How much in cloud credits can a startup get?

Top tiers reach about $100,000 (AWS Activate Portfolio), six figures over two years (Google for Startups), and large Azure allowances via Microsoft for Startups — the biggest tiers usually need a partner or VC referral.

Can I get cloud credits without funding?

Yes. DigitalOcean ($200), Oracle Cloud ($300 plus a permanent Always Free tier) and OVHcloud (~$200) are self-serve with no funding requirement.

What do the AWS, Google and Microsoft startup programs require?

Typically a recent founding date, new-customer status, a live product, and — for the largest tiers — a referral from an enrolled VC or accelerator (an Activate Provider Org ID for AWS, an investor tie for Microsoft).

Do startup cloud credits expire?

Usually within 12 months, and they don't roll over — so apply when you're ready to deploy and plan your spend around the window.

How to Get $100k+ in Startup Cloud Credits (AWS, Google Cloud, Azure)

A founder's guide to the big cloud startup programs — AWS Activate, Google for Startups, Microsoft for Startups — plus the self-serve credits anyone can get.

Cloud credits are the single largest perk available to early-stage startups — the top tiers run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. This is how the major programs work, who qualifies, and what to do if you are still pre-funding.

For the full, dated list of programs with apply links and an approval-difficulty rating, see the Perkstack catalog.

The three big programs

AWS Activate

AWS Activate has a self-serve Founders path (a smaller credit for any eligible startup with a website and a paid-tier account) and a Portfolio path that goes up to roughly $100,000 if you have an Activate Provider Org ID from your VC or accelerator. The Portfolio path is where the large numbers live.

Google for Startups Cloud Program

Google's program is built around AI-first startups using Vertex AI or Gemini, with credit tiers that climb steeply for VC-funded companies and can reach into six figures over two years.

Microsoft for Startups (Founders Hub)

Microsoft's Founders Hub bundles Azure credits with Microsoft 365, GitHub Enterprise, Visual Studio and more. The top Azure tiers (including large Azure OpenAI allowances) typically require being tied to a Microsoft for Startups investor.

How qualification usually works

Most large cloud programs gate on some combination of:

Company age — usually founded within the last 5–10 years.
Funding stage — bigger tiers want VC backing, often via a partner (your VC or accelerator must be enrolled).
New customer — you generally cannot already be a paying customer.
A real product — a live website and a clear use case.

The pattern: the biggest credits require a partner referral. If your investor or accelerator is enrolled, ask them for the referral code — it is the difference between the $1k self-serve tier and the $100k partner tier.

If you are pre-funding or bootstrapped

You can still get meaningful cloud credit without any partner:

DigitalOcean — $200 on signup, no application.
Oracle Cloud — a $300 trial plus a strong permanent Always Free tier.
OVHcloud — around $200 in Public Cloud credit for new accounts.
Cloudflare, Vercel, Neon and Upstash — generous free tiers that cover a lot of an early product's infrastructure.

A practical sequence

Claim the self-serve credits today (DigitalOcean, Oracle, OVHcloud) so you are never blocked.
The moment you raise or join an accelerator, ask for the partner referral to unlock the six-figure cloud tier.
Keep an eye on expiry — large credits usually run 12 months and do not roll over.

Browse every program and its difficulty rating in the catalog, and pair your cloud credits with the cheapest model providers from our rankings. Start with a free account.