AI Startup Credits & Perks

Free, verified startup credit programs from AI and cloud vendors. Every row links to the official page.

  • 25 programs
  • $1.5M+ in credits*
  • Verified on official pages
  • Free, no signup

* sum of maximum fixed amounts; 'varies' programs excluded

Top credits

  • Google Cloud

    Google for Startups Cloud Program

    Up to $350K

    Up to $350,000 in Cloud credits over two years (incl. Gemini/Gemma credits)

    Apply

  • Cloudflare

    Cloudflare for Startups

    Up to $350K

    Up to $350,000 in credits for a year ($10k tier with no minimum funding)

    Apply

  • AWS

    AWS Activate Credits

    Up to $200K

    Up to $200,000 in Activate credits

    Apply

All programs

Showing 25 of 25 programs

  • Cloudflare

    Cloud

    Cloudflare for Startups

    Up to $350,000 in credits for a year ($10k tier with no minimum funding)

    Top tier

    Founded within last 10 years, funded up to Series B; tier by funding

    Verified Oct 29Apply

  • Google Cloud

    Cloud

    Google for Startups Cloud Program

    Up to $350,000 in Cloud credits over two years (incl. Gemini/Gemma credits)

    Top tier

    Pre-Seed to Series A, AI-focused tiers

    Verified Oct 29Apply

  • AWS

    Cloud

    AWS Activate Credits

    Up to $200,000 in Activate credits

    Top tier

    Pre-Series B, founded in last 10 years, AWS account on Paid Tier; Portfolio tier needs an Org ID from an Activate Provider

    Verified Oct 29Apply

  • Neon

    Database

    Neon Startup Program

    Up to $1,000 (under $1M funding) or up to $200K Neon + Databricks credits (VC-backed, $1M+)

    Top tier

    Self-funded under $1M or VC-backed with $1M+

    Verified Oct 29Apply

  • Microsoft

    Cloud

    Microsoft for Startups

    Up to $150,000 in credits

    Top tier

    Startups; credits apply across eligible Azure services

    Verified Oct 29Apply

  • Datadog

    Observability

    Datadog for Startups

    Up to $100k in credits for one year

    Top tier

    Series A or earlier

    Verified Oct 29Apply

  • PostHog

    Analytics

    PostHog for Startups

    $50,000 in credits for 12 months + $12,000 in partner benefits

    Startups on a paid plan applying from a company email; signed up after Jan 1, 2023

    Verified Oct 29Apply

  • Anthropic

    AI models

    Claude for Startups

    Up to $45,000 in discounts and credits; up to $100K extra API credits via partner VCs

    Startups; extra API credits for companies backed by a VC in Anthropic's partner network. Credits apply to the first-party Claude API only

    Verified Oct 29Apply

  • Vercel

    Developer tools

    Vercel for Startups

    Up to $30,000 in Flexible Commitment Amount + Enterprise-tier access

    Eligible startup teams

    Verified Oct 29Apply

  • Notion

    Productivity

    Notion for Startups

    Up to 6 months free Business plan with Notion AI (up to $12,000 value)

    Non-paying customers under 100 employees; 6 months needs a partner affiliation, 3 months needs business site + domain email

    Verified Oct 29Apply

  • GitHub

    Developer tools

    GitHub for Startups

    $10,000 in platform credits (Enterprise, Copilot, Advanced Security, Actions)

    Startups affiliated with a GitHub for Startups partner (VC/accelerator)

    Verified Oct 29Apply

  • ElevenLabs

    Voice AI

    ElevenLabs Startup Grants

    12 months of usage, 680+ hours of Agents usage (over $5,500 in value)

    Startups under 25 employees building a long-term monetized product; no agencies/consultancies/SMBs; one application per company

    Verified Oct 29Apply

  • Stripe

    Payments

    Stripe Atlas

    $2.5K in Stripe credits + over $200K in partner offers; Atlas fee back when funding Treasury with $5,000 in 90 days

    Founders incorporating via Atlas

    Verified Oct 29Apply

  • Make

    Automation

    Make Startup Program

    Free Make for up to 6 months (~500K credits, over $1,200 value), then 50% off 3 months

    Funding up to $5 million

    Verified Oct 29Apply

  • Apify

    Web data

    Apify Startup Discount

    30% off the Scale plan

    Raised under $5M total, up to and including Series A

    Verified Oct 29Apply

  • AssemblyAI

    Voice AI

    AssemblyAI Startup Program

    12 months of recurring free credits (amount varies)

    Pre-seed to Series A

    Verified Oct 29Apply

  • DigitalOcean

    Cloud

    DigitalOcean Hatch

    Credits (amount varies); GPU credit packages by invitation

    Startups accepted into Hatch

    Verified Oct 29Apply

  • HubSpot

    Sales & marketing

    HubSpot for Startups

    Up to 90% off year one (50% year two, 25% year three); 30% tier also

    Pre-seed to Series A, affiliated with a HubSpot partner or verified venture funding

    Verified Oct 29Apply

  • Intercom

    Customer support

    Intercom Early Stage Program

    93% off + 1 year of Fin free (then 50%, 25% off)

    Fewer than 15 employees

    Verified Oct 29Apply

  • Linear

    Productivity

    Linear Startup Program

    Free Business plan period (length via partner offer)

    Non-paying Linear users under 50 employees affiliated with an official Linear partner

    Verified Oct 29Apply

  • Miro

    Productivity

    Miro for Startups

    Free Miro credits; up to 25% discount scale offer

    Startups (scale offer via VC)

    Verified Oct 29Apply

  • MongoDB

    Database

    MongoDB for Startups

    Varies by tier: Atlas credits + Voyage AI tokens

    Under 7 years old, Series A or earlier, single software product; new or existing Atlas users

    Verified Oct 29Apply

  • NVIDIA

    AI infrastructure

    NVIDIA Inception

    Varies: free cloud credits from NVIDIA and partners, training, VC connections

    Any funding stage; free, no equity

    Verified Oct 29Apply

  • Pinecone

    Database

    Pinecone for Startups

    Free Standard Tier + Pro Support (value varies)

    Series A or earlier

    Verified Oct 29Apply

  • Zendesk

    Customer support

    Zendesk for Startups

    Up to 2 years free of the Zendesk Resolution Platform for up to 50 agents

    New Zendesk customers with outside funding (Angel and up); depends on funding profile and partner

    Verified Oct 29Apply

Always confirm terms on the vendor's page; programs change. Links go directly to vendor pages with no affiliate parameters. Source: CostKite.

FAQ

What startup credits can AI founders get?

CostKite lists 25 startup credit programs, including Claude for Startups, AWS Activate Credits, Google for Startups Cloud Program, Microsoft for Startups, ElevenLabs Startup Grants and more, each with value, eligibility and an official link.

Which program gives the most credits?

Google Cloud and Cloudflare list up to $350,000 in credits, and AWS Activate lists up to $200,000.

Do I need VC funding?

Some programs require it and others do not. For example, Cloudflare's $10k tier needs no minimum funding, while others require affiliation with a partner VC or accelerator.

How often is this list checked?

Each row shows its last-checked date; programs are verified on official vendor pages.

Know a program we missed?

Vendors and founders can send us official program pages to verify.

Suggest a program