DigitalOcean Hatch
DigitalOcean's 12-month startup program granting up to $100K in cloud and GPU credits for AI-native early-stage startups.
- Free credit
- $100,000
- Credit window
- 365 days
- Card required
- Yes
DigitalOcean Hatch scores 6.3/10 for free value in Apps. The main constraint: Up to $100,000 in DigitalOcean credits over 12 months (capped at $10,000/month), plus up to 3 months of free GPU usage and 15 months of free Standard-tier support, for approved AI-native startups.
Free value score
6.3 / 10Show the math
Key metrics
What you get
Up to $100,000 in DigitalOcean compute credits over 12 months, capped at $10,000/month
Up to 3 months of free GPU usage plus $1.90/GPU/hour on-demand GPU Droplets for 12 months for qualified startups
15 months of free Standard-tier paid support (a $99/month value)
Expert one-on-ones with DigitalOcean PMs and engineers, plus access to the startup community and Marketplace exposure
Gotchas
- Up to $100K total credits
Total program benefit is capped at roughly $100,000 in DigitalOcean credits over the 12-month term; award amount varies by partner and approval tier.
- $10K/month spend cap
Participants are generally limited to a $10,000 monthly credit limit; any usage exceeding this in a given month is billed to the account's payment method.
- 12-month credit term
DigitalOcean credits are valid for a 12-month program term; unused credits are forfeited at the end and no extensions are granted.
- 3 months free GPU
Free GPU usage is limited to up to 3 months and is a separate benefit available only to select startups after a GPU-specific application review.
- 15 months free support
Free Standard-tier paid support ($99/month value) is provided for 15 months, after which support reverts to paid.
- AI-native startups only
Prioritizes AI-native startups that have raised $10M or less; service-based businesses (consulting, dev shops, marketing agencies) are explicitly ineligible.
- Application and approval required
Membership is granted only via application, typically through an approved accelerator/incubator/VC partner; credits and award level are set by the partner program manager.
- New startups only
Only available to startups that have not previously used DigitalOcean credits.
- Valid credit card required
Applicants must create a new DigitalOcean team account with a corporate email and a valid credit card on file before applying.
- Core credits exclude GPU and third-party AI
Core credits cannot be applied to GPU Droplets, NVIDIA H100 GPU Kubernetes, bare metal GPUs, dedicated/serverless inference, third-party AI models (e.g. Anthropic, OpenAI), Paperspace, or Cloudways; these are billed separately.
- No crypto mining or abusive use
Credits may not be used for cryptocurrency mining or for services that consume excessive network, CPU, or disk IO; violations can end program participation.
Sources
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"Participants generally are entitled to a $10,000 monthly limit (and charges apply for any use in a month exceeding this amount)."
https://www.digitalocean.com/startups -
"As of May 13, 2026, you may use your credits on any DigitalOcean services, except as to the following: 1. GPU Droplets 2. NVIDIA H100 GPU Kubernetes 3. Bare Metal GPUs 4. Dedicated Inference 5. Serverless Inference, Third-party AI models hosted outside of DigitalOcean Infrastructure (including ... Anthropic and OpenAI) ..."
https://www.digitalocean.com/startups -
"Brand new in 2025, the Hatch program offers an exclusive benefits package to new members, including: Up to $100,000 in Compute Credits ..."
https://investors.digitalocean.com/news/news-details/2025/DigitalOcean-Announces-New-Benefits-for-Hatch-Startup-Program/default.aspx -
"Get the cloud infrastructure you need with DigitalOcean credits (amount varies) to focus on building, not billing."
https://www.digitalocean.com/startups
