Microsoft for Startups
Approved startups can unlock up to $150,000 in Azure credits over time, usable on Azure OpenAI and 1,700+ Foundry models, plus OpenAI API credits.
- Free credit
- $150,000
- Card required
- Yes
Microsoft for Startups scores 10/10 for free value in LLM. The main constraint: Up to $150,000 in Azure Startup credits unlocked over time (starting smaller, e.g. ~$1k–$25k), usable on Azure OpenAI; reported ~$2,500 OpenAI API credit benefit included.
Free value score
10.0 / 10Show the math
Key metrics
Models
40 free · 180+ totalLimits may be stale — last re-verified outside this section's freshness window.
| Model | Family | AA | Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Opus 4.8 | Claude | 55.7 | free |
| GPT-5.5 | GPT | 54.8 | free |
| GPT-5.4 | GPT | 51.4 | free |
| DeepSeek-V4-Pro | DeepSeek | 44.3 | free |
| GPT-5.3-codex | GPT | 44.3 | free |
| GPT-5.2 | GPT | 42.2 | free |
| DeepSeek-V4-Flash | DeepSeek | 40.3 | free |
| GPT-5.4 mini | GPT | 40 | free |
| GPT-5.1 | GPT | 38.9 | free |
| GPT-5.4 nano | GPT | 38.2 | free |
| Claude Sonnet 4.6 | Claude | 35.9 | free |
| Claude Opus 4.5 | Claude | 34.7 | free |
| GPT-5.1-codex-max | GPT | 34.7 | free |
| Grok 4 | Grok | 33.3 | free |
| o3-pro | GPT | 32.5 | free |
| o3 | GPT | 30.4 | free |
| DeepSeek-V3.2 | DeepSeek | 24.7 | free |
| gpt-oss-120b | GPT | 23.8 | free |
| grok-code-fast-1 | Grok | 21.6 | free |
| GPT-4.1 | GPT | 19.4 | free |
| GPT-4.1 mini | GPT | 16.3 | free |
| Mistral Large 3 | Mistral | 16.2 | free |
| gpt-oss-20b | GPT | 14.9 | free |
| Llama 4 Maverick 17B 128E FP8 | Llama | 14.3 | free |
| GPT-4o | GPT | 11.2 | free |
| Llama 4 Scout 17B 16E Instruct | Llama | 10 | free |
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | Claude | — | free |
| Codestral-2501 | Mistral | — | free |
| GPT-5 | GPT | — | free |
| GPT-5 mini | GPT | — | free |
| GPT-5 nano | GPT | — | free |
| GPT-5-codex | GPT | — | free |
| GPT-5-pro | GPT | — | free |
| GPT-5.4 pro | GPT | — | free |
| gpt-image-2 | GPT | — | free |
| grok-4-1-fast-reasoning | Grok | — | free |
| Llama 3.3 70B Instruct | Llama | — | free |
| mistral-medium-2505 | Mistral | — | free |
| o3-deep-research | GPT | — | free |
| o4-mini | GPT | — | free |
Showing first 40 of a larger catalog.
What you get
Official overview: 'Unlock up to $150K in Startup credits over time'
Apply directly via website; reviewed within ~3 business days
Credits cover Azure OpenAI and Microsoft Foundry models
No VC referral required to begin (referral unlocks higher tiers)
Gotchas
- Up to $150K in Azure Startup credits (lifetime pool)
Credits are a finite pool unlocked incrementally over time; they do not renew once consumed.
- Pre-Series C startups only
Company must be privately held, for-profit, software-based, not past Series C, not an educational/government/consultancy entity, and not engaged in crypto mining.
- Lifetime Azure credit cap bars re-entry
Startups that have already received more than $350,000 in lifetime free Azure credits are ineligible.
- Application review required (~3 business days)
Every startup must apply at startups.microsoft.com and wait for an email decision; access is not instant.
- Region-restricted (Azure-available countries only)
Company must be headquartered in a country where Azure services are available.
- Azure account required (credit card on file)
An Azure account with a valid payment method must be set up to activate and use the Startup credits.
- Credits unlock incrementally, not upfront
The full $150K is unlocked gradually as the startup demonstrates verified usage/progress; initial allocation is significantly smaller (~$1k–$25k).
- Program benefits tied to startup lifecycle stage
Benefits are not indefinitely available — they are tied to the startup's growth stage and eligibility status; raising Series C ends program eligibility.
Sources
-
"Unlock up to $150K in Startup credits over time as your startup demonstrates verified progress, service adoption, and sustained Azure usage. Eligible Investor Network-backed startups may unlock additional Startup credits and expanded support."
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/startups/microsoft-for-startups/overview -
"Whether you applied with or without an investor code, you will complete a 3-step Azure account creation process to receive your $1,000 in starter credits. ... Payment information (credit card is required for Azure account setup.)"
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/startups/microsoft-for-startups/application -
"We'd like to inform you that OpenAI benefits are no longer available through the Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub program for most participants. ... At this time, only startups that have reached Level 4 within the Founders Hub are eligible for OpenAI benefits, which include $5,000 in OpenAI credits."
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/2280673/unable-to-get-2500-openai-credits-advertised-on-mi -
"By default, sponsored Azure subscriptions use the AIServices S0 pricing tier, which includes predefined token rate limits suitable for evaluation purposes. While it's possible to request a higher quota under a sponsored subscription, approval is not guaranteed and is subject to Microsoft's review."
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-gb/answers/questions/2283591/regarding-azure-openai-api-rate-limiting-on-sponso -
"GPT-5.1 (high) scores 39 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, placing it well above average among comparable models (averaging 29)."
https://artificialanalysis.ai/models/gpt-5-1
Alternatives
Same category · similar quota
Selected early-stage startups receive Anthropic (Claude) API credits, priority rate limits, and resources, awarded on a rolling basis.
VC-backed AI startups can get up to $350,000 in Google Cloud credits over 2 years, covering Gemini and Gemma models in Vertex AI.