AWS Activate offers a ceiling of up to $200,000 and a company-age limit of ten years. Here’s the claim path, tier by tier, from AWS’s official pages.
Step 0 — check eligibility before you write anything
For both tiers, AWS requires: Pre-Series B funding stage, founded within the last 10 years, an AWS account on a paid plan, and being new to Activate credits (or requesting more than you’ve previously received). If you fail any of these, stop here — Google’s and Microsoft’s programs have different windows that may still fit.
Step 1 — pick your tier
- Founders (self-funded, no institutional backing needed): self-serve application. You start with $1,000 in Activate credits, and select participants qualify for up to $5,000.
- Portfolio (up to $200,000): requires association with an AWS Activate Provider — an accelerator, incubator, angel investor or VC firm. Your Provider gives you an Organization ID (Org ID), which the application requires. If you’re in any accelerator or have a VC on the cap table, ask them for their Org ID before applying; it’s the difference between four and six figures.
Step 2 — apply
Applications run through the AWS Activate credits page (aws.amazon.com/startups/credits), linked to the AWS account that should receive the credits. AWS doesn’t state a card requirement for the application form itself, but the account must be on a paid plan — “Free account plans are not eligible for Activate promotional credits” — and AWS says you upgrade to a paid plan “by entering your payment method”.
Step 3 — after approval: spend deliberately
Approved credits land on your AWS account and apply to eligible usage — including third-party models on Amazon Bedrock, which Activate’s terms explicitly authorise (“Bedrock 3P Model Spend”). That is what makes Activate a substantial budget for eligible AI usage and a documented credit route to Claude on AWS. Two planning facts: credits usually expire within 1–2 years depending on the package, and you can reapply through a Provider for more than you previously received. Startups scaling past Portfolio may be invited to AWS Credits for AI Startups ($200,000+, invite-only).
If you’re too early for Activate
A brand-new project that doesn’t need six figures yet can start with the plain AWS Free Tier — up to $200 on a six-month free plan, usable on Bedrock, though AWS does not say those credits cover Claude — and graduate to Activate once there’s a company behind it. Both are tracked, with sources and verification dates, on the startup AI credits pillar.