LangSmith for Startups
Discounted LangSmith Startup Plan with generous trace credits for building, evaluating, and observing LLM agents, valid a year (two for YC).
LangSmith for Startups offers up to Discounted plan + trace credits (1 year) to pre-seed, seed, series a startups, no VC referral required. Review takes 2–7 business days.
About
LangChain and LangGraph are among the most-used frameworks for building LLM agents, and LangSmith is the companion platform for tracing, evaluation, and observability. The Startup Plan offers discounted pricing and generous free trace allotments.
There are two tiers. Scale is for first-time customers backed by a LangChain premier VC partner that are Series A or earlier (up to $50M raised). Build is for first-time customers with under $10M in funding that have raised at least $25K. Credits arrive within a few days and last a year, or two years for Y Combinator companies; you stay on the plan for a year before graduating to Plus.
Tiers
- First-time customer
- Backed by a LangChain premier VC partner
- Series A or earlier (up to $50M)
- First-time customer
- Under $10M in funding
- Raised at least $25K
Eligibility
- First-time LangSmith customer
- Under $10M funding, or premier-VC-backed Series A
- Existing paying customer
- Beyond Series A / over $50M
How to apply
- 1
- 2
- 3Get creditsApproved credits are available within a few days.
What else you get
- LangSmith tracing and observability
- Agent evaluation datasets
- LangGraph Platform deployment
- 2 years of credits for YC companies
What credits cover (and don't)
- LangSmith traces
- Evaluations
- LangGraph Platform
Tactical tips
- Tip 1.The Build tier is open to any first-time customer under $10M that raised at least $25K, so you do not need a partner VC.
- Tip 2.YC companies get two years of credits instead of one.
- Tip 3.You can stay on the Startup Plan for a year before graduating to Plus, so plan your usage ramp.
Common rejection reasons
- Existing paying customer
- Beyond funding or stage limits
Frequently asked about LangSmith for Startups
Is LangSmith for Startups free to apply?
Yes. Applying to LangSmith 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 LangSmith 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 LangSmith 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 LangChain 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.
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