Program guide
Claude startup program vs other AI startup credit programs
The Claude program is one of several. The right one depends on which models you build on, your funding stage and your company age.
How we verified this: figures below come from each provider's official page where we could read it (checked 2026-10-08). Where an official page could not be read, we say so and list no amounts. Terms change often; confirm before you apply.
| Program | Headline benefit | Who it targets | What credits cover |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claude for Startups (Anthropic) | $1,000 API credits (6-month expiry), 1 year of Claude Team, up to $100K more via partner VCs | Founded in last 5 years or funded in last 2; bootstrapped to VC-backed | First-party Claude API only, not AWS Bedrock or Google Vertex AI |
| Google for Startups Cloud, AI tier | Up to $350,000 over two years | AI-first startups with seed to Series A funding, founded within 10 years, under $5,000 in prior Google Cloud credits, at Google's discretion | Google's own models such as Gemini and Gemma; third-party models and Marketplace are not covered |
| Microsoft for Startups | "Up to $150,000" in credits per the official page | Tier and eligibility details were not on the page we could read | Eligible Azure services |
| OpenAI for Startups | Not verified: the official page was not readable when we checked, so no amounts are listed | Third-party sources say credits are mostly reached through partner VCs or fintech partners; confirm on OpenAI's page | OpenAI API |
How to choose
- Building on Claude, no VC: the Claude program is the most direct route and has a small bar to entry (company email, Console account).
- AI-first with seed to Series A funding: Google's AI tier offers much larger credits, but only for Google's own models.
- Need Azure infrastructure: start with Microsoft's page.
- Multi-model: credits are tied to one provider's platform, so match the program to where your workload will run.
You can apply to more than one program. Check each program's prior-credit rules first, since some limit eligibility if you already received credits.