AWS Activate Guide
AWS for Startups
Free AWS credits, technical support, and training for startups. See how to qualify and apply.
Which program fits you?
Bootstrapped startup, no VC?
AWS Activate Founders provides up to $1,000 in credits + Developer Support for early-stage startups not yet associated with an Activate Provider. You just need an AWS account, a live website, and to be founded within the last 10 years.
Funded or in an accelerator?
AWS Activate Portfolio provides up to $100,000 in credits + 24/7 Business Support + training and certification. You need your provider's Organization ID (Org ID). Elevata can provide the Org ID as an AWS Advanced Partner.
Building AI foundation models?
For startups building generative AI foundation models, there's a tier with up to $300,000 in credits covering intensive compute (EC2, SageMaker, Bedrock). Additional requirements apply.
How long do I have to use them?
Activate credits are valid for 2 years, applied automatically to your bill. Approval takes 7–10 business days. Eligibility: pre-Series B, founded in the last 10 years, with a live website.
Amounts, programs, and requirements as published by AWS and subject to change.
The program
What is AWS Activate?
AWS Activate is Amazon's official startup program. It provides infrastructure credits, technical support (Business or Developer tier), AWS training, and AWS Marketplace credits. The program has two tiers: Founders (up to $1,000) for bootstrapped startups, and Portfolio (up to $100,000) for startups backed by VCs, accelerators, or AWS-partnered incubators. For startups building AI foundation models, there's an additional tier with up to $300,000 in credits. Credits are valid for two years and are automatically applied to your monthly AWS bill. A typical SaaS startup spends $2,000–$8,000/month on AWS, meaning $100K in credits can represent 12–50 months of runway.
Eligibility
Requirements to qualify
Both tiers require: company founded in the last 10 years, pre-Series B stage, a live company website, and an AWS account on a paid plan. For Founders: you must not have received Activate credits before and not be associated with an Activate Provider. For Portfolio: you need to be associated with an AWS-partnered accelerator, incubator, or VC and have their Organization ID (Org ID). Important: use your corporate email (matching your website domain) in the application. Applications with personal Gmail accounts are frequently rejected. As an AWS Advanced Partner, Elevata can serve as a provider and help your startup qualify for the Portfolio tier.
Comparison
Founders vs Portfolio: which tier to choose?
| Activate Founders | Activate Portfolio | |
|---|---|---|
| AWS credits | Up to $1,000 | Up to $100,000 |
| Who it's for | Bootstrapped startups without VC/accelerator | Startups with AWS-partnered VC, accelerator, or incubator |
| Technical support | AWS Developer Support | AWS Business Support (24/7, 1-hour response) |
| Training | Basic self-paced courses | Training + certification exam credits |
| Org ID required? | No | Yes, from your VC/accelerator |
| Credit validity | 2 years | 2 years |
| Approval time | 2–7 business days | 7–10 business days |
Step by step
How do you apply for AWS Activate?
Create your AWS Builder ID
Go to aws.amazon.com/startups/credits and click 'Apply Now'. Create a Builder ID with your personal email. This is your permanent profile across jobs. Confirm via verification email.
Complete your Activate profile
Fill in your startup details: name, website, stage, product description, target market, and traction metrics. Use your corporate email (matching your website domain). Inconsistent information between your profile and website is the #1 rejection reason.
Choose Founders or Portfolio
Founders for bootstrapped startups ($1K). Portfolio for funded/accelerator startups (up to $100K). You'll need your provider's Organization ID (Org ID), which is case-sensitive. No Org ID? Elevata can provide one as an AWS Advanced Partner.
Link your AWS account
Connect your startup's primary AWS account to your Builder ID. Requires administrator permissions (root or IAM admin). Account must be on a paid plan and active. Tip: enable browser pop-ups, and note that each Builder ID links to only one AWS account.
Provide your funding stage
Select your stage (pre-seed, seed, Series A). If you've received multiple tranches, use your most recent close date. AWS uses this to determine your credit package. Accurate information avoids delays.
Review and submit
Review everything before submitting. Applications cannot be edited after submission (you'd need to cancel and reapply to make corrections). AWS responds within 7–10 business days. Track progress on the Credit Application Status page.
Credits appear within hours
Once approved, credits appear in your Billing Console (Credits section) within 3–4 hours. They're applied automatically to your monthly bill on new usage, not retroactively coverage. Unused credits expire after 2 years.
What's included
What's included in AWS Activate?
Credits for 200+ AWS services
Use credits on EC2, Lambda, S3, RDS, DynamoDB, Bedrock, SageMaker, and more. Exclusions: AWS Marketplace and premium support tiers. A typical SaaS startup uses $2K–8K/month, so $100K can cover 12–50 months.
24/7 AWS technical support
Portfolio includes AWS Business Support: 1-hour response for critical cases, 24/7 chat and phone support, architecture review, and operational guidance. Founders includes Developer Support with 12-hour response times.
Training and certification
Access to AWS self-paced courses, hands-on labs, and certification exam credits. Portfolio includes additional training and access to exclusive AWS startup events.
Additional programs: PoC and MAP credits
Beyond Activate, startups can access PoC credits (up to $25K for proof-of-concept projects with defined KPIs) and MAP credits ($100K+ for migrations from on-premise or other clouds). As an AWS partner, Elevata facilitates access to both.
350K+
startups have joined
$8B+
in credits distributed by AWS
200+
eligible AWS services
About Elevata
Your AWS partner for AWS for Startups
Elevata is a consulting company specialized in helping your business tap into the full potential of AWS. Whether it's generative AI, modernization, or migration, our solutions are built to support efficient, sustainable growth. As an AI-native AWS Advanced Partner, we bring deep AWS expertise to help you adopt generative AI and build secure, scalable cloud environments aligned with your business needs and focused on outcomes you can sustain and build on over time.
More about usFrequently asked questions
What do people ask about AWS for Startups?
What's the difference between AWS Activate Founders and Portfolio?
Founders is for bootstrapped startups and provides up to $1,000 in credits + Developer Support. Portfolio is for startups with an AWS-partnered VC, accelerator, or incubator and provides up to $100,000 in credits + 24/7 Business Support + training. The key difference is that Portfolio requires an Organization ID from an Activate Provider.
How long do AWS Activate credits last?
Credits are valid for two years from the date they're issued. They cannot be extended, transferred, or sold. After expiration, services keep running but your account gets billed at standard rates. Tip: set up alerts in AWS Budgets 90 days before expiration.
Which AWS services can I use the credits on?
Credits work on 200+ AWS services including EC2, Lambda, S3, RDS, DynamoDB, Amazon Bedrock, and SageMaker. Exclusions: AWS Marketplace purchases, premium support beyond what's included, and Route 53 domain registration.
Why was my AWS Activate application rejected?
The most common rejection reasons: using a personal email (Gmail, Hotmail) instead of a corporate email; inconsistency between company name in your profile and website; a non-functional website or one without company information; for Portfolio, an incorrect or invalid Org ID. Fix these points and reapply.
Can I use AWS Activate credits alongside the Free Tier?
Yes. The Free Tier is applied first, so your Activate credits are only consumed when you exceed Free Tier limits. This means your credits effectively last longer. A smart strategy is to use Free Tier-eligible instances for dev/test and reserve Activate credits for production workloads.
Can I reapply for more credits later?
Yes, if you're requesting a higher amount than previously received. You receive the difference. For example, if you got $10K at pre-seed and qualify for $100K at seed, you receive an additional $90K. Some providers offer tiered packages (pre-seed, seed) with increasing values. You cannot exceed the maximum lifetime credit cap.
What if I make a mistake in my application?
Applications cannot be edited after submission. To make corrections, you need to cancel the application, unlink your AWS account from your Builder ID, and reapply. Review everything before submitting, especially your corporate email, company name, and Org ID (for Portfolio).
Can Elevata help my startup get AWS credits?
Yes. Elevata is an AWS Advanced Partner and can: assess your startup's stage and recommend the right tier, provide an Organization ID for Portfolio tier application, help with applications for PoC and MAP credits beyond Activate, and design the AWS architecture that maximizes your credit usage.
Qualify now
Find out which AWS Activate tier is right for your startup
Elevata can help your startup qualify for AWS Activate Portfolio with up to $100K in credits. Talk to a specialist for a free assessment.
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