Microsoft for Startups — Azure credits

This dated editorial record includes superseded conditions. Use the current facts above for eligibility and access.

Re-verified 2026-08-15 against Microsoft's official application walkthrough (page updated 2026-08-05). Three changes since our 2026-07-03 check. (a) The "Founders Hub" branding is gone — both microsoft.com/en-us/startups and the Learn documentation now call the program simply "Microsoft for Startups"; our slug is kept for URL stability. (b) The separate $2,500 OpenAI.com credit we previously listed is no longer documented on any current Microsoft primary page — the figure has been REMOVED rather than carried forward, per the no-guessing rule (tracked as V29). (c) The walkthrough now documents "$200 in starter credits" granted immediately at Azure account creation, replacing the $1,000 initial unlock we previously listed. Card requirement re-confirmed verbatim ("Cardholder name, Card number, Expiration month and year, CVV"). Per-tier validity windows are still not stated. The $150,000 ceiling is quoted twice: as an Investor-Network benefit and as the post-approval expanded tier. Re-verified 2026-09-13 against the Microsoft Learn application walkthrough, which Microsoft itself re-dated 2026-09-11 — i.e. this is a freshly updated primary source, not a stale one. Unchanged: "$200 in starter credits" at Azure account creation, "Approved startups unlock expanded credits (up to $150,000)", eligibility "Pre-seed through Series C" B2B, privately held, at or working toward MVP, in a supported region, and a payment card is still collected at Azure account setup (step 3 of 3). V29 ANSWERED — NO: there is still no $2,500 OpenAI credit, and no OpenAI credit of any size, anywhere on Microsoft's current startup pages. It has now been absent across two consecutive sweeps; it stays removed (ADR-0024). Re-verified 2026-10-10 (V42 settled as a CONFLICT). The 'Azure for Startups' card on azure.microsoft.com/free/students is NOT a separate programme. Its Get started button goes to portal.azure.com?homeview=startup, the same place as microsoft.com/en-us/startups 'Get started now'. Microsoft's Learn FAQ calls this no-code path 'the Azure startup credit offer', as opposed to the 'investor offer'. Starter amount CONFLICTS across Microsoft's own pages. $200: the Learn application walkthrough (re-dated 2026-10-09; no-code path: 'get your $200 in starter credits'), Learn getting-started ('Milestone 1: $200') and the Learn FAQ ('$200 for 90 days, then an additional $4,000 for 180 days after business verification'). $1,000: azure.microsoft.com/free/students ('$1,000 in Azure credits instantly—no application required', 'Unlock up to $5,000 in total credits with business verification', 'Credits valid for 90 days (initial) and 180 days (post-verification)') and the older Learn activate page (2026-05-29). The 2026-10-09 walkthrough gives $1,000 to the investor-referral-code path ('get your $1,000 starter credits'). All agree on: starter credits immediately at Azure setup, more after business verification, 'up to $150,000' over time, card required. Learn getting-started documents a usage-based ladder open to all: $5,000 after business verification, then $25,000 / $50,000 / $150,000 at 5+ / 7+ / 10+ Azure workloads sustained ~60 days (the top tier also needs ~$3,000/month). Outlier: Learn 'Benefits Overview' (2026-06-16) says investor-backed startups 'may unlock up to $200K' — not published. Eligibility CHANGED: 'Stage: Pre-seed through Series B funding' (application page), and the overview says 'Not have raised Series C funding or later'; also a $350,000 lifetime-free-Azure-credit cap. New: no-code applicants 'Verify with LinkedIn'. Microsoft accounts previously used with 'Azure Free Trial, Azure for Students, or another Azure offer' must be replaced with a new account. Card still required: 'Cardholder name, Card number, Expiration month and year, CVV'; FAQ: 'Do I need a credit card to activate Azure credits? Yes.' Azure OpenAI coverage is now quotable: startup credits 'apply to Microsoft Foundry models that are sold and billed directly by Azure', which 'include all Azure OpenAI models'; Anthropic is explicitly not covered. V29: no $2,500 or other OpenAI credit on any of 20 Microsoft startup pages scanned (third consecutive sweep). ADVERSARIALLY RE-VERIFIED 2026-10-10 (V42 SETTLED as a conflict, not a change of programme): the application page (ms.date 2026-10-08, updated 2026-10-09) carries two tabs — 'Apply without referral code' ('$200 in starter credits') and 'Apply with referral code' ('$1,000 starter credits … Approved startups unlock expanded credits (up to $150,000)'); the azure.microsoft.com/free/students 'Azure for Startups' card says '$1,000 in Azure credits instantly—no application required'. 'Azure for Startups' is very likely the same programme's no-code route (same portal ?homeview=startup target, same 90/180-day structure) but Microsoft never says so, and its $1,000 conflicts with the newest no-code $200, so no starter figure is published (ADR-0023). Ladder $200 / $5,000 / $25,000 / $50,000 / $150,000 verbatim on getting-started-mfs, but the FAQ's $200 + $4,000 conflicts with the $5,000 second step and the Benefits overview (updated 2026-06-16) still says investor-backed startups 'may unlock up to $200K' — $150,000 is on the landing page, application page, getting-started, unlock-more-benefits and the investor FAQ, so it stays the published ceiling with the conflict disclosed in copy. Series B UPHELD (no Microsoft page still says Series C). Foundry coverage and the Anthropic exclusion UPHELD. Card UPHELD ('Do I need a credit card to activate Azure credits? Yes.'). V29: no OpenAI credit of any size on any current Microsoft startup page. Re-verified 2026-10-21 in the audit-remediation source sweep: current primary offer page and the material eligibility, validity, unit and payment evidence recorded in SOURCE-VERIFICATION.csv. Historical notes above are retained as history, not current terms. No account was created and no claim was submitted.

Dated change log and sources