Free AI credits for startups in 2026: what each program gives and who qualifies

Short answer: the largest free AI credits for startups in 2026 come through the cloud platforms: the Google for Startups Cloud Program AI tier (up to $350,000 over two years for funded startups building on Gemini), AWS Activate Portfolio (up to $200,000 with an Organization ID from an Activate Provider) and Microsoft's Investor Network offer (most start with $100,000 in Azure credits, up to $150,000, with a referral code). Without an investor, start with Microsoft for Startups ($5,000 after business verification, growing to $150,000 as your Azure usage grows), AWS Activate Founders ($1,000, up to $5,000) and the Google Cloud Start tier (up to $2,000). Then add model-specific programs such as Together AI (up to $15,000 if you have raised under $5M), E2B ($20,000) and ElevenLabs (33M characters for 12 months).

The Grant Index tracks 43 AI model and API programs, 13 GPU and compute programs and 35 cloud programs, each checked against its official page (the date in the "Verified" column below). Of the AI and GPU programs open today, 30 ask for no investor backing, no referral and no minimum funding. This guide covers the programs worth your time, what each one actually gives you, and the conditions that sink applications.

1. The big platforms: where the six-figure credits are

Most large "AI credits" are cloud credits that you spend on the models and GPUs that cloud hosts. Before you build around a program, check which models it covers: Google's startup credits, for example, cover Google's own models (Gemini, Gemma), while third-party models are billed separately.

2. Anthropic and OpenAI: what is actually available

Anthropic. Claude for Startups is paused: the open cohort is full and new applications wait for the next one. When it is open, it bundles up to $45,000 in partner discounts and credits (the Claude Startup Stack), and founders backed by a VC in Anthropic's partner network may get up to $100,000 in extra Claude API credits through that VC. One detail matters for planning: those credits work only on the first-party Claude API (Claude Console), not on AWS Bedrock, Google Vertex or Azure.

OpenAI. We do not list a general, open OpenAI credit program for startups, and we only list programs we can verify on an official page. The two OpenAI programs we track are narrow: the Researcher Access Program (up to $1,000 in API credits for people affiliated with an academic or research organization, or research nonprofits; reviewed quarterly, credits valid 12 months) and the Cybersecurity Grant Program (API credits from a $10M pool for teams with a track record in defensive security). For a commercial product, plan your model spend around the platform credits above and check which models each one covers.

3. Model and inference API credits you apply for directly

These programs give credits for one provider's API. They are smaller than the cloud tiers, but many accept bootstrapped teams, and voice AI is unusually well covered.

4. GPU compute credits

If you train or fine-tune models, or serve open-weight models yourself, GPU programs matter more than API credits. Our free GPU credits guide compares every GPU program, including free EU supercomputer hours. NVIDIA Inception is the usual first step: membership is free and has no fixed dollar value, but it unlocks partner offers such as $1,000 in Lambda Cloud credits (eligible countries only, card required). The Nebius offer for Inception members is currently limited to startups with $5M+ raised that come through a Nebius partner VC.

5. Free AI credits with no investor needed

Bootstrapped? 30 open AI and GPU programs list no investor backing, referral or minimum funding. These 21 publish a dollar value (highest first; most still need an incorporated company and a website; the rest are free plans, discounts or unpublished amounts you can find in the AI category). Add the four no-investor cloud tiers from section 1: Microsoft for Startups, AWS Activate Founders, Google Cloud Start and Cloudflare tier 3.

• BytePlus V-Start AI Startups Accelerator BytePlus (ByteDance): $2,000 non-threshold AI model credits + up to $100,000 in AI model credits, plus workshops, expert support…
• Daytona Startup Program Daytona: $10K credits upfront, up to $100K
• Deepgram Startup Program Deepgram: Up to $100,000 in Deepgram credits (amount depends on stage, use case and partner referral)
• E2E Networks Startup Program E2E Networks: AI Explorer: $5K (₹5 lakh) free credits; AI Builder: up to $50K; AI Scaler: up to $100K (₹1 crore) in…
• Speechmatics Startup Program Speechmatics: Up to $50,000 in usage credits + office hours and co-marketing
• Together AI Startup Accelerator Together AI: Up to $15K (≤$5M raised), $30K ($5–10M) or $50K (>$10M) in platform credits + forward-deployed engineering…
• Firecrawl Startup Program Firecrawl: 2x your plan's monthly credits for 12 months (extra usage capped at $2.5k/month, $30k/year) plus a Slack…
• Resemble AI Builder's Grant Resemble AI: $500 to $30,000 in Resemble AI credits (voice generation, deepfake detection, watermarking APIs), sized by…
• LiveKit Startup Program LiveKit: Up to ~$23K: free year of Scale plan (~$6K), $10K LiveKit Cloud credits, $7K partner inference credits
• Anyscale AI Startup Program Anyscale: Up to $20,000 in Anyscale credits + field-engineer support
• E2B for Startups E2B: One-time $20,000 in E2B credits + Pro tier
• Smallest.ai Startup Grants for Voice AI Smallest.ai: $10,000 in Voice Agent Platform credits (from a $500K total pool)
• ElevenLabs Grants for Startups ElevenLabs: 33M characters (~680 hours of Agents usage, >$5,500 value) for 12 months
• Corti for Startups Corti: Up to $5,000 in API credits across Corti models, agents and speech APIs, valid 12 months
• Runway Builders Program Runway: Up to 500,000 Runway API credits (~$5,000 at $0.01/credit) + Tier 5 rate limits
• fal Startup Program fal: $1,000 starter pack, growing to $2,500 and $5,000 as monthly fal spend rises
• Gladia Startup Studio Gladia: $3,000 in credits for 12 months ($3,500 if referred by a Gladia VC partner) + dedicated Field Developer…
• Runpod Startup Program — Starter Tier Runpod: $1,000 in free Runpod credits
• Runware Startup Program Runware: Starter tier: up to $1,000 in free credits, no deposit (awarded in $100 steps). Growth/Scale tiers add…
• You.com Startup Grant You.com: Up to $1,000 in API credits (plus $100 sign-up credit)
• AMD AI Developer Program AMD: $100 in AMD Developer Cloud credits (AMD Instinct GPUs) on joining, plus training and perks

6. Credits that need an investor, accelerator or referral

The biggest tiers sit behind a gate: an Org ID, a referral code or proof of institutional funding. 32 of the open AI, GPU and cloud programs we track need one; these are the highest-value ones. If you are in an accelerator or have a VC, ask for their perks portal before you apply anywhere: it usually holds the AWS Org ID, the Microsoft referral code and partner links for Cloudflare's larger tiers (Cloudflare tiers 1 and 2 need a referral).

• Cloudflare for Startups — Tier 1 Cloudflare: $350,000 in Cloudflare credits for one year + priority support and SA office hours
• Google for Startups Cloud Program — AI tier Google Cloud: Up to $350,000 over 2 years (Year 1: 100% of usage up to $250K; Year 2: 20% up to another $100K)
• AWS Activate — Portfolio Amazon Web Services: Up to $200,000 in AWS Activate Credits
• Google for Startups Cloud Program — Scale tier Google Cloud: Up to $200,000 over 2 years (Year 1: 100% of usage up to $100K; Year 2: 20% up to another $100K) + up to…
• Microsoft for Startups — Investor Network offer Microsoft: Most start with $100,000 Azure credits; up to $150K over time, plus Azure Standard Support, GitHub…
• OVHcloud Startup Program — Scale OVHcloud: Up to €100,000 (~$110,000) free cloud credits for 12 months + up to 20 hours 1:1 engineering
• Cloudflare for Startups — Tier 2 Cloudflare: $100,000 in Cloudflare credits for one year + technical sessions
• Render for Startups — AI Render: $100K in Render credits + 1:1 onboarding and dedicated support Slack for 1 year
• Vultr Startup Program Vultr: Up to $100K in cloud credits + 35% long-term discounts
• Vercel for Startups Vercel: Up to $30,000 Flexible Commitment Amount + Enterprise-tier access for one year
• Baseten for Startups Baseten: Up to $25,000 for Dedicated Inference/Training + up to $2,500 for Model APIs
• Render for Startups — Scale Render: $10K credits (under $1M raised) or $25K credits ($1M+ raised)

7. How to qualify: the conditions that decide most applications

Across the 86 open AI, GPU and cloud programs we track, the same few conditions come up again and again:

• A registered company. 81 of them ask for an incorporated company. Microsoft gives $200 on sign-up with a personal LinkedIn check, but the $5,000 step needs business verification.
• A live website and a company-domain email. 70 ask for a website; 20 explicitly ask for an email on your own domain (Cloudflare tier 3, You.com).
• Being a new customer. 39 are for new customers only. Google's Start tier excludes anyone who has had Google Cloud credits beyond the free trial; Microsoft's direct offer needs an account with no prior Azure use; E2B and Baseten are for first-time users.
• Age and funding caps. 31 cap company age and 20 cap funding raised: E2B wants under 3 years and under $5M, Cloudflare tier 3 under $1M raised, Google Start under 24 months.
• Account prerequisites. AWS Activate needs an AWS account on a Paid Tier Plan; LiveKit and Microsoft need a card on file.

8. A stacking order that wastes nothing

1. Choose your primary cloud by the models you will use. Building on Gemini points to Google; Claude credits only work on Anthropic's own API; open-weight models point to Together AI, DeepInfra or a GPU program.
2. Apply to the no-investor tiers when you incorporate: Microsoft for Startups, AWS Activate Founders, Google Cloud Start and Cloudflare tier 3.
3. Add model-specific credits when you are about to ship that feature, not before. The clocks are short: Microsoft credits must be activated within 90 days, Telnyx and Baseten credits run for 6 months, Deepgram and LiveKit for 12.
4. After you raise, collect your gated codes: AWS Org ID (Portfolio, up to $200,000), Microsoft referral code (Investor Network, up to $150,000) and the Google AI tier if Gemini is a foundation of your product.
5. Keep a list of expiry dates. Most credits cannot be extended, and some tiers (Firecrawl, for example) need a paid annual plan to unlock.

Not sure which of these you qualify for? The eligibility checker asks for your country, stage, company age, funding and backing once and gives every program a verdict. You can also browse all AI model and API programs, GPU and compute programs and cloud programs.

FAQ

Can I get free OpenAI API credits for my startup?

Not through an open, general startup program that we can verify. The OpenAI programs we track are the Researcher Access Program (up to $1,000 in API credits for academic or nonprofit research) and the Cybersecurity Grant Program (API credits from a $10M pool for defensive security teams). For a commercial product, plan model spend around the cloud platforms' startup credits and check which models each covers.

Do I need VC funding to get free AI credits?

No. Microsoft for Startups ($5,000 after business verification, growing with Azure usage), AWS Activate Founders ($1,000, up to $5,000), Google Cloud Start (up to $2,000) and Cloudflare tier 3 ($10,000, under $1M raised) need no investor, and 30 open AI and GPU programs in our index list no backing, referral or minimum funding. The six-figure tiers (Google AI tier, AWS Portfolio, Microsoft Investor Network) do need funding, an Org ID or a referral code.

Which program gives the most free AI credits?

The Google for Startups Cloud Program AI tier: up to $350,000 over two years (100% of usage up to $250,000 in year one, then 20% up to another $100,000 in year two) for funded startups founded within 5 years that use Gemini as a foundation of their product. AWS Activate Portfolio (up to $200,000) and Microsoft's offers (up to $150,000) follow.

Do startup AI credits expire?

Almost always. Microsoft's direct credits must be activated within 90 days, Google Cloud Start credits last one year, Microsoft Investor Network credits up to two years, ElevenLabs grants 12 months, and Telnyx and Baseten credits 6 months. Most programs do not extend them, so activate credits when you will actually use them.

Can I use Claude for Startups credits on AWS Bedrock or Google Vertex?

No. Claude for Startups credits work only on the first-party Claude API (Claude Console), not on AWS Bedrock, Google Vertex or Azure. The program is also paused until its next cohort opens.

Are AI startup credits really free?

They are equity-free, but read the conditions: some programs need a card on file (Microsoft, LiveKit) or a payment method (Modal), Firecrawl needs a paid annual plan, and most move you to pay-as-you-go pricing once the credits run out or expire.

Program terms change often. Every program page linked above shows its official source and the date we last verified it; confirm on the provider's page before you apply. Spotted something out of date? Report a correction.

Related guides

• Cloud credits for startups (2026): AWS vs Google Cloud vs Azure and 30 more
• Free GPU credits for startups (2026): Runpod, Lambda, NVIDIA, EuroHPC and more

Browse the full lists: AI credits for startups · GPU credits for startups