Runway Builders Program
AI Platform Credits
Up to 500,000 free Runway API credits + Tier 5 (highest) API access
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.
Who qualifies
Every condition below is taken from the vendor’s own published criteria. Read them before you spend an afternoon on the application.
Startups
The programme is aimed at startups. Vendors read this loosely, but expect to describe the company and what you are building on the application.
About Runway Builders Program
Quick answer
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.
Runway — the video-AI lab behind Gen-4 and the new Characters real-time video agents — launched Builders in March 2026 to get startups onto its API, reportedly backed by a $10M fund. Accepted Seed to Series C companies get up to 500,000 free API credits plus Tier 5 access, the highest API usage tier, so you can ship video features at production throughput without burning runway on inference.
What you get
- Up to 500,000 free Runway API credits to start building immediately
- Tier 5 access — Runway's highest API usage tier for maximum throughput
- Access to Runway Characters via the API: persistent real-time AI personas with defined appearance, voice, and personality (powered by GWM-1)
- Private Slack community with training sessions and direct support from the Runway team
How to apply
4 steps. The last one is the part most people skip.
- 1
Open Runway Builders Program through the link on this page
It carries our referral tag. The terms you get are identical either way, and it never changes what this page says about the programme.
- 2
Have the eligibility evidence ready
Applications are checked against one condition — startups. Incorporation date, cap table and a one-line description of what you are building cover most of it.
- 3
Ask for the expiry window in writing
Runway Builders Program does not publish how long the credit runs, and unused balance is almost always forfeited. Get the activation and expiry dates confirmed before you plan around the grant.
- 4
Know the rate you land on when it runs out
The point of a credit is a runway extension, not a permanent discount. Check standard list pricing for the usage you will have by then, so the first real invoice is a decision rather than a surprise.
Runway Builders Program FAQ
The questions we actually get asked about this programme.
Ask us something elseIt depends on model, resolution, and duration — Runway's API bills per generation, and credit burn varies significantly between Gen-4 video, image models, and Characters sessions. Treat 500k credits as several months of serious prototyping and confirm your expected burn with the Runway team once accepted.
The headline targets Seed to Series C, but Runway's own application form includes Pre-Seed and Bootstrapped funding-stage options — so it's worth applying with a strong use case even if you haven't raised.
Characters are Runway's real-time video agents — persistent AI personas with a defined appearance, voice, and personality, powered by its GWM-1 model. Builders members get API access; typical use cases include customer-support agents, brand characters, onboarding, and sales assistants.
