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AWS Activate: Amazon Web Services cloud credits for startups
Discover AWS Activate: Amazon Web Services credits for startups across tiers (Founders, Portfolio, AI), eligibility conditions and the application process.
Introduction
AWS Activate is the Amazon Web Services programme that offers cloud credits to startups, organised in tiers based on the company's stage of development and the support it receives. This is not a cash grant: it is a credit applicable to AWS services.
What is the amount of support?
Three tiers are listed: Activate Founders, up to $5,000, accessible via direct application for a self-funded startup; Activate Portfolio, up to $200,000, reserved for startups supported by an accelerator, an angel investor or an AWS Activate partner fund; and a tier dedicated to generative AI, $200,000 and above, accessible only by invitation for startups that have already benefited from Activate Portfolio.
Who can submit an application?
The startup must have been founded less than 10 years ago, be at a pre-Series B stage, have a paid AWS account, and not have already received Activate credits (or be requesting more than previously received). Access to the Portfolio tier requires an identifier (Org ID) provided by an Activate partner.
How does the tier-based award process work?
The Founders tier is requested directly from AWS. The Portfolio tier goes through an Activate partner (accelerator, incubator, investor) who provides an identifier to include in the application. The AI tier is unlocked by invitation, through the startup's AWS contact, generally after the Portfolio tier.
How can Capital OS help?
Capital OS flags this scheme to startups undergoing technology development, as well as to IT service providers who support client startups and can tell them about it. This page is neither an application validation nor a guarantee of award: the tier actually granted depends solely on AWS's review.
Frequently asked questions
Can the three tiers be combined? No, each tier corresponds to a different stage; the AI tier follows the Portfolio tier, not the other way round. Do you need an accelerator to benefit? Only for the Portfolio tier and the AI tier; the Founders tier is requested directly. Are the credits convertible into cash? No, they can only be used on eligible AWS services.
Official sources
- AWS Activate — overview of the credit tiers
Written content, currently under editorial review — this is not an eligibility assessment; only your personalised report applies your company's actual criteria.
Grants linked to Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Matches established by comparing titles between this funder's catalogue and Capital OS's grant records — not exhaustive, never an invented link.
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Identify the AWS Activate tier matching your stage (Founders or Portfolio via a partner), then submit your application on the official page.
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