Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub

Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub

Provides early-stage startups with up to one hundred fifty thousand dollars in cloud credits and software access.

Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub is a rolling, continuously open in-kind support program that provides early-stage technology startups with up to $150,000 in Microsoft Azure cloud credits, tiered based on startup stage and investor referral status. In addition to Azure credits — which cover compute, storage, AI and ML services, and access to OpenAI models on Azure — participants receive free access to GitHub Enterprise, Microsoft Power Platform, Microsoft 365 applications, and Visual Studio Enterprise. The program also includes go-to-market support through Microsoft's global enterprise customer network, marketplace placement, co-sell programs, and access to one-on-one technical advisors.

Eligibility is open to for-profit startups of any geography that are building a technology product on Microsoft Azure; nonprofits, universities, and research organizations are not eligible. The program targets pre-seed through Series B stage companies. Applications are self-service with no fixed deadline — there is no pitch event, selection committee, or cohort cycle. Higher credit tiers are unlocked through investor referral codes. The $150,000 ceiling is an in-kind credits maximum, not a cash award; credits cannot be converted to cash and are usable only for Microsoft Azure and associated software tools.

Founders best served by this program are those who are building cloud-native applications with meaningful Azure infrastructure requirements and who anticipate spending several hundred thousand dollars on cloud compute over the next 12–18 months. The co-sell access and marketplace placement components are particularly valuable for startups that sell to enterprise customers, as inclusion in the Microsoft commercial marketplace can accelerate procurement through existing enterprise Azure spending commitments.