Baseten for Startups
Up to $25,000 in credits for dedicated model deployments or training, plus up to $2,500 for Model APIs, with hands-on support.
Baseten for Startups offers Up to $25,000 + $2,500 Model APIs to seed, series a startups, no VC referral required. Review takes 2–10 business days.
About
Baseten is a fast-growing AI inference platform for deploying and serving models in production, with dedicated deployments, autoscaling GPUs, and a Model APIs catalog. Its Startup Program grants up to $25,000 for dedicated deployments or training, plus up to $2,500 for Model APIs.
Eligibility targets AI-core startups from seed to Series A, founded less than five years ago, that are net-new Baseten customers. Credits must be used within six months, and accepted teams get rapid support with responses in hours plus a shared Slack channel.
Tiers
- AI core to the product
- Seed to Series A
- Net-new customer
- Same as above
Eligibility
- AI core to the product
- Seed to Series A
- Founded under 5 years ago
- Net-new Baseten customer
- Series B+
- Prior Baseten credit recipient
- AI not core to the product
How to apply
- 1
- 2
- 3Provision creditsApproved credits are applied to your account.
What else you get
- Dedicated deployments with autoscaling GPUs
- Model APIs catalog
- Rapid support (response in hours)
- Shared Slack + GTM boost
What credits cover (and don't)
- Dedicated deployments
- Training
- Model APIs
Tactical tips
- Tip 1.Credits expire six months after the grant date, so line up your production launch first.
- Tip 2.Only net-new customers qualify, so do not burn a paid trial before applying.
- Tip 3.Baseten fits when you need dedicated, autoscaling GPU inference rather than shared per-token APIs.
Common rejection reasons
- Series B+
- Prior Baseten customer
- AI not core to product
Frequently asked about Baseten for Startups
Is Baseten for Startups free to apply?
Yes. Applying to Baseten for Startups does not cost anything and does not require giving up equity. Some programs require a payment method on file that activates only after credits are consumed or expire, check the program detail page for specifics.
How long does Baseten for Startups take to review applications?
Processing times are shown on the program detail page. Most programs reply within 1–3 weeks. Self-serve tiers (like AWS Activate Founders) can approve in 2–7 days; partner-referred tiers (like AWS Activate Portfolio) usually take 5–10 days.
Can I combine Baseten for Startups with other startup programs?
Most programs stack. The "Stacks well with" section on each detail page lists commonly combined programs. A few important exceptions: if you already claimed AWS credits via Brex or Mercury, your direct AWS Activate amount may be reduced.
What is the most common reason applications to Baseten get rejected?
The top rejection reasons are (1) using a personal Gmail/Outlook address instead of a company domain, (2) having a thin or placeholder website, and (3) mismatched information between the application and Crunchbase/Pitchbook. The tips section on the program page details program-specific factors.
Related programs
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NVIDIA Inception
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