Startup Credits
Startup Credits & Programs
Free and heavily discounted credits for early-stage startups — distinct from coupon deals. Cloud computing, AI APIs, and SaaS tools across AWS, GCP, Azure, IBM, Anthropic, OpenAI, HubSpot, Mixpanel, GitHub, and more.
273+ programs across cloud, AI, and SaaS. Credit amounts, eligibility requirements, application links, and honest verdicts on which programs are worth your time — including 29+ accessible without a VC. Updated May 2026.
Cloud Provider Credits
Free cloud infrastructure credits from AWS, Google Cloud, Azure, Oracle and more for early-stage startups.
AI Platform Credits
API credits and free access to leading AI models -- Anthropic, OpenAI, Mistral, Together AI and more for startups building with AI.
SaaS Startup Programs
Discounted and free access to top SaaS tools -- CRM, support, analytics, and infrastructure -- through official startup programs.
The bootstrapped startup credits stack
Over $230K in cloud credits and $125K+ in AI credits accessible without any investor or accelerator affiliation. IBM Cloud ($120K), Cloudflare (BOOTSTRAPPED code), Oracle, Vultr, Anthropic, PostHog, GitHub for Startups, and more.
All startup credit programs (273)
OpenRouter Startup Program
One grant, every frontier model — up to $5K in universal inference credits across 300+ models plus zero platform/BYOK fees for a year.
Turso for Startups
Free credits on Turso's SQLite-compatible edge database for venture-backed startups, with architecture reviews and early access to new features.
Braintrust for Startups
6–12 months of Braintrust Pro free — evals, tracing, and LLM observability for AI teams that have raised at least $100k. Partner-VC startups get a full year.
Runway Builders Program
Up to 500k free Runway API credits plus Tier 5 throughput for Seed–Series C startups building with video AI and Runway's Characters agents.
Roboflow for Startups
A free year of Roboflow Core ($948) for new customers under $5M raised — labeling, cloud-GPU training, and inference credits loaded up front.
Comet for Startups
Comet Teams free for seed and Series A startups under $10M raised, under 2 years old, and under 100 people — ML experiment tracking without the line item.
Exa Startup Credits
$1,000 in free Exa credits for startups building agents that need real web context — the search API used by Cursor, Cognition, and OpenRouter.
E2B for Startups
Code-execution sandboxes for AI agents — $20K in credits plus the Pro tier (100 concurrent sandboxes, 24h sessions) for early-stage teams.
Confluent for Startups
Managed Kafka and Flink free for up to a year — serious infrastructure if you are doing anything event-driven or real-time AI.
Snowflake for Startups
Free Snowflake usage credits on your first contract, plus an optional accelerator with mentorship, GTM support, and a shot at investment.
New Relic for Startups
A permanent 100GB/month free tier with all 50+ capabilities — plus startup-program credits layered on top for pre-seed to Series B teams.
Helicone Startup Discount
Open-source LLM observability — 50% off the first year for startups under 2 years old and under $5M raised; students free.
Upstash Open Source Program
Serverless Redis/Kafka/QStash costs covered up to $1,000 a month for open-source projects — effectively a $12K/year infrastructure grant.
Lambda Research Grants
Up to $5K in GPU credits on the same H100 cloud the big labs rent — aimed at researchers publishing or showcasing AI work.
Tinybird Open Source Program
Real-time analytics backend at 80% off for six months (then 20% forever) for active open-source projects with 25+ GitHub stars.
GitHub Student Developer Pack
Still the single highest-value education bundle in tech: GitHub Pro, $200 DigitalOcean, $100 Azure, two years of Heroku credit, a free domain, and 50+ more offers.
Figma for Education
Full professional Figma and FigJam, free, for verified students and teachers — no tier games, it is the real product.
Notion for Education
Free Notion Plus on your school email — and it quietly keeps working after graduation as long as the email stays attached.
How to stack startup credits in 2026
- 01
Apply to cloud credits first — highest dollar value
Cloud credits have the highest dollar value ($100K–$350K) and compound longest. Apply to AWS Activate Founders ($1K, instant, no VC) and GCP startup credits on day one. Then add Microsoft Founders Hub, IBM Cloud, Oracle, and Cloudflare (BOOTSTRAPPED code) for bootstrapped teams. - 02
Unlock AI credits through your accelerator for maximum amounts
Anthropic ($25K–$100K) and OpenAI ($2.5K–$100K) credits scale with your accelerator or VC affiliation. Apply through your program benefits dashboard for the top tier. Without a partner, apply directly for the base tier — both accept direct applications. - 03
GitHub for Startups — most founders never apply
GitHub for Startups offers $10K in platform credits plus up to $40K in non-dilutive cash. Direct application — under 5 years old and under $1M raised. Apply immediately at github.com/solutions/startups. Most qualifying founders have never heard of this program. - 04
Check the bootstrapped track before assuming you need a VC
Over $230K in cloud credits is accessible without any investor affiliation: IBM Cloud ($120K), Vultr ($100K), Cloudflare (code BOOTSTRAPPED, up to $250K), Oracle ($10K), and AWS Activate Founders ($1K instant). Plus $125K+ in AI credits with direct apply. - 05
Model credit expiry before activating
Credits with 12-month validity (Oracle, GCP, IBM) should not be activated until you have real infrastructure usage. AWS Activate credits are valid 24 months — the safest to activate early. Activate close to your launch date to maximise value. - 06
Stack programs — they are not exclusive
There is no rule against holding credits from multiple providers simultaneously. Most funded startups run AWS + GCP + Azure + Anthropic + OpenAI + Datadog credits at the same time. Apply to all programs you qualify for — the applications are independent.
Startup credits — frequently asked questions
What are startup credits? +
Startup credits are free cloud, AI, and SaaS access programs offered by software companies to early-stage startups. They typically provide $1K–$350K in credits toward cloud infrastructure (AWS, GCP, Azure), AI APIs (Anthropic, OpenAI), and SaaS tools (HubSpot, Intercom, Mixpanel). The goal is to lower your infrastructure costs during development and early revenue stages.
How much can a startup get in total credits in 2026? +
A startup that qualifies for all major programs can access over $1M in total credits across cloud, AI, and SaaS. Realistically, most funded startups access $200K–$500K. Bootstrapped startups without VC affiliation can access $230K+ in cloud credits and $125K+ in AI credits through direct-apply programs.
Do I need to be VC-backed to get startup credits? +
No. Many high-value programs accept direct applications with no investor or accelerator affiliation: IBM Cloud for Startups ($120K), Cloudflare for Startups (BOOTSTRAPPED code, up to $250K), Oracle for Startups ($10K), Vultr ($100K), AWS Activate Founders ($1K instant), Anthropic for Startups ($25K), Together AI ($50K), PostHog ($50K), and GitHub for Startups ($50K + $40K cash).
Which startup credit programs are easiest to get? +
AWS Activate Founders approves automatically the same day with no partner required. NVIDIA Inception is free with instant access. Twilio for Startups ($5K) approves same-day with direct application. IBM Cloud, Oracle, and Anthropic direct-apply tiers typically approve in 3–10 business days.
Can I stack startup credits from multiple providers? +
Yes — startup credit programs are independent and non-exclusive. There is no rule preventing you from holding credits from AWS, GCP, Azure, IBM, Anthropic, OpenAI, and Mixpanel simultaneously. Most funded startups do exactly this. Apply to every program you qualify for.
How do I apply for startup credits? +
Each program has its own application. For instant programs: apply directly at the provider website (AWS, Twilio, NVIDIA). For partner-gated programs: log into your accelerator or VC benefits portal (Y Combinator Bookface, a16z portfolio hub, etc.) and access the credit links there. For direct-apply programs: apply at the provider website with your company details.