Microsoft for Startups 2026: Credits, Eligibility, Benefits

Last updated: 11 September 2026. Checked against Microsoft's own program pages and FAQ that day.

Microsoft for Startups, the program once called Founders Hub, has two entry offers in 2026:

Without an investor: if you are new to Azure, $1,000 of Azure credit for 90 days, then another $4,000 for 180 days once your business is verified.
With a referral code from a partner investor, accelerator, incubator, angel network or university: most startups begin with $100,000, plus Azure Standard Support and the software benefits.

Either way, credits can grow to up to $150,000 over time "as your startup demonstrates verified progress, service adoption, and sustained Azure usage". Credits must be activated within 90 days and last up to two years. They pay for OpenAI models on Azure, but not for Claude or other third-party models.

What each offer includes

	Azure startup credit offer	Investor offer
Who	New to Azure, no investor needed	Referral code from an affiliated organization
Azure credits	$1,000 for 90 days, then $4,000 for 180 days after business verification	"Most startups begin with $100,000"
Growth	Up to $150,000 over time with verified progress and Azure usage	Same; Investor Network startups "may unlock higher-value benefits earlier"
Support	Not listed	Azure Standard Support, technical experts, go-to-market support
Software	Not listed	Discounts or free offers such as GitHub Enterprise, LinkedIn Premium Business, Microsoft 365 Business Premium, Visual Studio Enterprise, Dynamics 365, Power Platform

Source: Microsoft's program overview and FAQ, 11 September 2026. If you start on the no-investor offer and later get a referral code, Microsoft says you can apply to the investor offer.

Who is eligible

Microsoft's list, all required:

You develop a software-based product or service that your company owns.
The company is privately held and for-profit.
It is headquartered in a country where Azure is available.
It has not received more than $350,000 in lifetime free Azure credits.
It has not raised Series C or later.
It is not an educational institution, government organization, consultancy or agency.
It is not involved in cryptocurrency mining.

There is no company-age limit and no minimum funding for the no-investor offer. Microsoft is more open than Google here, which wants institutional funding for its larger tier and caps the starter tier at 24 months of company age.

How to apply

Apply at startups.microsoft.com with "Get started". If you have a referral code from a Microsoft for Startups Investor Network partner, enter it here; it is what unlocks the investor offer.
Wait about three business days. "Most applications are reviewed in about three business days (longer if we must verify information)."
Activate the credits within 90 days of accepting the program agreement, or the offer expires and you must reapply.
Complete business verification on the no-investor offer to unlock the second $4,000.

You cannot edit a submitted application. If it is still pending, delete it through the confirmation email and apply again.

Credits can take a few hours to appear in the Azure portal after activation (Cost Management + Billing). Once active they are valid for up to two years, and "extensions are not available".

What the credits pay for

Credits draw down on Azure consumption on the sponsored subscription. Microsoft warns that non-Azure products, support plans and Azure Marketplace purchases "might not be covered".

For AI the rule is who bills the model:

Covered: "Microsoft Foundry models that are sold and billed directly by Azure", which "include all Azure OpenAI models", gpt-6-astra and the gpt-5.6 line among them. In the Foundry portal, the "Direct from Azure" collection shows which models qualify.
Not covered: "Models billed by third-party providers, partner services, or available through the Azure Marketplace". Microsoft names Anthropic, Cohere (select models), Hugging Face, Meta (select models) and Mistral AI (select models).

So Microsoft for Startups is the best free route to OpenAI's models for a founder without a VC, see OpenAI Free Credits. It will not pay for Claude, even though Claude can be deployed from Foundry; for that, AWS Activate credits on Amazon Bedrock work (Claude for Startups).

The Azure free account, for comparison

Separate from the startup program, new Azure customers get "$200 credit to use on Azure services within 30 days", which cannot be used for Marketplace offers. Free-trial subscriptions get restricted Azure OpenAI quota, so for OpenAI models plan on the startup offer or pay-as-you-go.

Microsoft vs Google vs AWS

	Microsoft for Startups	Google for Startups Cloud	AWS Activate
Without an investor	$1,000 + $4,000	$2,000 (Start tier, founded within 24 months)	$1,000 to $5,000 (Founders)
With a VC or accelerator	Usually $100,000 to start, up to $150,000	Up to $200,000, or $350,000 for AI startups	Up to $200,000 (Portfolio)
Credit life	Up to 2 years	12 months (Start), 2 years (Scale)	Varies by offer
Frontier models the credits pay for	OpenAI models on Azure	Gemini and Gemma	Claude and others on Bedrock

The programs are independent and most founders apply to all three. Details: Free Google Cloud Credits and AWS Activate Credits.

What changed since this page's April version

April version said	September 2026
Tiers: Basic $1,000, Enhanced $5,000, Growth $25,000, Scale $150,000	Two offers: $1,000 + $4,000 without an investor, ~$100,000 with a referral code; up to $150,000 over time
Credits valid 12 months, no extensions	Valid up to 2 years after activation, no extensions; activate within 90 days
Every founder gets GitHub Enterprise, Microsoft 365, LinkedIn Premium	Listed as part of the investor offer
"OpenAI API credits" through the partnership	No OpenAI API credits; Azure credits pay for OpenAI models on Azure
Name: Founders Hub	Microsoft for Startups

Frequently asked questions

How much Azure credit does Microsoft for Startups give? Without an investor, new Azure customers start with $1,000 for 90 days and get $4,000 more for 180 days after business verification. With a referral code from a partner investor or accelerator, most startups begin with $100,000. Credits can grow to up to $150,000 over time with verified progress and Azure usage.

Do I need an investor for Microsoft for Startups? No. Startups without an investor can get the Azure startup credit offer ($1,000 plus $4,000 after verification). A referral code from an affiliated investor, accelerator, incubator, angel network or university unlocks the larger investor offer. You can move to the investor offer later if you receive a code.

Who is eligible for Microsoft for Startups? Privately held, for-profit companies building their own software product, headquartered in a country where Azure is available, that have not raised Series C or later and have not received more than $350,000 in free Azure credits. Educational institutions, government bodies, consultancies, agencies and crypto miners are excluded.

Can Microsoft for Startups credits pay for OpenAI models? Yes. Credits apply to Microsoft Foundry models sold and billed directly by Azure, which include all Azure OpenAI models. They do not cover third-party models such as Anthropic's Claude, Cohere, Hugging Face or select Meta and Mistral models.

How long do Microsoft for Startups credits last? You must activate them within 90 days of accepting the program agreement, and once activated they are valid for up to two years. Extensions are not available.

Is Founders Hub the same as Microsoft for Startups? Yes. Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub was the program's earlier name; Microsoft's current documentation calls it Microsoft for Startups, with applications at startups.microsoft.com.

Got into Microsoft for Startups? Tell me which offer and how long it took. I update this guide with what founders actually see.