AWS Activate credits for startups

AWS Activate gives eligible startups from $1,000 to $100,000+ in cloud credits, plus developer support. Here's how the tiers work, who qualifies, and how to apply without getting rejected on a technicality.

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The two main AWS Activate tiers

Which one you land depends mostly on whether you're connected to a recognised AWS Activate partner.

Tier	Typical credits	Who it's for	Duration
Founders	~$1,000 + $350 support credits	Bootstrapped startups, under 10 employees, not tied to a VC or accelerator, no prior Activate credits	2 years
Portfolio (Partner)	$5,000 – $100,000+	Startups affiliated with an AWS Activate provider — a VC, accelerator or incubator holding an Org ID	2 years
AI tier	Up to $300,000	Startups training large language models and foundational AI systems (introduced 2026)	2 years

Credit amounts, tier names and rules are set by AWS and can change. Figures above reflect commonly published ranges and are a guide, not a guarantee. We confirm what you actually qualify for when you apply.

Are you eligible?

Most early-stage startups meet the AWS Activate baseline. You'll generally need to be:

Pre-Series B — the program targets early-stage companies
Founded in the last 10 years
A live website that clearly describes your product
An AWS account on a paid tier, not free tier only
A company email on your own domain
No prior Activate credits of equal or greater value

DPIIT-recognised in India? You can request the Startup India Organization ID directly from the Startup India team. That Org ID connects your application to the DPIIT partner path — one of the cleanest routes to larger Activate credits for Indian founders. We help you use it correctly.

Why AWS applications get rejected

Most rejections have nothing to do with whether your startup is legitimate. They come from avoidable technicalities — and they're the exact things we check before you submit.

Applying with a personal Gmail or Yahoo address instead of a company domain
An AWS account still on free tier when the tier requires a paid plan
Re-applying with the same company name or tax ID — AWS de-duplicates
A website that doesn't clearly describe a product, or isn't live yet
Being a dev agency or consultancy rather than a product company

Rejected already? It's usually recoverable. Fix the underlying issue and submit a clean second application. Send us your rejection and we'll tell you what to change.

Let's get your AWS credits sorted

We'll confirm your tier and prepare an application that clears the common traps.

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