How to get AWS Activate credits

AWS Activate gives startups AWS promotional credits in two main tiers: Activate Founders for self-funded startups (up to $5,000, starting at $1,000) and Activate Portfolio for pre-Series B startups with an Organization ID from an Activate Provider such as an accelerator or investor (up to $200,000). You apply with an AWS Builder ID and hear back within 5–10 business days, per the program’s page read on 12 Nov 2026. See the other credit programs on the credits list.

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AWS Activate tiers, who qualifies, how to apply

Read from AWS’s own pages on 12 Nov 2026.

Activate Founders. Self-funded. Up to $5,000 USD in Activate Credits; start with $1,000 USD, and select participants may qualify for additional credits up to $5,000. aws.amazon.com/startups/credits

Activate Portfolio. Pre-Series B. Up to $200,000 USD in Activate Credits. You must have an Organization ID from your Activate Provider, such as an accelerator, angel investor or venture capital firm. aws.amazon.com/startups/credits

AWS Credits for AI Startups. Invite only, for startups ready to scale after Activate Portfolio: $200,000+ in AWS Credits, through your Account Manager. You cannot apply for this tier. aws.amazon.com/startups/credits

Who qualifies. Pre-Series B, founded in the last 10 years, an AWS account on the Paid Tier Plan, and either new to Activate Credits or requesting more credits than previously received. aws.amazon.com/startups/credits

How to apply. 1. Create an AWS Builder ID with your professional email. 2. Choose your tier: self-funded applies for Activate Founders; backed by a VC or accelerator checks whether it is an Activate Provider and uses its Org ID for Activate Portfolio. 3. Tell AWS about your product, funding stage and company profile. 4. Create or link an AWS account to your Builder ID and submit. aws.amazon.com/startups/credits

How long it takes. The page says you will hear back within 5–10 business days. aws.amazon.com/startups/credits

Terms. All AWS Activate Credits are in USD and subject to the AWS Promotional Credit Terms & Conditions. aws.amazon.com/activate/terms/

When it closes

AWS Activate Foundersrolling Online · The program's own page · read 10 Nov 2026 · The program's page ↗

AWS Activate Portfoliorolling Online · The program's own page · read 10 Nov 2026 · The program's page ↗

A date written without a time stays open until the end of that day anywhere on Earth. A time is kept as the program wrote it. An intake whose date has passed is not listed.

What the program's pages say

“Apply for up to $200,000 in AWS Activate Credits”aws.amazon.com/startups/credits

“Apply directly if you’re bootstrapped or self-funded”aws.amazon.com/startups/credits

“You'll hear back within 5–10 business days.”aws.amazon.com/startups/credits

More open programs

Not the right fit? These forms are open on my list today.

closes 18 Nov 2026, 11:00am UK time (11:00 UTC)Efficient, Structured and Controllable AI Systemscloses 18 Nov 2026Techstars closes 30 Nov 2026Amber Grant for Women closes 30 Nov 2026Hello Tomorrow Global Challenge ListStartup grants that take no equity

The questions are not listed

I could not read this form's questions on the program’s pages, so none are shown here. A list I guessed would be worse than no list.

Credits are not cash: they offset AWS usage and are subject to AWS’s promotional credit terms, which I did not read in full.
The application is behind an AWS Builder ID sign-in. I did not open it or create an account, so the form’s questions and limits are not listed.
Amounts and eligibility are quoted from the program’s page as read on 12 Nov 2026 and can change; check the page before you apply.
Wanna has no connection to AWS and does not decide who gets credits.

The program's own application ↗

Before you apply: 3 lessons

Short lessons, each linked to the original.

Apply to accelerators early, and reapply

Techstars says it is never too early to apply, and that applying and not getting in will not count against you next time. Completing the application also shows you your own strengths and weaknesses. Its other tips include explaining why this specific accelerator fits you and knowing your numbers.

“Many founders that make it into top accelerator programs have applied several times.”Techstars, 6 Tips to Ace The Accelerator Application, Sep 2022

Do this: You draft an application this week, including why this particular accelerator and your key numbers, and submit it instead of waiting for a perfect version.

Say what you do in your first line

Ralston's guide to demo day presentations says to open by briefly saying what you do and why, in terms the audience is likely to understand. He contrasts a plain grocery-delivery sentence with a jargon-heavy one. He says your goal is to intrigue listeners enough that they want to meet you and learn more.

“A common error is to avoid describing what you do until far into the presentation.”Geoff Ralston, A Guide to Demo Day Presentations, Jul 2016

Do this: You write the first sentence of your pitch as a plain 'we do X for Y' line and test it on someone outside your field before you send your next deck.

Put a number in every pitch sentence

Currier tells founders not to say a sentence without a number in it, preferably two, and contrasts vague claims like 'we're up a lot' with specific figures. He says people who build giant businesses know their numbers intimately and speak in precise numbers rather than generalities.

“When you're pitching, don't say a sentence without a number in it.”James Currier, 16 Non-Obvious Fundraising Lessons On Pitching, Nov 2019

Do this: You go through your pitch script this week and replace every vague claim with a specific figure and time period.

This page is information, not advice, and not an offer. Programs change their forms and dates: open the program's own page before you apply. Wanna has no connection to AWS Activate; its name here only says which form this page is about.

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