Microsoft offers up to $150,000 in credits (Microsoft's benefits page cites up to $200,000 for Investor Network-backed startups).
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 B. Difficulty: moderate.
Microsoft at a glance
- Max value
- Up to $150,000 (Microsoft's benefits page cites up to $200,000 for Investor Network-backed startups)
- Stage fit
- Pre-seed to Series B
- Takes equity
- No
- Who files it
- You (top tier via investor)
- Geography
- Global, but you must be headquartered in a country where Azure is sold.
- Referral needed
- Top tier only
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Review time
- About 3 business days (longer if Microsoft must verify business details)
- Credits expire
- Activate within 90 days of accepting the program agreement or the offer expires and you must reapply.
What Microsoft actually gives you
- Starter credits (instant)$200 in Azure credits per Microsoft's Sept 2026 application guide, unlocked by LinkedIn verification on the no-code path. Microsoft's May 2026 activation guide and its FAQ still show $1,000. Microsoft does not say whether this is separate from, or the first slice of, the self-service $1,000.Anyone who signs in with a personal Microsoft account and creates the sponsored Azure subscription with a card, before any review
- Self-service offer (no investor code)$1,000 valid 90 days, then another $4,000 valid 180 days after business verification (up to $5,000 total), per Microsoft's FAQ. Microsoft's overview says credits can grow toward $150,000 over time with verified progress and sustained Azure usage, but it publishes no milestone amounts or steps for this path.Startups new to Azure that apply without a referral code
- Investor offerMost startups start at $100,000 in Azure credits. Microsoft says credits can grow to $150,000 over time with verified progress and sustained Azure usage, and its June 2026 benefits page says Investor Network-backed startups may unlock up to $200,000. Credits are valid up to 2 years with no extensions.Startups that enter a 10-character referral code from a VC, accelerator, incubator, angel network or university in the Microsoft for Startups Investor Network
- Investor offer extrasAzure Standard Support (normally $1,200 a year), access to technical experts, go-to-market support, and discounts or free offers on GitHub Enterprise (20 seats, 1 year), Microsoft 365 Business Premium (50 seats, 1 year), Visual Studio Enterprise (5 seats), LinkedIn Premium Business (1 seat, 75% off for 4 months), Dynamics 365 and Power PlatformApproved investor-offer startups per Microsoft's FAQ. Microsoft's technical benefits page lists most of these as program benefits generally and does not clearly say which path gets which.
- Pegasus ProgramDedicated Cloud Solutions Architect and a route to Microsoft sales channels; no published credit amountInvite-only; you must be actively engaged in Microsoft for Startups and building with Microsoft technology
Who qualifies
You likely qualify if
- Your company builds a software-based product or service that it owns (not licensed from someone else)
- Your company is privately held and for-profit
- Your company is an independent business, not a subsidiary of a larger organization
- Your company is headquartered in a country where Azure services are available (the country you pick at Azure sign-up decides this)
- Your company has not received more than $350,000 in lifetime free Azure credits
- Your company has not raised a Series C round or later
- Your business is B2B and is working toward or already has an MVP
- You apply with a personal Microsoft account (outlook.com, gmail.com, etc.) that has no prior Azure account; work, school and company-domain emails are rejected
- You can add a credit or debit card at sign-up (prepaid and virtual cards are not accepted under the Azure Sponsorship terms); covered usage draws from credits first, but services credits do not cover are billed to the card, and the subscription converts to pay-as-you-go when credits are used up or expire
- For the investor offer (starts at $100,000): you have a 10-character referral code from an Investor Network partner (Microsoft does not publish the partner list; ask your VC or accelerator)
You won't qualify if
- Companies that have raised Series C or later
- Educational institutions, government organizations, consultancies and agencies
- Companies involved in cryptocurrency mining
- Subsidiaries of larger companies, public companies and non-profits
- Companies that already received more than $350,000 in lifetime free Azure credits
- Microsoft accounts that already hold Azure credits from another Microsoft program may hit an 'Already redeemed' error; Microsoft says to finish using the other credits first or contact Program Support
- Companies headquartered in a country not in the Azure sign-up dropdown (the offer is not available there and the country cannot be changed later)
- Accounts under an Enterprise Agreement, CSP, Azure Pass or other Azure credit offer (the sponsorship cannot be combined with them)
Geography. Global, but you must be headquartered in a country where Azure is sold. Availability is decided by the country dropdown at Azure sign-up, and the country you pick there is permanent. The Azure Sponsorship (MS-AZR-0036P) terms list supported countries and billing currencies.
How to apply to Microsoft for Startups (Azure credits)
- 01If you have a VC, accelerator, incubator or university backer, ask them for their 10-character Microsoft for Startups Investor Network referral code before you start; a code is the only published way to start at the $100,000 level.
- 02Go to microsoft.com/en-us/startups, click 'Get started now', and sign in with a personal Microsoft account (not a work or school email) that has never had an Azure account.
- 03On the 'Apply for Microsoft for Startups' page, enter the referral code and click Next, or click 'Continue without a code' for the self-service path (LinkedIn verification unlocks the starter credits).
- 04With a code: verify your contact email and phone by one-time code, then enter your registered startup name, industry, website and registered address. Name and address must match your legal documents or business verification fails.
- 05Create the sponsored Azure account in 3 steps: profile (country must match your billing address and cannot be changed later), billing address plus acceptance of the Microsoft Customer Agreement, and card details. Starter credits are available straight away and the balance can take up to 24 hours to update.
- 06Wait for the decision by email (about 3 business days, longer if Microsoft needs to verify information). Activate the expanded credits within 90 days of accepting the program agreement or the offer lapses and you must reapply. If declined, you can reapply after 14 days.
Review time: About 3 business days (longer if Microsoft must verify business details); decision by email. Starter credits are available immediately while you wait.. Apply at www.microsoft.com/en-us/startups.
What changed in 2025 and 2026
June 27, 2025 announcement, effective July 1, 2025: Microsoft retired the earlier Founders Hub program (described by The Register as up to $150,000 for incorporated AI startups with a validated business plan) and moved to a self-service path (up to $5,000, no investor needed) and an investor-led path (starts at $100,000, needs an Investor Network referral code). 2026: Microsoft's overview and benefits pages now describe a single entry point where credits grow up to $150,000 over time with verified progress and Azure usage, and the June 2026 benefits page says Investor Network-backed startups may unlock up to $200,000. May 29, 2026: new applicants onboard and activate credits through the Azure portal instead of the Microsoft for Startups portal. Sept 2026: Microsoft's application guide shows $200 starter credits unlocked via LinkedIn verification, down from the $1,000 shown in its May 2026 activation guide.
- May 29, 2026Microsoft for Startups moved onboarding to the Azure portal
Hold these alongside Microsoft
Microsoft credits and your AWS bill
Competing cloud: Azure credits cannot be applied to an AWS bill, and Microsoft's $350K cap counts only Azure credits, so holding AWS Activate credits does not disqualify you on Microsoft's side; founders commonly hold both. One concrete difference for AI startups: Microsoft's credits do not cover Anthropic Claude or other partner-billed models on Microsoft Foundry (only models sold directly by Azure, such as Azure OpenAI), whereas AWS says Activate credits are redeemable for third-party models on Amazon Bedrock, with Anthropic named as a provider.
Microsoft startup credits, answered
How much does Microsoft give startups?
Microsoft offers up to $150,000 in credits (Microsoft's benefits page cites up to $200,000 for Investor Network-backed startups). There are 5 tiers: Starter credits (instant): $200 in Azure credits per Microsoft's Sept 2026 application guide, unlocked by LinkedIn verification on the no-code path; Self-service offer (no investor code): $1,000 valid 90 days, then another $4,000 valid 180 days after business verification (up to $5,000 total), per Microsoft's FAQ; Investor offer: Most startups start at $100,000 in Azure credits; Investor offer extras: Azure Standard Support (normally $1,200 a year), access to technical experts, go-to-market support, and discounts or free offers on GitHub Enterprise (20 seats, 1 year), Microsoft 365 Business Premium (50 seats, 1 year), Visual Studio Enterprise (5 seats), LinkedIn Premium Business (1 seat, 75% off for 4 months), Dynamics 365 and Power Platform; Pegasus Program: Dedicated Cloud Solutions Architect and a route to Microsoft sales channels.
Does Microsoft take equity?
No. Microsoft for Startups (Azure credits) 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 Microsoft for Startups (Azure credits)?
Stage fit: Pre-seed to Series B (Microsoft's pages disagree on whether Series C is allowed; we use the stricter reading). You usually qualify if: your company builds a software-based product or service that it owns (not licensed from someone else); your company is privately held and for-profit; your company is an independent business, not a subsidiary of a larger organization. You will not qualify if: companies that have raised Series C or later; educational institutions, government organizations, consultancies and agencies.
How long does Microsoft take to approve credits?
About 3 business days (longer if Microsoft must verify business details); decision by email. Starter credits are available immediately while you wait. Difficulty: moderate, a real application and usually some back and forth.
When do Microsoft credits expire?
Activate within 90 days of accepting the program agreement or the offer expires and you must reapply. Once activated, credits are valid for up to two years with no extensions.
Can I combine Microsoft credits with AWS credits?
Competing cloud: Azure credits cannot be applied to an AWS bill, and Microsoft's $350K cap counts only Azure credits, so holding AWS Activate credits does not disqualify you on Microsoft's side; founders commonly hold both. One concrete difference for AI startups: Microsoft's credits do not cover Anthropic Claude or other partner-billed models on Microsoft Foundry (only models sold directly by Azure, such as Azure OpenAI), whereas AWS says Activate credits are redeemable for third-party models on Amazon Bedrock, with Anthropic named as a provider. 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 Microsoft application you submit yourself.
