These are the three programs from my reel. Each one gives young companies free credits, and you can apply to all three. Everything below comes from each company's own program page, linked at the bottom. Programs change, so check the page before you apply.
Google Cloud: $2,000 to start, up to $350,000 later
- Haven't raised money yet? The Google for Startups Cloud Program gives pre-funded startups $2,000 in Google Cloud credits to build a first version.
- Raised a Seed to Series A round? It goes up to $200,000 in credits, or up to $350,000 if you're an AI-first startup.
How to apply:
- Open the Google for Startups Cloud Program page.
- Open the section that matches your stage (Pre-funded or Early stage) and click Apply now.
- Fill in the application with your company details.
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AWS: $1,000 to start, up to $5,000 if you're self-funded
AWS Activate Founders is the tier for bootstrapped and self-funded companies. You start with $1,000 in Activate Credits, and select participants can qualify for more, up to $5,000.
To qualify for AWS Activate you need all of these:
- Your company is pre-Series B.
- It was founded in the last 10 years.
- You have an AWS account on the paid tier plan.
- You're new to Activate Credits, or asking for more than you've received before.
How to apply:
- Open the AWS Activate Credits page.
- Pick Activate Founders if you're bootstrapped or self-funded, then click Apply here.
If an accelerator, angel investor or VC firm backs you, the Activate Portfolio tier goes up to $200,000. You apply with your backer's Organization ID, so ask them for it.
ElevenLabs: a free year of its Scale plan
ElevenLabs Grants give a startup 12 months of free access to the full ElevenLabs platform on the Scale plan. That's 33,000,000 characters, which ElevenLabs puts at over 680 hours of Agents usage and more than $5,500 in value.
To qualify:
- Your company has fewer than 25 employees when you apply.
- You apply with a business email, not a personal one.
- You're building a product you plan to sell and keep running long term. One-off projects and campaigns don't count.
- You're not building for children 18 or under.
- Agencies and consulting firms can't apply.
- One application per company, and existing ElevenLabs enterprise customers aren't eligible.
How to apply:
- Open the ElevenLabs Grants page and click Apply.
- Tell them about your startup, your team, how you expect to grow and how you'll use ElevenLabs.
- If you're approved, ElevenLabs applies the grant plan and credits to the account you applied with.
Also worth applying for
If you haven't yet, the Claude for Startups program gives approved companies a free year of Claude Team and $1,000 in API credits. My step-by-step guide to that one covers who qualifies and how to apply.
