IBM offers up to $120,000 in credits.
No equity, no fees. No referral for the base tier; the top tier needs an investor or partner referral.
Stage fit: Pre-seed to Series A. Difficulty: moderate.
IBM at a glance
- Max value
- Up to $120,000
- Stage fit
- Pre-seed to Series A
- Takes equity
- No
- Who files it
- You (top tier via investor)
- Geography
- Global: IBM's old program FAQ (as copied by RIHub in 2023) said it is available in every country where IBM Cloud is offered.
- Referral needed
- Top tier only
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Review time
- IBM does not publish a review time
- Credits expire
- Credits are issued monthly and any unused amount in a month is lost (no roll-over).
What IBM actually gives you
- Builder (standard)$1,000/month in IBM Cloud credits for 12 months ($12,000 total)Startups under 5 years old with under $1M trailing-12-month revenue that own their software product and run a website on their own domain
- Builder (6-month option)$3,000/month in IBM Cloud credits for 6 months ($18,000 total)Same eligibility as Builder; offered as an alternative choice on the application in IBM's Nov 2021 program terms. The 2023 copies of IBM's FAQ list only the $1,000 x 12 option, so current availability is unconfirmed. Third-party coupon sites advertise the $18,000 package.
- Premium (upgrade)$10,000/month in IBM Cloud credits for the remainder of the 12-month term. The $120,000 headline is a ceiling (12 x $10,000); an upgrade after acceptance does not restart the 12-month clock, so the practical total is lower.Accepted Builder members that have raised no more than Series A ($5M max) and are working with an approved VC, accelerator, or incubator partner; approved at IBM's sole discretion via the member portal
Who qualifies
You likely qualify if
- Company was founded or incorporated within the 5 years before applying
- Revenue in the 12 months before applying is under US$1,000,000
- Company runs its own public website on its own domain and applies with a contact email on that domain
- Company owns (does not merely license) a software product or service that is core to its business
- Company has never paid IBM for cloud infrastructure or platform services (free Lite or trial accounts are fine)
- Company has not previously received IBM technology credits or been in the program
- Applicant can provide a credit card for a $0.25 verification charge (refunded) that also covers any usage above the monthly credit
- Company agrees to act as an unpaid IBM reference account and to help IBM produce a case study if asked
- Premium tier only: has raised no more than Series A funding ($5M maximum) and is affiliated with an approved VC, accelerator, or incubator
You won't qualify if
- Consulting- or services-focused companies
- Resellers of hosting services
- Companies that already pay for IBM Cloud, or that previously received IBM technology credits or went through the program
- Companies over 5 years old or with more than $1M trailing-12-month revenue
- Applications using free email providers, an email domain that does not match the company website, a non-functioning website, or an incomplete company description
- Credits cannot be spent on third-party marketplace services or IBM Garage consulting services; usage is for internal use only unless extra terms are signed for public-facing apps
Geography. Global: IBM's old program FAQ (as copied by RIHub in 2023) said it is available in every country where IBM Cloud is offered. Current availability is unconfirmed; an IBM Community member noted in July 2025 that startup credit offers are often local or country-specific promotions.
How to apply to Startup with IBM
- 01Confirm you meet the Builder tests (under 5 years old, under $1M revenue, own-domain website and email, own software product, never a paying IBM Cloud customer).
- 02Open the application URL https://orders.cloud.ibm.com/IBMGEP-application/. As of 2026-10-09 it redirects (302) to an IBM Cloud registration page that advertises generic free credits and does not name the startup program. The redirect target is an IBM Cloud Partner Center registration flow whose URL carries program=STARTUP_WITH_IBM (the page after sign-in was not verified). Sign in or create an IBM Cloud account with your company-domain email.
- 03Complete the form: company name, category, years in business, user count, annual revenue, product description, and optional funding and accelerator/partner details (enter your partner's name or Partner ID if a VC/accelerator referred you).
- 04Add a credit card for the $0.25 verification charge (refunded); accept the 'IBM Cloud Services Agreement, Attachment for Startup with IBM' terms, which include the reference-account and case-study obligations.
- 05Wait for the acceptance email; credits are then applied monthly to your IBM Cloud account and show on invoices as 'Technology Incubator Program'. If the registration flow errors out (one applicant quoted 'Error on the call to BSS' in Feb 2026, and others from Feb to May 2026 were sent to a generic IBM Cloud login or sign-up page or could not find the form), contact your local IBM Cloud sales rep or an IBM Partner Plus contact, or apply through an accelerator that is an IBM startup partner.
- 06Once accepted, request Premium ($10,000/month) through the 'Upgrade to Premium' button in the member portal if you have an approved VC/accelerator/incubator affiliation and have raised no more than Series A.
Review time: IBM does not publish a review time; acceptance is confirmed by email. One third-party tracker (Credit for Startups, last verified June 2026) cites 1 to 2 weeks. One IBM Community member reported being approved twice a few years ago and both approvals being revoked within days with no explanation.. Apply at orders.cloud.ibm.com/IBMGEP-application.
What changed in 2025 and 2026
No official IBM announcement of a change was found. Between 2025 and 2026 the public program page disappeared: ibm.com/startups returns 404, ibm.com/resources/startups redirects to the IBM homepage, and developer.ibm.com/startups (the page named in IBM's program terms) 301-redirects to the 'IBM Build Partners Technical Group' community page, which does not mention startups or credits. In a July 2025 IBM Community thread a community member said he could not find the program in IBM's internal search, that partner credit amounts depend on partner level, and that promotions are often local or country-specific; another reported two approvals revoked within days. In a Feb to May 2026 thread, four participants reported problems: one quoted 'Error on the call to BSS', two were sent to a generic IBM Cloud login or sign-up page, and one could not find the application. No IBM staff replied. The application URL still redirects (302) into an IBM Cloud registration flow with program=STARTUP_WITH_IBM in the target URL as of 2026-10-09. IBM's 26 Jan 2026 Partner Plus announcement did not mention startups. One aggregator (agentdeals.dev, 2 Sep 2026) lists the program as retired based on the redirect alone, and some third-party sites say startup credits now run through Partner Plus, which IBM's own pages do not confirm.
Hold these alongside IBM
IBM credits and your AWS bill
IBM Cloud is a competing cloud: these credits cannot be spent on AWS and do not reduce an AWS bill. They can sit alongside AWS Activate for teams that want to run watsonx or Watson AI services on IBM while keeping core infrastructure on AWS, but IBM requires that you have never been a paying IBM Cloud customer and expects you to act as a public IBM reference account.
IBM startup credits, answered
How much does IBM give startups?
IBM offers up to $120,000 in credits. There are 3 tiers: Builder (standard): $1,000/month in IBM Cloud credits for 12 months ($12,000 total); Builder (6-month option): $3,000/month in IBM Cloud credits for 6 months ($18,000 total); Premium (upgrade): $10,000/month in IBM Cloud credits for the remainder of the 12-month term.
Does IBM take equity?
No. Startup with IBM is a credits program, not an investment; you keep 100% of your company. No referral for the base tier; the top tier needs an investor or partner referral.
Who qualifies for Startup with IBM?
Stage fit: Pre-seed to Series A (Premium is capped at Series A, $5M maximum raised). You usually qualify if: company was founded or incorporated within the 5 years before applying; revenue in the 12 months before applying is under US$1,000,000; company runs its own public website on its own domain and applies with a contact email on that domain. You will not qualify if: consulting- or services-focused companies; resellers of hosting services.
How long does IBM take to approve credits?
IBM does not publish a review time; acceptance is confirmed by email. One third-party tracker (Credit for Startups, last verified June 2026) cites 1 to 2 weeks. One IBM Community member reported being approved twice a few years ago and both approvals being revoked within days with no explanation. Difficulty: moderate, a real application and usually some back and forth.
When do IBM credits expire?
Credits are issued monthly and any unused amount in a month is lost (no roll-over). Under IBM's terms, credits and program membership expire 12 months after you accept the terms (the $3,000/month option runs 6 months).
Can I combine IBM credits with AWS credits?
IBM Cloud is a competing cloud: these credits cannot be spent on AWS and do not reduce an AWS bill. They can sit alongside AWS Activate for teams that want to run watsonx or Watson AI services on IBM while keeping core infrastructure on AWS, but IBM requires that you have never been a paying IBM Cloud customer and expects you to act as a public IBM reference account. 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 IBM application you submit yourself.
