AWS Activate Portfolio

How much are AWS Activate Portfolio credits?

Up to $200,000 in Activate Credits for startups backed by an Activate Provider. What you get depends on your provider's offer: AWS's own example is a provider with $25K for pre-seed startups and $100K for seed-stage startups.

AWS's pages disagree on the ceiling. A 2024 AWS blog post says “Any startup can join AWS Activate and apply for up to $100,000 in AWS credits”, while the current credits page says up to $200,000. The blog carries AWS's own editor's note that it “may not reflect currently available offerings”, so the credits page is the current one.

If you later qualify for a bigger offer you get the difference: AWS's example is a startup that received $10,000 and now qualifies for $100,000 and gets another $90,000. Above the Activate tiers, AWS lists AWS Credits for AI Startups at $200,000+ as “Invite only for startups ready to scale post Activate Portfolio”, arranged by talking with your Account Manager.

Source: AWS Activate Credits page (aws.amazon.com/startups/credits), AWS: everything you need to know about AWS Activate Credits (aws.amazon.com/aws-startups/learn/everything-you-need-to-know-about-aws-activ...), AWS Startups blog: Activate credits for third-party models on Amazon Bedrock (aws.amazon.com/blogs/startups/aws-activate-credits-now-accepted-for-third-par...)

What is an AWS Activate Organization ID and is there a list of Activate Providers?

An Organization ID (Org ID) is the unique identifier each Activate Provider (a VC firm, accelerator, incubator or other startup-enabling organization) holds, and you get it from that provider, not from AWS. AWS says it is confidential and “not a promotional code”, and it names only examples of providers.

You enter the Org ID during the Portfolio application, and AWS says that if you are associated with a provider but lack it, “please reach out to your AWS Activate Provider to request it”. AWS describes an Org ID as a “unique, case-sensitive code”, and says it can only be used one time.

A provider can also email you an invitation link. AWS recommends this: applications through an email invite are “approved within 3-5 days compared to 7-10 days for applications using Org ID”. You must apply with the same email address the invite went to, and “Email invitations expire after 30 days”.

Is there a list of providers? AWS's credits page says Andreessen Horowitz, Brex, Carta, Greylock Partners, Sequoia and Y Combinator are “just a few examples”, and its Providers page features four by name (NVIDIA, Carta, Y Combinator and Andreessen Horowitz) with no complete list on it. The pages also disagree on size: the credits page says “Thousands” of firms are Activate Providers, while the Providers page says AWS collaborates with “hundreds”. To find out whether your investor or accelerator is one, ask them.

Source: AWS Startups FAQ (startups.aws.com/faq), AWS: applying for AWS Activate Credits, a step-by-step guide (aws.amazon.com/aws-startups/learn/applying-for-aws-activate-credits-a-step-by...), AWS Activate Credits page (aws.amazon.com/startups/credits), AWS Activate Providers page (startups.aws.com/providers)

Who qualifies for AWS Activate Portfolio, and how do I apply?

Startups affiliated with an Activate Provider that hold its Org ID, are pre-Series B and founded in the past 10 years, have a fully functioning website and have no earlier Activate Credits of equal or greater value. Apply from AWS's credits page with an AWS Builder ID and your provider's Org ID.

The steps match Founders: create an AWS Builder ID, complete your Activate profile with a business email matching your startup's domain, choose Portfolio, enter the Org ID, link an AWS account and submit. AWS says “You must apply within 12 months of your most recent funding date to remain eligible”, and that free account plans are not eligible.

On timing, AWS's credits page says you will hear back within 5 to 10 business days, while its step-by-step guide says “Application processing usually takes 7-10 business days”. You sign in with your Builder ID at the top of the AWS Startups site.

Source: AWS: everything you need to know about AWS Activate Credits (aws.amazon.com/aws-startups/learn/everything-you-need-to-know-about-aws-activ...), AWS: applying for AWS Activate Credits, a step-by-step guide (aws.amazon.com/aws-startups/learn/applying-for-aws-activate-credits-a-step-by...), AWS Activate Credits page (aws.amazon.com/startups/credits), AWS Startups FAQ (startups.aws.com/faq)

Do AWS Activate Portfolio credits expire?

Yes. AWS says “Credits usually expire within 1-2 years depending on the package”, and the exact expiry date shows with your balance in the AWS Billing and Cost Management Console. AWS's pages do not give a separate validity period for Portfolio.

AWS's advice is to apply when you are ready to ramp up AWS usage, so you “maximize credit value before expiration”. Portfolio has a second clock: you must apply within 12 months of your most recent funding date.

The Activate team is “unable to extend the expiration date of AWS Activate Credits”, and AWS's terms say “No refunds will be granted for any expired or cancelled Promotional Credit”. AWS emails you 60 days and 30 days before expiry.

Source: AWS: everything you need to know about AWS Activate Credits (aws.amazon.com/aws-startups/learn/everything-you-need-to-know-about-aws-activ...), AWS: applying for AWS Activate Credits, a step-by-step guide (aws.amazon.com/aws-startups/learn/applying-for-aws-activate-credits-a-step-by...), AWS Startups FAQ (startups.aws.com/faq), AWS Promotional Credit Terms and Conditions (aws.amazon.com/awscredits)

Can AWS Activate Portfolio credits pay for Amazon Bedrock models?

Yes, for third-party models. AWS says Activate Credits “can also be used for third-party models available on Amazon Bedrock”, and its Activate terms say the same of Activate Credits generally.

The terms say credits may offset AWS Marketplace charges “incurred for the use of third-party foundation models available on Amazon Bedrock”, and that AWS Marketplace is an Eligible Service “solely when incurring Bedrock 3P Model Spend”. AWS's guide names OpenAI, Mistral AI, Anthropic and Meta among the makers, and says credits apply automatically: you cannot choose which services they go toward.

Source: AWS: everything you need to know about AWS Activate Credits (aws.amazon.com/aws-startups/learn/everything-you-need-to-know-about-aws-activ...), AWS Activate Terms and Conditions (aws.amazon.com/activate/terms)

Why was my AWS Activate Portfolio application rejected?

AWS says the most common reason is that the application did not meet its criteria, and its FAQ lists ten examples, including “Org ID was not valid” and applying for a provider offer you already received. If AWS could not confirm your link to the provider, ask the provider to answer AWS's verification email.

AWS says a provider's approval is not enough: “startups must qualify for AWS Activate Credits based on specific eligibility criteria”, such as startup age, funding status and previous credit usage. If your application was declined because AWS could not confirm your association with your provider, AWS says to ask the provider to verify it by responding to the Activate verification email, or to reach out to their AWS representative. AWS also says it may accept or reject any application “in our sole discretion”.

Source: AWS Startups FAQ (startups.aws.com/faq), AWS Activate Terms and Conditions (aws.amazon.com/activate/terms)