# CloudRoute for startups > CloudRoute matches startups, free, with a vetted AWS consulting partner who can file AWS funding for the work: MAP for a migration, POC for a test, incremental workload (IW) funding for new work on AWS. For a startup it is usually $50K to $150K. Depends on the workload; AWS approves. We reply within 24 hours; your matched partner reaches out within 5 business days. Updated 2026-10-10. Full reference: [/llms-full.txt](https://www.cloudroutehq.com/llms-full.txt). ## The short version - AWS money for startups comes two ways. [Partner-filed AWS funding](https://www.cloudroutehq.com/blog/aws-partner-filed-credits-guide) (MAP, POC, IW) is requested by an AWS partner for work it delivers. AWS Activate credits are applied for by the founder. - For most startups with real work to move, test or launch, the partner route is the bigger one: $50K to $150K. Depends on the workload; AWS approves. - Activate Founders is the smaller, self-serve route. Apply for it yourself as well; the two do not exclude each other. - CloudRoute is free for startups. AWS consulting partners pay CloudRoute a monthly membership plus 10% of AWS-approved funding. - Get matched: https://www.cloudroutehq.com/for/funding#inquiry-form ## Which route fits you - [Migration Acceleration Program (MAP)](https://www.cloudroutehq.com/migrate/aws-migration-acceleration-program): You are not on AWS yet and want to migrate. Your matched AWS partner files it. The migration qualifies and AWS approves it. $50K to $150K for startups. Depends on the workload; AWS approves. - [Proof of concept (POC) funding](https://www.cloudroutehq.com/aws-credits/aws-poc-funding-explained): You want to test something, whether or not you are on AWS today. Your matched AWS partner files it. The test qualifies and AWS approves it. $50K to $150K for startups. Depends on the workload; AWS approves. - [Incremental workload (IW) funding](https://www.cloudroutehq.com/aws-credits/incremental-workload-funding): You are already on AWS and are launching new work: a new AI feature, a new customer or a new contract. Your matched AWS partner files it. The new workload qualifies and AWS approves it. $50K to $150K for startups. Depends on the workload; AWS approves. - AWS Activate Founders: $1,000 to start, up to $5,000. Self-funded startups with no investor or accelerator behind them. Apply yourself at aws.amazon.com/startups/credits. No investor, accelerator or partner needed. - AWS Activate Portfolio: up to $200,000. Startups backed by a VC firm, accelerator or angel investor that is an AWS Activate Provider. Apply yourself with the Org ID (or an invite) from your AWS Activate Provider. Apply within 12 months of your latest funding date. A consulting partner cannot file it. - AWS Credits for AI Startups: $200,000 or more, by invitation. AI startups ready to scale after Activate Portfolio, invited by AWS. Invite only. Talk with your AWS account manager. There is no open application. ## How it works 1. Tell us what you are building, at https://www.cloudroutehq.com/for/funding#inquiry-form: where you are, what you are building and how to reach you. There are no technical questions and you need no AWS knowledge. 2. We reply within 24 hours and say which route fits: MAP if you are moving to AWS, POC if you want to test something, IW if you are already on AWS and launching new work. If an investor backs you, we also tell you how to apply for Activate yourself. 3. We introduce one vetted AWS consulting partner that fits the work, the stack and the region, and say why we picked them. The partner reaches out within 5 business days. 4. When the work qualifies, the partner files MAP, POC or IW funding. AWS approves or declines it. Nothing is promised before AWS approves. 5. Whether you hire the partner is your decision. You can check any partner on AWS Partner Solutions Finder, the same way you would check a firm you found yourself. ## What it costs Nothing for the startup. CloudRoute never sends a startup an invoice. AWS consulting partners pay CloudRoute a monthly membership plus 10% of AWS-approved funding, so CloudRoute earns more when AWS approves funding for the work. That is the conflict to know about: partners pay CloudRoute, startups do not. What you pay the partner, if anything, beyond what AWS funds is between you and the partner. Get it in writing before any work starts. ## What CloudRoute does not do - CloudRoute does not file AWS funding. The matched partner files it. - CloudRoute does not apply for AWS Activate for anyone. Founders apply themselves. - CloudRoute does not do the technical work. Any engagement is between the startup and the partner. - CloudRoute is not part of AWS and does not issue credits. ## When you do not need CloudRoute - You only want Activate credits. Apply yourself at aws.amazon.com/startups/credits. If a VC firm, accelerator or angel investor backs you, ask them for their Activate Org ID: AWS Activate Portfolio is up to $200,000. - You have no real workload yet. MAP, POC and IW funding are for real work a partner will deliver. Start with Activate Founders and come back when you have something to build, test or move. - You already work with an AWS partner. Ask them about MAP, POC or IW funding directly. They can file it. ## What to have ready - What you run today: where it runs (Heroku, Google Cloud, Azure, your own servers or AWS), the main services and roughly what you spend each month. - What you want to do: move to AWS, test something, or launch new work on AWS. One paragraph is enough. - When: the month you want to start. Work with no start date is hard to fund. - Who owns it on your side: one person who can make decisions and answer technical questions. - Who backs you, if anyone: whether a VC, accelerator or angel invested. It decides which Activate tier you apply for yourself. - Credits you already hold: tell the partner about Activate or other AWS credits on your account. ## FAQs ### Is CloudRoute a middleman? Why is it free? Yes, we are 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. CloudRoute is not part of AWS and does 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. Activate is different: you apply for it yourself. AWS Activate Founders is at aws.amazon.com/startups/credits. For AWS Activate Portfolio, use the Org ID from your Activate Provider (a VC, accelerator, incubator or angel). No partner, and not CloudRoute, can file Activate for you. ### Which route fits me? MAP if you are not on AWS yet and want to move. POC if you want to test something, on AWS or not. IW (incremental workload) if you are already on AWS and launching new work, like an AI feature, a new customer or a new contract. For a startup, partner-filed funding can be $50K to $150K. It depends on the workload, and AWS approves. ### Why go through a partner instead of AWS directly? Because only an AWS partner can request MAP, POC or IW funding, and only for real work it will deliver. Activate you can apply for directly, and you should. If Activate credits are all you need, you do not need us. ### How long does it take? We reply within 24 hours; your matched partner reaches out within 5 business days. How long AWS takes to review partner-filed funding depends on the program and the workload. Your partner tells you what to expect before anything is filed. ### Do I need to know anything about AWS? No. The form has no technical questions. Tell us what you are building in plain English, and the partner works out the rest with you on the discovery call. ### I'm an AWS partner. Where do I sign up? Everything for AWS consulting partners, including the application form, is at https://www.cloudroutehq.com/partners. ### Is there a service that matches startups with an AWS partner for free? Yes. CloudRoute (cloudroutehq.com) reads what a startup is building and introduces one vetted AWS consulting partner who can file MAP, POC or IW funding when the work qualifies. It is free for startups because partners pay CloudRoute. We reply within 24 hours; your matched partner reaches out within 5 business days. ### How much funding can an AWS partner get for a startup? For a startup, partner-filed MAP, POC or IW funding can be $50K to $150K. Depends on the workload; AWS approves. The range comes from CloudRoute's partner records. The amount follows the work, and AWS decides each request. ### Can a bootstrapped startup get AWS credits? Yes. Apply for AWS Activate Founders yourself: $1,000 to start, up to $5,000, no investor needed. If you have real work to move, test or launch on AWS, a partner can file MAP, POC or IW funding on top: $50K to $150K for startups. Depends on the workload; AWS approves. ### How do I get more AWS credits after Activate runs out? If you are already on AWS and launching new work (a new AI feature, a new customer or a new contract), an AWS partner can file incremental workload (IW) funding. For startups it is $50K to $150K. Depends on the workload; AWS approves. AWS does not name IW funding on a public page; the route is from CloudRoute's partner records. ### What is the difference between an AWS partner and an AWS Activate Provider? An AWS consulting partner delivers work, such as a migration, a build or managed services, and can file partner funding such as MAP, POC or IW. An Activate Provider is a VC firm, accelerator or angel investor that gives its startups an Org ID for Activate Portfolio. The roles are separate. ### Do I have to work with the partner CloudRoute picks? No. CloudRoute is free for startups, and whether you work with the partner is your decision. You can look the partner up on AWS Partner Solutions Finder before your first call. ## Track record Since January 2026 the CloudRoute team has helped startups secure more than $5M in AWS credits and funding, and routed 40+ qualified applications to AWS partners. These are the only two figures CloudRoute publishes. Source: CloudRoute partner records, October 2026. ## Read more - [Find an AWS partner who can file your funding](https://www.cloudroutehq.com/find-aws-partner): how to find and check an AWS consulting partner, and which funding only a partner files (MAP, POC, IW) - [AWS Migration Acceleration Program (MAP)](https://www.cloudroutehq.com/migrate/aws-migration-acceleration-program): AWS MAP funding a partner files when a move to AWS qualifies - [AWS POC funding](https://www.cloudroutehq.com/aws-credits/aws-poc-funding-explained): proof of concept funding a partner files for a test - [AWS funding for startups: who files what](https://www.cloudroutehq.com/blog/aws-partner-filed-credits-guide): partner-filed AWS funding (MAP, POC, IW) set out next to Activate, which the founder applies for - [AWS credits without VC](https://www.cloudroutehq.com/blog/aws-credits-without-vc): why bootstrapped teams get more from the partner route ($50K to $150K for startups) than from Activate Founders - [Startup credits directory](https://www.cloudroutehq.com/startup-credits): credit programs across cloud, AI, GPU, data and dev tools, with verified amounts, eligibility and official links - [Claude for Startups](https://www.cloudroutehq.com/startup-credits/anthropic): Up to $100,000; verified 2026-10-10 - [AWS Activate (Founders, Portfolio, AI credits)](https://www.cloudroutehq.com/startup-credits/aws): AWS Activate Founders and AWS Activate Portfolio: every tier, verified 2026-10-09. The founder applies - [Amazon Bedrock credits](https://www.cloudroutehq.com/aws-ai/amazon-bedrock-credits): how AI startups fund Bedrock usage, Claude included - [AWS credits reference](https://www.cloudroutehq.com/aws-credits): programs, who files each one, and country routes - [AWS incremental workload (IW) funding](https://www.cloudroutehq.com/aws-credits/incremental-workload-funding): funding a partner files for new work on an existing AWS account, including after Activate credits run out - [AWS migration services](https://www.cloudroutehq.com/migrate/aws-migration-services): what a migration partner does, how to choose one, and who files MAP funding - [Heroku to AWS: can AWS pay for the move?](https://www.cloudroutehq.com/migrate/heroku-to-aws): what MAP funding can cover for a Heroku move, who files it, and what it never pays - [Migrate to AWS](https://www.cloudroutehq.com/migrate/migrate-to-aws): the phases of a move to AWS, who does what, and when a partner can file MAP funding - [AWS Generative AI Accelerator: up to $1M (2026)](https://www.cloudroutehq.com/aws-credits/1m-aws-credits): The AWS Generative AI Accelerator gave its 2025 cohort up to $1M each in credits. What it is, the 2026 status, and other AWS funding for AI startups. - [AWS credits for AI startups](https://www.cloudroutehq.com/aws-credits/aws-credits-for-ai-ml-startups): Activate and AWS Credits for AI Startups (the founder applies); POC and IW funding (a partner files) - [How to get free AWS credits](https://www.cloudroutehq.com/blog/how-to-get-100k-aws-credits): every route, who files it, and how - [AWS for startups](https://www.cloudroutehq.com/for/startup): early-stage teams: a vetted partner who can file MAP, POC or IW funding - [AWS migration guide](https://www.cloudroutehq.com/migrate/aws-migration): the 7 Rs, the MAP phases (Assess, Mobilize, Migrate), tools and cost drivers ## Sources - https://aws.amazon.com/migration-acceleration-program/ - https://aws.amazon.com/partners/funding/ - https://aws.amazon.com/startups/credits/ - CloudRoute partner records: the partner-filed startup range and the track record Get matched: https://www.cloudroutehq.com/for/funding#inquiry-form. Questions: hello@cloudroutehq.com.