AWS Credits for Startups: $5,000 in AWS Activate Credits
AWS Activate is Amazon’s credits programme for startups, and InnMind is an official Activate Provider.
$5,000 in AWS credits for 2 years: compute, databases, storage & AI models
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Apply to AWS alone & you start at $1,000. Apply through InnMind & the application is for $5,000, valid 2 years. Same form, 5x the credits.
What AWS credits pay for
AWS applies Activate credits to your bill automatically, across more than 200 eligible services, until they run out or expire. There is no cash and nothing to invoice. For an early startup that usually means the whole infrastructure line of the budget, AI included.
| Compute | Servers on Amazon EC2, including the instances you run machine learning pipelines on, plus containers & serverless functions. |
|---|---|
| Data | Databases, object storage & backups: the running costs of the product itself. |
| AI models on Amazon Bedrock | Activate credits are redeemable for third-party models on Bedrock. AWS lists 19 model providers there, among them Anthropic (Claude), Meta (Llama), Mistral AI, OpenAI, DeepSeek, Qwen, Cohere, Stability AI & Amazon’s own Nova models. |
| AI coding tools | Activate credits can pay for Kiro Pro+, AWS’s AI coding environment. AWS’s startup site also shows how to run Claude Code through Bedrock on Activate credits. |
| Not covered | AWS Marketplace software (Bedrock models aside), Professional Services, Training & Certification, Route 53 domain registration, crypto mining, Enterprise-level support plans, and upfront fees on Savings Plans & Reserved Instances. |
To see exactly what your own credit covers, open AWS Billing, then Credits, select the credit & read “Applicable products”. AWS states that any service not listed in the Billing console is not covered.
Every way to get AWS credits as a startup in 2026
AWS runs several routes, and most guides still quote programmes that have closed. This is the state of each one in October 2026.
| AWS Free Tier | Any new account: $100 in credits at sign-up & up to $100 more for trying services, over 6 months. Useful for a prototype. An account on the Free plan cannot receive Activate credits, so switch to a Paid plan before you apply for Activate. |
|---|---|
| Activate Founders | Self-funded startups applying alone. AWS publishes it as up to $5,000, and its footnote says you start with $1,000; select participants get more. |
| Activate Portfolio | Startups applying with an Org ID from an Activate Provider: an accelerator, angel investor or VC firm. AWS publishes it as up to $200,000, with the amount set by each provider’s package. Through InnMind it is $5,000 for 2 years. |
| AWS Credits for AI Startups | $200,000 and more, invite only, for AI startups ready to scale after Activate Portfolio. It runs through an AWS account manager, so Portfolio comes first. |
| Kiro Startup Credits | Up to 1 year of Kiro Pro+ for teams of up to 30, early stage to Series A. Only for startups without active Activate credits, and not offered in Spain, France, Germany, Italy, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico & a few other countries. |
| Accelerators & fellowships | The AWS Generative AI Accelerator last ran in 2025, with up to $1 million in credits and applications closed on 10 July 2025. The AI Fellowship with NVIDIA plans its next cohort for 2027, and the Compute for Climate Fellowship closed on 30 September 2026. None is open as of October 2026. |
| Through NVIDIA Inception | Inception members reach AWS Activate through NVIDIA’s partner benefits. See the NVIDIA Inception deal. |
$5,000 through InnMind, $1,000 on your own
For most pre-seed & seed founders the real choice is between the 2 Activate doors. The form is the same; the Org ID field is what moves you from one to the other.
On your own: Activate Founders. AWS starts you at $1,000. Only select participants are moved up toward $5,000, and AWS does not publish how they are selected.
Through InnMind: Activate Portfolio. InnMind is an official AWS Activate Provider, so you apply to Portfolio with our Org ID and the application is for $5,000 in credits, valid 2 years. AWS emails us to confirm you are one of our startups, then approves.
Already took $1,000 from Founders? You can still apply through InnMind. AWS pays the difference between the 2 awards, so $1,000 then $5,000 adds $4,000.
Deal at a glance
| Provider | Amazon Web Services, AWS Activate |
|---|---|
| Route | Activate Portfolio, through InnMind as an Activate Provider |
| Package | $5,000 in AWS promotional credits |
| Valid for | 2 years |
| Covers | 200+ eligible AWS services, including third-party AI models on Amazon Bedrock |
| Stage | Pre-Series B, founded in the last 10 years |
| AWS account | On a Paid plan; Free plan accounts are not eligible |
| Decision | 7 to 10 business days, per AWS |
| Access | Included with a paid InnMind plan |
| Last verified | October 2026 |
What an AWS Activate Org ID is, & how to get one
An Organization ID is the code an Activate Provider gives its startups to apply for Activate Portfolio. Accelerators, angel investors & VC firms receive one from AWS. Without it, the Portfolio track is closed to you and you apply to Founders instead.
AWS’s own FAQ says an Org ID is confidential and is not a promotional code, and AWS checks every Portfolio application with the provider before it approves. That is why InnMind’s Org ID is not on this page: it sits inside the InnMind app, on the perk, with the steps to apply. A code copied from a public page would fail that check.
How to claim it
- Sign in to InnMind on a paid plan.
- Open this deal in the InnMind app & click Access Perk to get the Org ID.
- Check that your AWS account is on a Paid plan & linked to a Builder ID with the same email you will apply with.
- Apply for Activate Portfolio on AWS & enter the Org ID.
- AWS confirms you with InnMind, then decides. AWS says this takes 7 to 10 business days.
AWS Activate requirements, & why applications get rejected
These are AWS’s eligibility rules plus the rejection reasons it lists in its Activate FAQ. Check each one before you apply.
| Stage | Pre-Series B. AWS’s FAQ puts it as up to & including Series A, and rejects private equity rounds. |
|---|---|
| Company age | Founded in the last 10 years. |
| A working website | No functioning website or public profile is a listed rejection reason. |
| Same email everywhere | Applying with a different email from the one on your AWS account gets rejected. So does inconsistent business information. |
| Paid plan account | AWS accounts on the Free plan are not eligible for Activate credits. |
| Activate history | New to Activate, or applying for more than you received before. An Org ID can be used once per startup, and a provider’s offer only once. |
| 1 AWS account per startup | A founder with 2 startups can apply for both, but each needs its own AWS account. |
| Excluded | Startups building on AWS China Regions, and government entities. |
Do AWS Activate credits expire?
Yes. Every credit carries an expiry date, shown in AWS Billing under Credits. The package through InnMind is valid for 2 years. AWS sends reminders 60 & 30 days before expiry, and it does not extend dates, refund expired credits or apply credits to past bills. Credits cannot be sold or transferred outside your own AWS Organization.
Terms worth knowing
This is the AWS Activate programme, run by Amazon Web Services, & AWS makes the final decision on every application. InnMind is an AWS Activate Provider; the package attached to InnMind’s Org ID is $5,000 in AWS credits for 2 years. AWS publishes Activate Founders as up to $5,000, starting at $1,000, Activate Portfolio as up to $200,000 with a provider Org ID, and AWS Credits for AI Startups as $200,000 and more by invitation. All tiers require a pre-Series B company founded in the last 10 years with an AWS account on a Paid plan, new to Activate credits or requesting more than previously received. AWS states that Org IDs are confidential, that an Org ID can be used once, that credits cannot be extended, refunded, transferred or applied to historical bills, and that Activate credits are redeemable for third-party models on Amazon Bedrock. Free Tier, Kiro, accelerator & fellowship details are as published by AWS in October 2026. All Activate credits are in USD and subject to the AWS Promotional Credit Terms & the AWS Activate Terms & Conditions. Deal details verified October 2026.
Questions founders ask
How do I get AWS credits for my startup?
Most early startups go through AWS Activate. Apply alone to Activate Founders and AWS starts you at $1,000. Apply to Activate Portfolio with an Org ID from an Activate Provider such as InnMind and the application is for that provider’s package, $5,000 for 2 years through InnMind.
How much are AWS Activate credits?
Activate Founders starts at $1,000 and goes up to $5,000 for select participants. Activate Portfolio goes up to $200,000, set by each provider’s package. AI startups past Portfolio can be invited to $200,000 and more.
What is the difference between Activate Founders and Activate Portfolio?
Founders is for self-funded startups applying alone and starts at $1,000. Portfolio is for startups backed by an Activate Provider, needs that provider’s Org ID, and is validated with the provider before AWS approves.
What is an AWS Activate Org ID, and where do I get one?
It is the code an Activate Provider, such as an accelerator, angel investor or VC firm, gives its startups to apply for Activate Portfolio. InnMind members get InnMind’s Org ID inside the app, on the AWS perk.
What can AWS credits be used for?
More than 200 eligible AWS services: compute, databases, storage, AI models on Amazon Bedrock and Kiro Pro+. Excluded are AWS Marketplace software other than Bedrock models, Professional Services, Training, Certification, domain registration, crypto mining, Enterprise-level support and upfront fees on Savings Plans and Reserved Instances.
Can I use AWS credits for AI models like Claude or Llama?
Yes, on Amazon Bedrock. AWS states that Activate credits are redeemable for third-party models there, and it lists 19 providers, including Anthropic, Meta, Mistral AI, OpenAI and DeepSeek. Check Applicable products on your credit before you rely on a specific model.
Do AWS credits cover GPU instances?
AWS publishes no exclusion for GPU instances, and its Activate guide names machine learning pipelines on Amazon EC2 as a use. What it excludes is upfront fees for Savings Plans and Reserved Instances, so pay for GPU capacity on demand while you draw on credits.
Do AWS Activate credits expire?
Yes. The expiry date shows in AWS Billing under Credits, and AWS does not extend it. The package through InnMind is valid for 2 years.
Why was my AWS Activate application rejected?
The reasons AWS lists most often: a round beyond Series A or a private equity round, a company older than 10 years, no working website, a different email from the one on the AWS account, and inconsistent business information.
Can I get AWS Activate credits on the Free Tier?
No. A Free plan account gets up to $200 in Free Tier credits over 6 months but cannot receive Activate credits. Upgrade the account to a Paid plan before you apply.
Is the AWS Generative AI Accelerator open in 2026?
No 2026 cohort has been announced. The last round offered up to $1 million in credits and closed to applications on 10 July 2025.
Do I need a paid InnMind plan to claim it?
Yes. InnMind’s Org ID is reserved for paid InnMind plans, and the $5,000 in credits covers the cost of the membership several times over. Without it you apply to AWS alone, where credits start at $1,000.