Updated 2026-09-18. Microsoft confirms a direct no-code route, but its current official pages conflict: one says USD 200 in starter credits and another says USD 1,000. The correct direct amount is Unknown.

Pre-funded startups: price the credit boundary before you build around it

Status	Opportunity	Who can apply	Benefit	Catch	Official source
Application shown; award amount not published	DigitalOcean Startups	DigitalOcean prioritises AI-native startups. New applicants must have raised USD 10 million or less, have a company website and matching company email, and create a registered DigitalOcean team account with a business email. A founder without a VC, incubator, or accelerator may apply by selecting “Other.”	12 months of DigitalOcean credits; the issuer says the amount varies.	Service businesses are ineligible. DigitalOcean does not publish a fixed direct-applicant award, country coverage, or review time. Standard credits exclude several GPU products and third-party AI models hosted outside DigitalOcean infrastructure; do not plan a workload around an unknown award.	Official source
Application shown; amount not published	MongoDB for Startups	Startup under 7 years old, Series A or earlier, building one scalable software product or service, new to the programme, with an active company website and LinkedIn profile.	Baseline MongoDB Atlas credits and Voyage AI tokens. MongoDB does not publish the base-tier credit amount.	No application deadline published. Accepted startups have 12 months to activate a promo code and 12 months after activation to use Atlas credits. You can apply directly without a VC, accelerator, or incubator. Development shops and agencies are excluded. Country coverage and tier assignment are not published.	Official source
Application shown; timing published	AWS Activate Founders	Self-funded, pre-Series B, founded within 10 years, on an AWS Paid Tier Plan, new to Activate or seeking more credits, with a fully functioning company website.	Starts at USD 1,000. Selected participants may receive up to USD 5,000.	AWS says it will respond in 5–10 business days. That is an application decision window, not credit validity. USD 5,000 is not automatic; the reviewed pages do not publish a credit-validity period.	Official source
Sign-up route shown	Azure for Startups	New Azure customer. The reviewed comparison does not publish country coverage or detailed business-verification criteria.	USD 1,000 instantly; up to USD 5,000 total after business verification.	The USD 1,000 runs for 90 days; post-verification credit runs for 180 days. A card is required for identity verification and services beyond credit. Pay-as-you-go follows expiry or use.	Official source
Application shown	Google for Startups Start	Digital-native technology startup with a working MVP, clear business model, plan to seek venture funding, founded within the last 24 months, and no Google Cloud credits beyond the free trial.	USD 2,000 in Google Cloud credits, valid for 12 months.	Google decides acceptance. Have an 18-character billing account ID and a business email matching the public website domain. Third-party models are billed directly.	Official source
Direct route shown; amount conflicts	Microsoft for Startups	Eligible privately held, for-profit software startup in a supported Azure country; no more than USD 350,000 in lifetime free Azure credits; no Series C or later. Continue without an investor code if you do not have one.	Unknown direct starter balance. Microsoft’s application guide says USD 200; its activation guide says USD 1,000. The overview says eligible startups may unlock up to USD 150,000 over time.	Do not build a budget from either starter number. A personal consumer Microsoft account, country or region, and payment information are required. Microsoft says review is typically within 3 business days and sponsorship converts to pay-as-you-go after credit use or expiry.	Official source: application · activation
Application shown; written terms conflict	Cloudflare for Startups Tier 3	The tier says bootstrapped or self-funded and under USD 1 million raised. The same page’s all-applicant list also says “funded within the last 12 months.”	USD 10,000 for one year or until consumed.	Do not assume an entirely self-funded company qualifies until Cloudflare explains the recent-funding line. A payment method is required. Workers AI is capped at USD 2,500 and R2 at USD 10,000; AI Gateway and named services are excluded. Overages and post-expiry use can be billed. Review is estimated at up to 48 hours, not guaranteed.	Official source

A direct application can still have an unknown award

DigitalOcean lets an unbacked founder submit, but it does not publish a fixed award. MongoDB has the same decision shape: a direct route with a benefit whose base amount is not public. Apply only if the product works without the hoped-for balance.

Coverage and billing are separate questions

For Cloudflare, ask how the recent-funding rule applies, which products are covered at your tier, what the cap is, and when a payment method is charged. For DigitalOcean, standard credits exclude GPU products and third-party AI models outside DigitalOcean infrastructure. A credit headline is not a service contract. Microsoft’s USD 200 and USD 1,000 direct-starter conflict is the same kind of warning: the account display, coverage, and billing setting decide what can safely be planned.

Application packet

Keep one folder with registration details, public site, product summary, funding statement, cloud-account identifiers, previous credits, and expected spend inside each credit window. For AWS Activate, verify that the site is publicly functional before you submit.