Amazon Web Services
AWS Activate for Startups
Who's eligible
Early-stage startups. Higher-tier credits require affiliation with an approved incubator, accelerator, or VC (including veteran-focused ones like PenFed VEP, IVMF Military Founders Lab, Warrior Rising Business Showers).
How to claim
Apply at aws.amazon.com/activate. Include accelerator affiliation if you have one. Provide startup details, funding stage, and current AWS spend.
Editor's take
Startup path founders with actual cloud infrastructure needs. Best if you can pair with an accelerator that has AWS partnership.
You are building a services or franchise business with minimal cloud needs. The credits expire.
Credits expire (typically 12-24 months). Do not architect for AWS just to spend credits. Migration costs from AWS post-credits can be significant.
Base tier is approachable for any early-stage startup. Portfolio tier ($100K) typically requires accelerator affiliation. Many veteran accelerators have direct AWS Activate partnerships.