DigitalOcean Hatch: Cloud Credits for Startups
DigitalOcean’s official startup programme, applied for as Hatch: cloud credit for 12 months plus 15 months of free support.
Up to $5,000 in DigitalOcean credit + 15 months of free support
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A year of cloud that runs your app — but not your GPUs. The credit covers Droplets, Kubernetes, managed databases and storage; it does not cover GPU or inference. DigitalOcean sets the exact amount per partner and does not publish a universal figure — InnMind’s tier is up to $5,000, and you apply as part of the INNMIND portfolio.
Deal at a glance
| Provider | DigitalOcean — cloud hosting: Droplets, Kubernetes, managed databases, storage |
|---|---|
| Offer | Cloud credit for 12 months, plus 15 months of free Standard-tier support. Via InnMind the credit tier is up to $5,000 |
| Credit amount | DigitalOcean sets it per partner and does not publish one figure. InnMind’s stated tier is up to $5,000 |
| Credit duration | 12 months to use the credit. Unused credit is forfeited; no extensions |
| Does not cover | GPU Droplets, Bare Metal GPUs, and Dedicated or Serverless Inference |
| Access | Free InnMind account — no paid plan needed |
| Eligibility | Raised $10M or less, product startup (not a services business), no previous DigitalOcean credits |
| Approval | By DigitalOcean, on application. Acceptance is not guaranteed |
| Last verified | July 2026 |
What you get
The programme is DigitalOcean’s way of getting early product teams onto its cloud. It is applied for as Hatch (do.co/hatch) and sits under the wider DigitalOcean Startups programme.
- Cloud credit for 12 months. DigitalOcean sets the amount per partner; through InnMind the tier is up to $5,000. Enough to run a real product’s infrastructure for a year at DigitalOcean’s prices.
- 15 months of free Standard-tier support — longer than the credit itself, so support continues past the point your credit runs out.
- Direct time with DigitalOcean’s engineers and product managers, plus the Hatch founder community and its Slack.
- A set of builder-tool perks on top: 20% off Stripe Atlas, two months free of a paid Standard plan on partner tools, and $500 in credit across the ecosystem.
What founders use it for
DigitalOcean’s pitch is a simpler, cheaper cloud than the big three, and the credit is spent on the parts of a stack that bill by the hour.
Running the whole app for a year without a cloud bill — Droplets for the servers, a managed Postgres or MySQL, load balancers and object storage all draw on the credit, so early infrastructure is covered while you find product-market fit.
Standing up Kubernetes without paying for the control plane — DigitalOcean Kubernetes is a common reason teams pick it, and the managed cluster is inside the credit.
Leaving a pricier cloud — founders often use the credit window to migrate off AWS or GCP and cut the monthly bill, which is the whole reason DigitalOcean offers it.
Shipping the non-GPU half of an AI product — the API, the app, the database and the queues run on the credit even though the model inference does not, so it still offsets a real share of an AI startup’s infrastructure.
What the credit does not cover
This is the part the marketing page does not lead with, and it is the thing to get right before you apply. As of DigitalOcean’s 13 May 2026 terms, the startup credit works on any DigitalOcean service except the GPU and inference products.
| Covered | Droplets, Kubernetes, App Platform, managed databases, load balancers, Spaces object storage, networking — the CPU side of the stack. |
|---|---|
| Not covered | GPU Droplets, NVIDIA H100 GPU Kubernetes, Bare Metal GPUs, Dedicated Inference and Serverless Inference. Any GPU usage is billed to your card. |
So if your plan is to burn credit on model training or GPU inference, this is the wrong programme for that part of the bill. It funds the infrastructure around the model, not the model. For GPU credit specifically, the NVIDIA Inception deal is the better fit, and the two stack.
Who is eligible
| Funding raised | $10 million or less. |
|---|---|
| Type of company | A product startup. DigitalOcean prioritises AI-native startups and excludes services businesses — consultancies, agencies and dev shops do not qualify. |
| DigitalOcean history | New to DigitalOcean credits — teams that have had credit before are not eligible. |
| Account | A new DigitalOcean team account created with a company-domain email and a valid card on file. |
| InnMind plan | Free InnMind account — no paid plan needed. |
| Decision | DigitalOcean reviews each application and acceptance is not guaranteed. |
How to claim it
- Create a free InnMind account, or sign in if you already have one.
- Open this deal in the InnMind app and click Access Perk.
- Create a DigitalOcean team account with your company-domain email and a valid card.
- Fill out the Hatch application at do.co/hatch. When it asks for a partner organisation, enter that you are part of the INNMIND portfolio.
- DigitalOcean reviews the application. If accepted, the credit and support are applied to your account.
Terms worth knowing
This deal is the DigitalOcean Startups programme (applied for as Hatch), run by DigitalOcean. Acceptance is at DigitalOcean’s discretion and is not guaranteed by an InnMind account. DigitalOcean does not publish a single credit figure — the amount is set per partner, and up to $5,000 is InnMind’s stated tier. Credit runs for 12 months, is not transferable, and any unused balance is forfeited with no extension. If you exceed the monthly credit limit you are charged for the overage. Credit may not be used for GPU products or for cryptocurrency mining. Programme terms and the list of qualifying services are DigitalOcean’s published terms as of July 2026 and can change. Deal details verified July 2026.
Questions founders ask
How many DigitalOcean startup credits do I get?
DigitalOcean does not publish one figure — it awards credit through its partners and sets the amount per partner. Through InnMind the tier is up to $5,000, applied for as part of the INNMIND portfolio. The credit runs for 12 months from approval.
What is DigitalOcean Hatch?
Hatch is how you apply to DigitalOcean’s startup programme, at do.co/hatch. The wider programme is now branded DigitalOcean Startups, but the application and the INNMIND portfolio referral still run through Hatch.
Do DigitalOcean startup credits cover GPU usage?
No. As of DigitalOcean’s May 2026 terms the credit covers any service except GPU Droplets, Bare Metal GPUs, NVIDIA H100 GPU Kubernetes, and Dedicated and Serverless Inference. GPU usage is billed to your card. The credit funds the rest of the stack — Droplets, Kubernetes, managed databases and storage.
Who is eligible for the DigitalOcean startup programme?
Product startups that have raised $10 million or less and have not had DigitalOcean credit before. DigitalOcean prioritises AI-native startups and excludes services businesses such as agencies and consultancies. You also need a new DigitalOcean team account on a company-domain email with a valid card.
How long do the credits last?
The credit runs for 12 months from approval and any unused balance is forfeited — DigitalOcean does not grant extensions. The free Standard-tier support lasts 15 months, so support continues for a while after the credit is gone.
Do I need a paid InnMind plan to claim it?
No. This deal is free with any InnMind account. You need to be signed in to open it, but no paid plan is required.