Find every dollarof credits you'reactually owed.
A handwritten directory of 82 cloud, AI, and SaaS programs, with the eligibility rules, processing times, and rejection reasons that listicles leave out.
Every major program. Every honest catch. No affiliate ranking.
AWS Activate, Google for Startups, Microsoft Founders Hub, Anthropic, OpenAI, Stripe Atlas, Brex, Ramp, Notion, HubSpot, and 72+ more, filtered by what you actually qualify for, with tier guidance and an ordered playbook instead of a wall of links.
Tell us about your startup.
Five questions. Instant, honest matches, not sorted by affiliate payout.
Your top matches
See full results →The programs nearly every founder applies to.
What you qualify for at your funding stage.
The big programs, explained in full.
What each one really costs, who qualifies, the catch, and how it compares to the alternatives, for the programs founders search for by name.
Stripe Atlas
Stripe Atlas incorporates a US company (Delaware C-corp or LLC) online for a one-time $500, covering the state filing, EIN, share issuance, and first-year registered agent (about $100 per year after). It is open to founders anywhere, forms the company in one to two business days, and bundles legal templates, 83(b) help, and partner perks. You do not have to use Stripe payments to use it.
Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub
Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub gives startups Azure credits that scale from about $1,000 up to $150,000, unlocked progressively, plus GitHub Enterprise, Microsoft 365, and Azure OpenAI access. The self-serve entry tier gives up to roughly $5,000 with just business verification and no investor requirement; the top tiers usually need an Investor Network referral. It takes no equity.
HubSpot for Startups
HubSpot for Startups discounts the CRM and marketing suite by up to 90% off year one, 50% off year two, and 25% off year three onward for startups that raised and are affiliated with an approved partner. Startups affiliated only through an entrepreneurial organization typically get 30% to 50% off year one. It is for new HubSpot customers, usually pre-seed to Series A and under about $20M raised.
AWS Activate credits
AWS Activate gives startups cloud credits plus support. The self-serve Founders tier grants up to $5,000 with no affiliation needed; the Portfolio tier grants up to $200,000 but requires a confidential Organization ID from an AWS Activate provider (a VC, accelerator, or incubator). Credits typically last up to two years and cover 200-plus AWS services including Bedrock for AI. It takes no equity.
Google for Startups Cloud Program
The Google for Startups Cloud Program has a Start tier worth up to $2,000 (early-stage, not yet equity-funded) and a Scale tier worth up to $200,000 over two years (VC-backed). AI-first startups can reach up to $350,000 total: roughly 100% coverage up to $250,000 in year one plus 20% up to $100,000 in year two. Credits cover Google Cloud, Firebase, and Gemini, and the program takes no equity.
Notion for Startups
Notion for Startups gives new, non-paying startups free credit toward the Business plan including Notion AI: up to six months free through a Notion partner, about three months without a partner, and roughly one month for small or unverifiable teams. It is for companies under 100 employees, one redemption per company, and does not stack with other Notion promotions.
OpenAI startup credits have ended
OpenAI has stopped offering startup credits. There is no application form or published credit amount on any OpenAI-owned page, and the Ramp partnership and Researcher Access routes that used to supply them are no longer offered. The one path that still reaches GPT-class models with credits is Azure OpenAI Service funded by a Microsoft for Startups grant. For a direct equivalent, Anthropic runs the closest program with published terms.
Claude startup credits while the cohort is full
Claude Startups, Anthropic's startup program, is full and closed to new applications as of 30 October 2026, and its credits work only on the first-party Claude API. Of the big cloud programs, AWS says its Activate credits cover Anthropic models on Amazon Bedrock. Google for Startups program credits exclude Claude, though Google's perks page offers Scale and Scale AI tier members a separate $10,000 for partner models in Model Garden, Anthropic included. Microsoft for Startups credits exclude Claude. Founders backed by a partner VC can still get up to $100,000 in API credits through their investor.
Deel for startups
Deel for startups commonly includes the first five contractor or employee seats free for life, roughly 30% off contractor management and 20% off EOR employees for 12 months, and a credit around $500 (with about $1,500 available through Carta). Deel runs global payroll, contractor management, and employer-of-record hiring in 150-plus countries, so a small team can pay people anywhere compliantly.
Carta for startups
The Carta Launch startup program is gone, but Carta still lists a free plan for early startups on its equity-management plans page (checked October 12, 2026). We have not verified the stakeholder or funding limits of that plan, so confirm them on the plans page. Carta remains a common tool for keeping an investor-ready cap table from incorporation.
Startup credits beyond Supabase
Supabase publishes no startup credits program: supabase.com/startups now redirects to a product page with no application, amount or eligibility. Other backend and database providers do run programs. Neon and Databricks offer up to $200,000, Google for Startups Cloud up to $350,000, AWS Activate up to $200,000 through a partner, and Convex up to a year of its Professional plan. MongoDB, Turso, Render and Vercel run programs too.
The order that works.
Curated sequences for specific founder archetypes. Some programs unlock better terms on others, sequence matters.
Bootstrapped AI Product Playbook
Solo or small team, no VC, AI-first product. Target: $15K–$50K in immediate credits.
Seed-Funded B2B SaaS Playbook
Recognized VC, B2B focus. Target: $500K+ in effective value.
AI-First Seed (Series A-track) Playbook
Compute-heavy AI startup. Target: $1M+ in cloud + AI credits.
International (Non-US) Founder Playbook
Building a US entity from abroad.
Compliance-First (Enterprise Sales Track) Playbook
Preparing for enterprise customers.
The programs founders forget to apply to.
Auth, databases, dev tools, AI infra, HR, grouped by the job they do.
Ship SSO, SCIM, and passwordless without burning weeks on auth.
Meetings, lifecycle emails, support, the customer-facing stack.
Postgres, MySQL, serverless, with branching and migration credits.
Ship the product: code, docs, issues, experiments.
Product analytics + session replay + error tracking, at startup pricing.
LLM inference, vector search, fine-tuning, production-grade.
Text-to-speech, transcription, and realtime voice agents.
Design tools, CMS, and forms for the marketing site and the product.
SOC 2, ISO, HIPAA, discount paths for when enterprise asks.
Global payroll, EOR, contractor management, without enterprise pricing.
Frequently asked.
Are startup credit programs really free?
Yes. The major programs listed here (AWS Activate, Google for Startups Cloud, Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub, Notion, HubSpot, etc.) are free to apply to. None of them take equity. You may need to provide a payment method that activates only after credits are exhausted or expire, always check individual terms before applying.
Do I need a VC to get the big cloud credits?
No. The easiest paths for bootstrapped founders are Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub (up to $5K with just business verification), AWS Activate Founders tier ($1,000), Google for Startups Cloud Start Tier ($2,000), and Cloudflare for Startups ($10K Tier 3 for bootstrapped startups under $1M raised). VC or accelerator referrals unlock larger tiers ($100K–$350K) but are not required for a meaningful base.
In what order should I apply to these programs?
Order matters. A good default for bootstrapped founders: (1) incorporate via Stripe Atlas, (2) join NVIDIA Inception if AI-focused, (3) apply for Microsoft Founders Hub, (4) AWS Activate Founders, (5) Google for Startups Cloud Start, (6) open Mercury or Brex, (7) then layer on Notion, MongoDB, GitHub, and others. See the Playbooks page for sequences optimized by archetype.
How long do credits last?
Typically 12 months from activation, though this varies. AWS Activate credits can last 1–2 years. Microsoft Founders Hub distributes over up to 4 years as you hit milestones. Google Cloud Scale tier runs 2 years. Each program detail page shows the exact validity.
Can I re-apply if I got a smaller tier before?
Usually yes. AWS Activate, for example, lets you re-apply for a higher Portfolio tier after you burn through the Founders tier, as long as you now qualify. But most programs only pay out one-time per company, GitHub for Startups in particular has a strict "one redemption ever" rule.
What email should I use when applying?
Always use a professional domain email (name@yourcompany.com), not Gmail or Outlook. Programs verify you as a real company through your website and matching email domain. A Gmail address is one of the most common rejection reasons across AWS, Google Cloud, and Notion.