Did you know that startups are eligible to receive up to $100,000 in credits from Amazon Web Services (AWS) throughout the startup lifecycle? Does it sound too good to be true? It’s not!

Credits can be used to grow your business by giving you access to the usage of cloud services free of charge. These credits are basically a coupon-code-like mechanism that AWS provides.

Some startups may find the process of getting AWS credits complicated and hard. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be! Cloudvisor has helped startups secure more than $7 million in AWS credits, and this article tells you exactly how you can secure credits for your startup.

Why Is It Important to Consider AWS Credits?

Startups can make use of AWS services with no initial cost. This can mean that the first invoice from AWS arrives months or even years after you start using the service!

AWS understands that startups need technology resources for the business to take off and scale. That is why AWS proposes to lend a hand to startups at the beginning when capital is scarce, with an expectation to receive a return as the startup grows. 

How Do AWS Credits Work?

As mentioned, AWS credits work like a coupon that startups can use to save on their AWS bills. The credits are free and can be applied to cover various Amazon Web Services usage bills. The credits are applied to your account until they are exhausted or expire.

Your AWS credits can only be used to offset current bills, meaning that you can only use your AWS credits for the same billing period that you obtained your credits. You cannot use the credits to cover any bills from previous months, i.e., you can’t use AWS credits received in December to cover any bills from September or October.

It’s also important to know that credits are provided in chunks, and the sum you are eligible to receive can only be higher than the previous chunk received. In other words, if you get $25,000 in credits from a venture capital firm, you cannot apply for $1,000 in credits afterward. The only way is up until you reach the maximum amount of $100,000.

How to Receive AWS Credits?

As always, it’s best to take the time to do a bit of homework on the options available to you if you are looking at how to receive free credits. AWS Activate is perhaps the most widely known way of getting AWS credits for startups. The program has 2 tiers:

• Activate Founders provides self-funded and bootstrapped startups with $1,000 in AWS credits, $350 in Developer support credits, and more. To be awarded credits, you have to be new to AWS Activate Founders with no previous history of receiving credits, have an active AWS account, a company website, and your startup must be less than 10 years of age.
• AWS Activate Portfolio provides startups associated with a venture capital firm, accelerator, incubator, or other startup-enabling organization with up to $100,000 in AWS credits, up to $10,000 in AWS Business support credits, etc. To be awarded credits, the startup can be funded or unfunded (up to and including Pre-Seed, Angel, Seed, Debt Financing, and Series A), must not have exceeded $100,000 in awarded or redeemed AWS credits from AWS Activate, have an active AWS account, company website and LinkedIn page, and the startup must be less than 10 years of age.

In addition to credits, AWS offers technical support and training programs to qualifying startups. The main purpose of AWS Activate is to help startups establish a solid infrastructure on AWS.

How to Get Started With AWS Activate?

Whether you want to apply for your first chunk of AWS credits or increase the amount you’ve already received, it’s always good to ask for help from an AWS partner. 

Navigating the intricacies of AWS Activate can be quite overwhelming; that’s why it’s always beneficial to cooperate with an AWS partner like Cloudvisor, an official Scout for AWS Activate.

An AWS partner can guide you through the journey, explain the program’s ins and outs, and make sure you get the maximum amount of credits. 

Let Cloudvisor help you grow your startup the way you always dreamed of – get in touch today!