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Cloud · last verified Oct 9, 2026

AWS startup credits: up to $200K (2026)

AWS Activate credits for startups come in three tiers for pre-Series B companies. You apply for Founders and Portfolio yourself; the AI tier is by invitation only. AWS Activate Founders: $1,000 to start, up to $5,000, for self-funded startups. AWS Activate Portfolio: up to $200,000, with an Org ID from your VC, accelerator or angel investor. AWS Credits for AI Startups: $200,000 or more, by invitation, through your AWS account manager.

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I quick answer

AWS offers up to $200,000 (AI tier: $200,000+, invite-only).

No equity, no fees. No referral for Founders; Portfolio needs an Org ID or invite from an AWS Activate Provider (a VC, accelerator, incubator or angel), not from a consulting partner.

Stage fit: Pre-seed to Series A. Difficulty: moderate.

II key facts

AWS at a glance

Max value
Up to $200,000 (AI tier: $200,000+, invite-only)
Stage fit
Pre-seed to Series A
Takes equity
No
Who files it
You + AWS partner (MAP, POC, IW by a partner)
Geography
Global, except startups building on AWS China Regions and China/Hong Kong AWS accounts (routed to the AWS Activate China program).
Referral needed
Top tier only
Difficulty
Moderate
Review time
7-10 business days per the FAQ and application guide (the credits page says 5-10)
Credits expire
Every credit carries a fixed expiration date set at issue and shown in the AWS Billing and Cost Management console; AWS's own guide says packages usually expire within 1-2 years depending on the package.
III available programs and tiers

What AWS actually gives you

  1. Activate Founders
    $1,000 to start; select startups up to $5,000 over time
    Self-funded or bootstrapped startups with no VC/accelerator Activate Provider; apply directly, no Org ID needed
  2. Activate Portfolio
    Up to $200,000
    Pre-Series B startups affiliated with an AWS Activate Provider (VC firm, accelerator, incubator, angel investor) that gives you a confidential one-time Org ID or a personal email invite; the amount depends on the provider's offer (AWS's own examples: $25,000 for pre-seed, $100,000 for seed)
  3. AWS Credits for AI Startups
    $200,000 or more (no cap published)
    Invite-only; AI startups that have outgrown Activate Portfolio and need to scale; arranged through your AWS account manager
  4. Kiro Startup Credits (separate offer; applications 7 April to 31 December 2026)
    Up to 1 year of Kiro Pro+ for up to 2, 10 or 30 users (no dollar value published); Kiro credits expire 1 year after issuance
    Early-stage to Series A (pre-Series B) startups under 10 years old with a working website and a business email matching the website domain, that do NOT currently hold active Activate credits (Activate credits already cover Kiro); billing runs through AWS IAM Identity Center
IV eligibility

Who qualifies

You likely qualify if

  • Company is pre-Series B (bootstrapped, pre-seed, seed or Series A); for Portfolio, the most recent funding round closed within the last 12 months, if you raised one
  • Company was founded within the last 10 years
  • Company has a functioning public website or public company profile
  • Your AWS account is active (not suspended) and on the Paid Tier account plan (Free account plans are rejected), and is linked to one AWS Builder ID whose owner has administrator permissions on the account
  • You are new to Activate Credits, or you are asking for more than you previously received (approved applicants get the difference, not the full amount)
  • Portfolio tier: you are associated with an AWS Activate Provider and hold its valid Org ID (or its personal email invite); each Org ID works once, and you must still be affiliated with the provider at the time of application
  • Founders tier: the company is self-funded and not part of a VC or accelerator program that is an Activate Provider
  • Application profile uses a business email matching your startup's domain (the Builder ID itself uses a personal email); each startup needs its own AWS account
  • Prior credits from other AWS programs (for example AWS EdStart) do not disqualify you

You won't qualify if

  • Startups building on AWS China Regions, and China or Hong Kong AWS accounts (they must use the separate AWS Activate China program)
  • Government entities (AWS Activate Terms, section 1.1)
  • AWS accounts on the Free account plan
  • Companies that have raised a Series B or later round
  • Portfolio applicants whose most recent funding round closed more than 12 months before applying
  • Companies founded more than 10 years ago
  • Requests equal to or smaller than credits already received, or startups that have hit the lifetime maximum (number not published)
  • A second startup applying from an AWS account that already received Activate credits (the application is rejected)
  • Re-using an Org ID: each Org ID works once and each provider offer can be used once; two simultaneous applications get the smaller one rejected

Geography. Global, except startups building on AWS China Regions and China/Hong Kong AWS accounts (routed to the AWS Activate China program). Credits are denominated in USD. The separate Kiro Startup Credits offer additionally excludes individuals in Argentina, Belarus, Brazil, China/GCR, Cuba, France, Germany, Iran, Italy, Mexico, North Korea, Poland, Russia, Spain, Syria, Crimea, the DNR and LNR regions and the United Arab Emirates (per the Kiro terms; AWS's FAQ lists a shorter set).

V how to apply

How to apply to AWS Activate (Founders, Portfolio, AI credits)

  1. 01Go to aws.amazon.com/startups/credits, click Apply, and create or sign in to an AWS Builder ID with a personal email; verify it from the confirmation email
  2. 02Complete the one-time AWS Activate profile using a business email that matches your startup's domain
  3. 03Choose the tier: Founders (self-funded) or Portfolio. For Portfolio, enter the confidential, case-sensitive Org ID from your VC or accelerator, or use the personal email invite your provider sends from Provider Central (use the same email address the invite was sent to; invites expire after 30 days; AWS recommends invites because they are pre-validated)
  4. 04Enter startup details: product, target market, traction, funding stage and the date of your most recent round (an inaccurate funding stage can sink the application)
  5. 05Create or link an AWS account on the Paid Tier plan to your Builder ID (you need administrator permissions), then verify the link in the AWS Management Console (only one Builder ID per AWS account)
  6. 06Review and submit; applications cannot be edited after submission (to fix a mistake you cancel, unlink the account and reapply). Decision email in 7-10 business days (about 3-5 days for provider email invites, per the FAQ); approved credits appear in the Billing console within about 3-4 hours and apply automatically to eligible usage

Review time: 7-10 business days per the FAQ and application guide (the credits page says 5-10); about 3-5 days for applications submitted through a provider email invite per the FAQ; cannot be expedited; credits appear in the Billing console within 3-4 hours of approval. Apply at aws.amazon.com/startups/join?destination=/credits/apply.

VI what changed

What changed in 2025 and 2026

Between 31 May and 14 June 2026 (Internet Archive captures of the credits page; AWS's own guides dated 3 and 4 June 2026 already state it), the Activate Portfolio ceiling rose from 'Up to $100,000' to 'Up to $200,000', an invite-only 'AWS Credits for AI Startups' tier at $200,000+ appeared, and the Founders tier became '$1,000 to start, select startups up to $5,000'. Kiro Startup Credits: a first round launched in November 2025 alongside Kiro general availability (2, 50 and 100 user tiers, applications to 31 December 2025); AWS relaunched it on 7 April 2026 with 2, 10 and 30 user tiers and an application window to 31 December 2026 (terms updated 24 July 2026). By mid-January 2026 the credits page required a Paid Tier account plan; Free account plans, introduced in July 2025, are not eligible. From 1 December 2025 the legacy Developer and Business Support plans were replaced by Business Support+ and closed to new subscriptions. The FAQ also states Activate is not accepting non-investing organizations such as co-working spaces as Activate Providers. Background: AWS announced in late June 2024 (effective 1 July 2024) up to $200,000 for startups that raised a Series A in the past year, while the public credits page kept showing $100,000 until June 2026.

  • Oct 10, 2026AWS copy corrected and a "Who files it" column added
  • June 2026AWS Activate Portfolio ceiling doubled to $200,000

Dated change log for every program →

VII stacks well with

Hold these alongside AWS

VIII what the credits cover

What AWS Activate credits pay for

This is AWS's own program: the credits offset your AWS bill for 200+ eligible services and, since April 2024, third-party foundation models on Amazon Bedrock (Anthropic, Meta, Mistral, Cohere, AI21, Stability), which is the only AWS Marketplace charge they cover. They also cover Business Support+ (and the legacy Developer and Business Support plans for existing subscribers) and Kiro Pro+. They do not cover Savings Plan or Reserved Instance upfront fees, Enterprise or reseller support plans, Route 53 domain registration or transfer, other Marketplace purchases, AWS Managed Services, Professional Services, Training or Certification, Mechanical Turk or crypto mining.

IXfaq

AWS startup credits, answered

How much does AWS give startups?

AWS offers up to $200,000 (AI tier: $200,000+, invite-only). There are 4 tiers: Activate Founders: $1,000 to start; Activate Portfolio: Up to $200,000; AWS Credits for AI Startups: $200,000 or more (no cap published); Kiro Startup Credits (separate offer; applications 7 April to 31 December 2026): Up to 1 year of Kiro Pro+ for up to 2, 10 or 30 users (no dollar value published).

Does AWS take equity?

No. AWS Activate (Founders, Portfolio, AI credits) is a credits program, not an investment; you keep 100% of your company. No referral for Founders; Portfolio needs an Org ID or invite from an AWS Activate Provider (a VC, accelerator, incubator or angel), not from a consulting partner.

Who qualifies for AWS Activate (Founders, Portfolio, AI credits)?

Stage fit: Pre-seed to Series A (pre-Series B). You usually qualify if: company is pre-Series B (bootstrapped, pre-seed, seed or Series A); for Portfolio, the most recent funding round closed within the last 12 months, if you raised one; company was founded within the last 10 years; company has a functioning public website or public company profile. You will not qualify if: startups building on AWS China Regions, and China or Hong Kong AWS accounts (they must use the separate AWS Activate China program); government entities (AWS Activate Terms, section 1.1).

How long does AWS take to approve credits?

7-10 business days per the FAQ and application guide (the credits page says 5-10); about 3-5 days for applications submitted through a provider email invite per the FAQ; cannot be expedited; credits appear in the Billing console within 3-4 hours of approval. Difficulty: moderate, a real application and usually some back and forth.

When do AWS credits expire?

Every credit carries a fixed expiration date set at issue and shown in the AWS Billing and Cost Management console; AWS's own guide says packages usually expire within 1-2 years depending on the package. Expiry cannot be extended, and credits cannot be refunded, re-issued, split, transferred or sold; any unused balance is forfeited.

Can I combine AWS Activate with other startup credit programs?

Yes. This is AWS's own program: the credits offset your AWS bill for 200+ eligible services and, since April 2024, third-party foundation models on Amazon Bedrock (Anthropic, Meta, Mistral, Cohere, AI21, Stability), which is the only AWS Marketplace charge they cover. Founders commonly hold it alongside Google Cloud, Microsoft, NVIDIA, Anthropic, OpenAI, Oracle; check each program's own terms. You apply for Activate yourself: Founders ($1,000 to start, up to $5,000) is self-serve, and Portfolio (up to $200,000) needs an Org ID from your investor or accelerator. On top of Activate, a vetted AWS partner can file MAP, POC or IW funding when the workload qualifies and AWS approves it. CloudRoute matches you with one for free.

How do I apply for AWS Activate credits?

Five steps, all on AWS: 1. Go to aws.amazon.com/startups/credits and sign in with an AWS Builder ID. 2. Fill in the Activate profile with a business email on your startup's domain. 3. Choose Founders, or Portfolio with the Org ID or invite from your Activate Provider. 4. Link an AWS account on a paid plan. 5. Submit. AWS says you hear back within 5 to 10 business days.

How do I apply for AWS Activate Founders?

Apply yourself at aws.amazon.com/startups/credits and choose Founders. You need no investor, no Org ID and no partner: the tier is for self-funded startups, and it is $1,000 to start, up to $5,000. AWS says you hear back within 5 to 10 business days. For a real project the larger route is usually a partner one: a vetted AWS partner can file MAP, POC or IW funding, $50K to $150K for startups. Depends on the workload; AWS approves. CloudRoute matches you with that partner for free.

Verified against aws.amazon.com/startups/credits on Oct 9, 2026 (confidence: high). Programs change; always confirm on the official page. 17 sources checked.