HubSpot offers up to 90% off year one (percentage discount, no dollar cap published).
No equity, no fees. No referral needed; apply directly.
Stage fit: Pre-seed. Difficulty: easy.
HubSpot at a glance
- Max value
- Up to 90% off year one (percentage discount, no dollar cap published)
- Stage fit
- Pre-seed
- Takes equity
- No
- Who files it
- You (no code needed)
- Geography
- Global.
- Referral needed
- No
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Review time
- Not published by HubSpot
- Credits expire
- No application deadline published.
What HubSpot actually gives you
- Funded startup tier90% off year 1, 50% off year 2, 25% off year 3 (annual commitment, net-new Professional/Enterprise products only)Startups that raised Pre-seed, Seed or Series A (not Series B or later) and are either affiliated with an approved HubSpot for Startups partner or have venture funding HubSpot can verify (Crunchbase, PitchBook or Harmonic)
- Entrepreneurial organization tier30% off year 1, 15% off year 2Startups associated with an approved entrepreneurial or membership organization (e.g. MaRS Discovery District, FounderPass) that do not qualify for the funded tier
- HubSpot Bootstrap Program (sibling program)30% off HubSpot paid tools in year 1Bootstrapped technology companies (not agencies) incorporated in listed Latin America, Asia or Africa countries, founded in the last 5 years, roughly 1-25 employees depending on region, annual revenue under about $2M, with no VC/accelerator/incubator affiliation
Who qualifies
You likely qualify if
- You have raised a Pre-seed, Seed or Series A round and have NOT raised Series B or later.
- You are either affiliated with one of HubSpot's approved partners (VC, accelerator, incubator or entrepreneurial organization; the startups page says 4,000+, the partner directory listed 3,877 on Sept 28, 2026) OR your venture funding is visible on Crunchbase, PitchBook or Harmonic so HubSpot can verify it.
- You are buying net-new Professional or Enterprise level HubSpot products. HubSpot's startups page does not list specific hubs. Upgrading an existing Starter subscription is explicitly allowed on the Bootstrap Program page; confirm with HubSpot before assuming it applies to the funded tier.
- You can sign an annual contract (the startups page FAQ says the program requires an annual commitment).
- For the 30%/15% tier only: you are associated with an approved entrepreneurial/membership organization, even without verified venture funding.
You won't qualify if
- Companies that have raised Series B or later (not eligible for the 90% tier).
- Starter-level products: the discount applies only to Professional and Enterprise products.
- Existing paid Professional/Enterprise products: the discount is for net-new products and is not applied to subscriptions you already pay for.
- Startups with neither verifiable venture funding nor an approved-partner affiliation (unless they qualify for the regional Bootstrap Program).
- Agencies and companies affiliated with a VC, accelerator or incubator (Bootstrap Program), and companies incorporated in South Africa, Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia or Western Sahara (Bootstrap Program).
- Technical support and onboarding are additional costs and are not covered by the discount (HubSpot partner-page fine print).
Geography. Global. HubSpot's main page states no country restrictions, and its partner directory (3,877 partners, updated Sept 28, 2026) describes partners worldwide. The separate Bootstrap Program is limited to listed countries in Latin America, Asia and Africa (South Africa and North Africa excluded).
How to apply to HubSpot for Startups
- 01Check whether your VC, accelerator, incubator or founder community is an approved partner in the HubSpot for Startups partner directory (offers.hubspot.com/startups/partner-directory).
- 02If it is, ask them for their unique HubSpot for Startups referral link (partners find it on their Partner Dashboard). HubSpot's partner materials say applying through a partner link gives instant acceptance.
- 03If you have no partner but have raised Pre-seed, Seed or Series A, go to hubspot.com/startups, click Apply Now / Check your eligibility, and answer the questions about stage, funding and affiliation. HubSpot verifies funding via Crunchbase, PitchBook or Harmonic and follows up with next steps.
- 04Do not buy a paid Professional or Enterprise plan before you are approved: the discount only applies to net-new products. HubSpot's partner pages say the free-forever CRM is fine to set up first.
- 05After approval, create or connect your HubSpot account, pick the Professional/Enterprise products you need, and sign the annual contract at the discounted price.
- 06Once you are a HubSpot for Startups customer, open the HubSpot for Startups offers page to claim partner perks (AWS Activate credit, Stripe fee waiver, Google Cloud credits, Notion, Segment and others). The page says offers are exclusively for HubSpot customers. Questions go to hsfs@hubspot.com.
Review time: Not published by HubSpot. Applying through an approved partner's referral link gives instant acceptance (HubSpot partner page). For direct applications, third-party guides report anywhere from 2-10 business days to 2-3 weeks.. Apply at app.hubspot.com/signup-hubspot/hubspot-for-startups.
What changed in 2025 and 2026
As of October 2026 HubSpot's official page shows a simplified two-tier structure: one 90/50/25 schedule for all Pre-seed through Series A startups (partner-affiliated or with verified funding) and a 30/15 schedule for entrepreneurial-organization members. Many third-party listings still show older rules (90% only for startups that raised under $2M, 50% for $2M through Series A, and earlier a 75% tier). HubSpot's page now also promotes Breeze AI agents, and the partner directory lists 3,877 partners (updated September 28, 2026). The exact date of the tier simplification could not be confirmed from an official changelog.
Hold these alongside HubSpot
HubSpot credits and your AWS bill
HubSpot for Startups does not cut your AWS bill directly. Once you are a HubSpot for Startups customer, HubSpot's offers page (exclusive to HubSpot customers) lists AWS Activate with $5,000 in AWS promotional credit and business support, so it can be one more route to Activate credits for founders who lack a VC or accelerator Organization ID, provided you are buying HubSpot anyway. Founders with a VC or accelerator affiliation often already qualify for the larger Activate tiers directly, so check both at the same time.
HubSpot startup credits, answered
How much does HubSpot give startups?
HubSpot offers up to 90% off year one (percentage discount, no dollar cap published). There are 3 tiers: Funded startup tier: 90% off year 1, 50% off year 2, 25% off year 3 (annual commitment, net-new Professional/Enterprise products only); Entrepreneurial organization tier: 30% off year 1, 15% off year 2; HubSpot Bootstrap Program (sibling program): 30% off HubSpot paid tools in year 1.
Does HubSpot take equity?
No. HubSpot for Startups is a credits program, not an investment; you keep 100% of your company. No referral needed; apply directly.
Who qualifies for HubSpot for Startups?
Stage fit: Pre-seed, Seed and Series A. Series B and later are excluded from the 90% tier; bootstrapped companies in eligible regions can use the 30% Bootstrap Program instead. You usually qualify if: you have raised a Pre-seed, Seed or Series A round and have NOT raised Series B or later.; you are either affiliated with one of HubSpot's approved partners (VC, accelerator, incubator or entrepreneurial organization; the startups page says 4,000+, the partner directory listed 3,877 on Sept 28, 2026) OR your venture funding is visible on Crunchbase, PitchBook or Harmonic so HubSpot can verify it.; you are buying net-new Professional or Enterprise level HubSpot products. HubSpot's startups page does not list specific hubs. Upgrading an existing Starter subscription is explicitly allowed on the Bootstrap Program page; confirm with HubSpot before assuming it applies to the funded tier. You will not qualify if: companies that have raised Series B or later (not eligible for the 90% tier).; starter-level products: the discount applies only to Professional and Enterprise products.
How long does HubSpot take to approve credits?
Not published by HubSpot. Applying through an approved partner's referral link gives instant acceptance (HubSpot partner page). For direct applications, third-party guides report anywhere from 2-10 business days to 2-3 weeks. Difficulty: easy, a short form, no referral for the base tier.
When do HubSpot credits expire?
No application deadline published. The discount itself is a step-down: 90% in year one, 50% in year two, 25% in year three (30%/15% over two years for the entrepreneurial-organization tier), after which you pay standard list price.
Can I combine HubSpot credits with AWS credits?
HubSpot for Startups does not cut your AWS bill directly. Once you are a HubSpot for Startups customer, HubSpot's offers page (exclusive to HubSpot customers) lists AWS Activate with $5,000 in AWS promotional credit and business support, so it can be one more route to Activate credits for founders who lack a VC or accelerator Organization ID, provided you are buying HubSpot anyway. On AWS, CloudRoute matches you for free with a vetted partner who can file MAP, POC or IW funding when the workload qualifies and AWS approves it. The HubSpot application you submit yourself.
