How to apply for AWS Activate

What you need before you start

Gather these before you open the form. Having everything ready makes it easier to answer the questions accurately in one sitting.

• A professional email address on your company's domain, which you will use to create or sign in to an AWS Builder ID.
• An AWS account on a Paid Tier plan that you want the credits applied to, or the willingness to create one during the application.
• A clear one or two sentence description of your product and who it is for.
• Your funding stage (self-funded, pre-seed, seed, Series A and so on) and your founding date. AWS says the company should be pre-Series B and founded within the last 10 years.
• For the Portfolio tier only: an Org ID from an Activate Provider, such as your accelerator, angel group or VC firm.
• A public website or landing page for the company, so the reviewer can see the product is real.

Pick the right tier

AWS currently describes three paths. Activate Founders is for self-funded or bootstrapped startups and is advertised at up to $5,000 in credits, starting at $1,000, with more for select participants. Activate Portfolio is for startups backed by an Activate Provider and is advertised at up to $200,000. A separate AI track for startups beyond Portfolio is invitation only.

Apply for Portfolio only if your investor or accelerator is a listed Activate Provider and can give you an Org ID. If you are not sure, ask them before you apply. If they cannot provide one, Founders is the correct choice.

AWS also says you must be new to Activate credits, or requesting more than you received before. If you already had Activate credits, check what you received so your request is consistent.

Submit the application

1. Go to the AWS Activate credits page on the AWS Startups site and choose to apply.
2. Create an AWS Builder ID with your professional email, or sign in if you already have one. Verify the email address when prompted.
3. Complete your Builder ID profile with your name and role at the company.
4. Choose your tier: Founders if you are self-funded, Portfolio if you have an Org ID from an Activate Provider.
5. If you chose Portfolio, enter the Org ID exactly as your provider gave it to you.
6. Answer the questions about your product, funding stage and company profile. Keep answers specific and consistent with your website.
7. Create a new AWS account or link an existing one to your Builder ID. Make sure it is the account where you actually run your workloads.
8. Review everything, then submit the application.

After you submit

AWS says you should hear back within 5 to 10 business days. Watch the email address tied to your Builder ID, including spam folders.

If you are approved, the credit is added to the AWS account you linked. AWS promotional credits are listed on the Credits page of the Billing and Cost Management console, where you can see the amount remaining, the expiration date and which services the credit applies to.

1. Sign in to the AWS account you linked to the application.
2. Open the Billing and Cost Management console.
3. Choose Credits in the navigation pane.
4. Check the Amount remaining, Expiration date and Applicable products for the new credit.
5. Write the expiration date in your credit tracking sheet or calendar.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Linking a personal or test account instead of the account your product runs in. Credits stay with the account they were applied to.
• Using a free webmail address when you have a company domain. A matching domain makes the company easier to verify.
• Choosing Portfolio without an Org ID, or entering an Org ID with a typo.
• Describing the product vaguely. The reviewer needs to understand what you are building and why it uses AWS.
• Assuming credits cover everything. AWS lists excluded items, such as AWS Marketplace purchases and some upfront fees, in its promotional credit terms.

Set up a budget alert in AWS Budgets before you start spending. Credits apply automatically, so a budget is the easiest way to notice when usage outpaces what you were given.