for Startups Up to $200,000 View full breakdown Apply on Databricks
Microsoft Cloud	$150,000	Microsoft for Startups: $200 in Azure credits at signup, $5K after business verification, scaling up to $150K as Azure usage grows; investor-referred startups get a $1K starter grant and review for up to $150K. Pre-seed to Series B B2B startups.	Conditions
Approval Index Conditions Specific eligibility criteria apply Eligibility B2B startup building software, AI or tech; privately held, not a subsidiary, in a supported region Pre-seed through Series B Sign up with a personal Microsoft account (work, school and company-domain emails are rejected) No-investor offer: LinkedIn identity verification for the first $200, business verification for $5,000 Investor offer: a referral code from a participating investor, accelerator, incubator, angel network or university Programs Microsoft for Startups Investor Offer Up to $150,000 Azure startup credit offer (no investor) $200 to $150,000 View full breakdown Apply on Microsoft
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Anthropic AI models / API	$100,000	Claude for Startups: a free year of Claude Team, $1,000 in Claude API credits, higher rate limits and up to $45K in partner offers for startups founded in the last five years or funded in the last two. Bootstrapped founders qualify. Partner-VC-backed teams can get up to $100K more in API credits.	Open to All
Approval Index Open to All Available to most startups Eligibility Founded in the last five years or funded in the last two years; bootstrapped, pre-seed and venture-backed startups all qualify Claude Console account and a company email that matches your website domain The extra up-to-$100K in API credits is claimed through an Anthropic partner VC Credits apply to the first-party Claude API only (not Bedrock, Vertex AI or Foundry) Programs Claude for Startups $1,000 - $100,000+ View full breakdown Apply on Anthropic
Stripe Financial	$50,000+	Two Stripe programs: Stripe Atlas forms your company and includes $2,500 in Stripe credits plus $50,000+ in partner discounts from Google, Xero, AWS and more; Stripe Startups gives venture-backed companies 12 months of fee credits.	Conditions
Approval Index Conditions Specific eligibility criteria apply Eligibility Stripe Atlas: a new startup or an established private business intended to grow an online or online-enabled business Stripe Atlas: must comply with Stripe's compliance requirements; costs $500 one-time, then $100/year Stripe Startups: venture-backed with proof of institutional funding Stripe Startups: active Stripe account on standard pricing Programs Stripe Atlas $2,500 + $50,000+ in perks Stripe Startups 12 months of fee credits View full breakdown Apply on Stripe
Cloudvisor Partner	$10,000	AWS Advanced Tier Partner that helps startups access AWS credits, cut cloud costs, and get hands-on support from AWS-certified experts — with no added service fee.	Conditions
Approval Index Conditions Specific eligibility criteria apply Eligibility Legally registered company using AWS (~$100/month minimum spend) For AWS credits: functioning website and under 10 years old Programs Cloudvisor for AWS $10,000 View full breakdown Apply on Cloudvisor
DigitalOcean Cloud	Varies	DigitalOcean Hatch gives startups that have raised $10M or less 12 months of infrastructure credits (amount varies) plus 15 months of Standard support.	Conditions
Approval Index Conditions Specific eligibility criteria apply Eligibility Raised $10M or less A company website and a matching business email A DigitalOcean team account registered with your business email, with a valid credit card on it Not used DigitalOcean credits before Service-based businesses are not eligible; AI-native startups are prioritized Programs DigitalOcean Hatch Varies View full breakdown Apply on DigitalOcean
OpenAI AI models / API	Varies	OpenAI has no public self-serve credit application. Startups get API credits through an OpenAI partner VC (OpenAI names Thrive, Sequoia, a16z, Kleiner Perkins and Conviction) with a referral code. OpenAI does not publish the credit amount.	Conditions
Approval Index Conditions Specific eligibility criteria apply Eligibility Backed by an OpenAI partner VC and holding a referral code from that VC An OpenAI platform account and org ID A business email and basic funding details No public self-serve application Programs OpenAI for Startups Varies (via VC partners) View full breakdown Apply on OpenAI
HubSpot Marketing	Varies	Offers up to 90% off on marketing, sales, and CRM software for startups.	Conditions
Approval Index Conditions Specific eligibility criteria apply Eligibility Must have raised Pre-seed, Seed, or Series A funding (not Series B or later) Must be affiliated with an approved HubSpot for Startups partner OR have raised verified venture funding (verifiable via Crunchbase or Harmonic; PitchBook is also mentioned) 30% tier requires association with an approved entrepreneurial organization Discount applies to net-new Professional or Enterprise level products only Programs HubSpot for Startups Up to 90% off Year 1 View full breakdown Apply on HubSpot
Cohere AI models / API	Varies	Offers discounted enterprise AI pricing (up to 25% off) and grant access through Cohere Labs for early-stage startups.	Conditions
Approval Index Conditions Specific eligibility criteria apply Eligibility Early‑stage startups; separate Catalyst Grants for researchers/impact orgs. Programs Cohere Startup Program Varies View full breakdown Apply on Cohere
NVIDIA Inception AI Program	Varies	The NVIDIA Inception program is free for AI and data-science startups — discounts on NVIDIA hardware/software, technical training, and go-to-market support. No fees, no equity, open globally at every stage.	Conditions
Approval Index Conditions Specific eligibility criteria apply Eligibility Building products in AI, deep learning, or data science Officially incorporated and less than 10 years old At least one developer and a working website Any funding stage; no revenue required Not eligible: consulting and outsourced development firms, crypto companies, cloud service providers, resellers and distributors, public companies Programs NVIDIA Inception Free + partner discounts View full breakdown Apply on NVIDIA Inception

Google Cloud

Cloud

$350,000

Up to $200,000 in Google Cloud credits over 2 years for Seed to Series A startups, up to $350,000 on the AI track, and $2,000 for pre-funded startups.

Conditions

Cloudflare

Infra / Edge

$350,000

Three credit tiers, $10,000 to $350,000, based on how much you've raised and whether you're funded by a Cloudflare partner.

Conditions

AWS

Cloud

$200,000

Up to $200,000 in AWS credits through AWS Activate. Self-funded startups can get up to $5,000; startups backed by an Activate Provider can get up to $200,000. Credits also cover third-party models on Amazon Bedrock.

Conditions

Databricks

Data & AI

$200,000

Databricks for Startups gives early-stage venture-backed startups up to $200,000 in credits across Databricks and Neon.

Conditions

Microsoft

Cloud

$150,000

Microsoft for Startups: $200 in Azure credits at signup, $5K after business verification, scaling up to $150K as Azure usage grows; investor-referred startups get a $1K starter grant and review for up to $150K. Pre-seed to Series B B2B startups.

Conditions

Anthropic

AI models / API

$100,000

Claude for Startups: a free year of Claude Team, $1,000 in Claude API credits, higher rate limits and up to $45K in partner offers for startups founded in the last five years or funded in the last two. Bootstrapped founders qualify. Partner-VC-backed teams can get up to $100K more in API credits.

Open to All

Stripe

Financial

$50,000+

Two Stripe programs: Stripe Atlas forms your company and includes $2,500 in Stripe credits plus $50,000+ in partner discounts from Google, Xero, AWS and more; Stripe Startups gives venture-backed companies 12 months of fee credits.

Conditions

Cloudvisor

Partner

$10,000

AWS Advanced Tier Partner that helps startups access AWS credits, cut cloud costs, and get hands-on support from AWS-certified experts — with no added service fee.

Conditions

DigitalOcean

Cloud

Varies

DigitalOcean Hatch gives startups that have raised $10M or less 12 months of infrastructure credits (amount varies) plus 15 months of Standard support.

Conditions

OpenAI

AI models / API

Varies

OpenAI has no public self-serve credit application. Startups get API credits through an OpenAI partner VC (OpenAI names Thrive, Sequoia, a16z, Kleiner Perkins and Conviction) with a referral code. OpenAI does not publish the credit amount.

Conditions

HubSpot

Marketing

Varies

Offers up to 90% off on marketing, sales, and CRM software for startups.

Conditions

Cohere

AI models / API

Varies

Offers discounted enterprise AI pricing (up to 25% off) and grant access through Cohere Labs for early-stage startups.

Conditions

NVIDIA Inception

AI Program

Varies

The NVIDIA Inception program is free for AI and data-science startups — discounts on NVIDIA hardware/software, technical training, and go-to-market support. No fees, no equity, open globally at every stage.

Conditions

Showing all 13 programs. Last updated October 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What programs are available for startups?

Credit for Startups lists 13 programs programs, including Google Cloud, Cloudflare, AWS, Databricks, worth up to $350,000. Browse the list to compare value, eligibility, and how to apply.

Do I need to be VC-backed to qualify?

Not always. Some programs are open to bootstrapped founders; others require a VC or accelerator referral. Each listing shows its referral requirement and application difficulty — or use the Get Matched tool to filter to programs that fit your startup.

How do I apply?

Pick a program, review its eligibility and step-by-step "how to apply" on its page, then apply directly through the provider. It's free to apply, and we're an independent directory — not affiliated with the programs listed.

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Every founder's stack pulls from more than one bucket — keep browsing.

Credits

43

Cloud, AI, and developer-tool credits founders can claim — usage dollars to spend on the infrastructure powering your stack.

Perks & Deals

31

Discounts and free tiers on the tools every startup uses — banking, legal, productivity, hiring, sales, marketing.

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Frequently asked questions

What programs are available for startups?

Do I need to be VC-backed to qualify?

How do I apply?

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Credits

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