MAP, POC or IW funding,filed by a vetted AWS partner.
Without VC backing, AWS Activate Founders gives you $1K, up to $5K. Through a vetted AWS partner, the same startup can get $50K to $150K in MAP, POC or IW funding, when the workload qualifies and AWS approves. We match you with the partner. It is free for startups.
Most founders only hear about Activate.
AWS has more than one kind of startup money. Who files it decides how much you can get.
Activate Founders is $1K, up to $5K.
It is real money, and you can apply yourself. For a startup without VC backing, it is also the smallest route.
Activate Portfolio needs an investor.
Portfolio goes up to $200K, but you need an Org ID or invite from an Activate Provider: a VC firm, accelerator or angel investor.
The funding a partner files is the one nobody explains.
MAP, POC and IW funding are filed by an AWS partner for real work. For most startups, this is where the bigger amounts are.
Every AWS route, and who files it.
Some you apply for yourself. Some only an AWS partner can file. Here is the full list.
For a startup without VC backing, the funding a partner files can be $50K to $150K, against $1K to $5K from Activate Founders. It depends on the workload, and AWS approves. VC-backed? Apply for Portfolio yourself with your provider's Org ID, and talk to a partner about the work you are planning.
Building with AI? There is a route for that too.
POC funding for a test on Amazon Bedrock, or IW funding for a new AI feature on AWS. Both filed by a partner, both approved by AWS. AWS Credits for AI Startups is a separate program: invite only, through your AWS account manager.
- 01POC funding to test Claude or other models on Bedrock
- 02IW funding for new AI work on an existing AWS account
- 03Your partner scopes the work before anything is filed
- 04AWS approves or declines; nothing is certain before that
Ready when you are.
Tell us what you're building. We find the funding route that fits and a vetted AWS partner who can file it. No technical knowledge needed.
Apply in 90 seconds.Free for startups.
- 90-second formtell us what you're building. No technical questions, no AWS knowledge needed.
- 24-hour replya person reads it and replies within 24 hours. Your matched partner reaches out within 5 business days.
- Free for startupspartners pay CloudRoute a membership plus 10% of AWS-approved funding. You never get an invoice from us.
What happens after you fill in the form.
One example, step by step. It shows the process, not a result.
How a match works (example)
Example: a startup wants to move off another cloud, test an AI feature, or launch new work on AWS. These are the steps every match follows.
- The founder fills in the form.
Cloud, stage, monthly spend and what they are building. It takes about 90 seconds. No AWS knowledge needed.
- We reply within 24 hours.
A person at CloudRoute reads the inquiry and checks which route fits: MAP for a move to AWS, POC for a test, IW for new work on AWS. VC-backed founders also hear how to apply for Activate themselves.
- We pick one vetted partner and say who.
We choose an AWS partner by region, stack and funding route, and tell the founder why.
- The partner reaches out within 5 business days.
They run a discovery call and write a short scope: the work, the funding route they would file, and what AWS will ask to see.
- The partner files. AWS decides.
If the workload qualifies, the partner files MAP, POC or IW funding. AWS reviews it and approves or declines. Nothing is promised before AWS approves.
- The founder decides.
Hire the partner or not. There is no obligation. Startups pay CloudRoute nothing. Partners pay CloudRoute a monthly membership of $5K, $7.5K or $10K plus 10% of AWS-approved funding.
When you don't need us.
We would rather tell you now than waste your time. Skip CloudRoute if one of these is true.
You only want Activate credits.
Apply yourself at aws.amazon.com/startups/credits. Founders get $1K, up to $5K. If a VC firm, accelerator or angel investor backs you, ask them for their Activate Org ID: Portfolio goes up to $200K. No partner is needed, and none can file it for you.
You are VC-backed and only need credits.
Get the Org ID from your investor and apply for Portfolio yourself. Come to us only if you also have work a partner could file MAP, POC or IW funding for.
You have no real workload yet.
MAP, POC and IW funding are for real work a partner will deliver. If you are still exploring an idea, start with Activate Founders and come back when you have something to build, test or move.
90 seconds. Three steps. A reply within 24 hours.
We use this to pick the right partner and the funding route that fits, before the discovery call. We reply within 24 hours; your matched partner reaches out within 5 business days.
Things founders ask.
Is CloudRoute a middleman? Why is it free?
Yes. CloudRoute is a referral service between startups and AWS partners. It is free for startups because partners pay us: a monthly membership of $5K, $7.5K or $10K, plus 10% of AWS-approved funding. We are not part of AWS and do not issue credits.
Who files the funding, and who applies for Activate?
Your matched partner files MAP, POC or IW funding when the workload qualifies, and AWS approves or declines it. You apply for Activate yourself. AWS Activate Founders: apply at aws.amazon.com/startups/credits, no investor or partner needed. AWS Activate Portfolio: apply with the Org ID or invite from your Activate Provider (a VC firm, accelerator or angel investor), within 12 months of your latest funding. AWS Credits for AI Startups: invite only, through your AWS account manager. No partner, and not CloudRoute, can file Activate for you.
Can I just apply myself and skip you?
For Activate, yes, and you should. MAP, POC and IW funding cannot be self-filed: only an AWS partner can request them. That is the part we help with.
I'm already on AWS. Can I still get funding?
Yes. If you are launching new work on AWS, such as an AI feature, a new customer or a new contract, a partner can file IW (incremental workload) funding for it when it qualifies.
Do credits expire?
Yes. AWS says Activate credits usually expire within 1 to 2 years, depending on the package. You can see each expiry date in the AWS Billing console. AWS promotional credits do not pay Savings Plans or Reserved Instance upfront fees.
What does CloudRoute charge?
Nothing to startups. Partners pay us a monthly membership of $5K, $7.5K or $10K, plus 10% of AWS-approved funding.