AI & MLCredits

Claude for Startups (Anthropic Startup Program)

Anthropic's program for startups building on Claude. Members get offers from AI-native companies (the Claude Startup Stack), Applied AI group sessions and events; the current cohort is full and Anthropic is not accepting new applications right now.

AnthropicUpdated monthly · checked 11 d ago

Claude for Startups (Anthropic Startup Program) is an AI and ML perk from Anthropic worth up to $45,000. Applications paused.

Applications paused

The provider is not accepting new applications at the latest check. Advertised benefits are shown for reference and are excluded from matched stacks.

Source: The provider's official program page (claude.com/programs/startups) · as of Nov 4, 2026

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Value
Up to $45,000
Application status
Applications paused
Benefit type
Credits

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What you get

Inside Claude for Startups (Anthropic Startup Program)

  • Claude Startups members get discounts and credits worth up to $45,000 from AI-native companies building on Claude (the Claude Startup Stack, redeemed with codes in the Claude Console), live group sessions with Anthropic's Applied AI team every other week, and invites to Claude Startup events, hackathons and meetups.
  • Anthropic says its current cohort is full and it is not accepting new applications right now: applications still in review were declined, and founders are asked to apply when applications open for the next cohort.
  • Startups backed by a VC in Anthropic's partner network may be eligible for up to $100K in additional API credits, claimed through the VC.
  • Claude Startups credits apply only to the first-party Claude API through the Claude Console, not on AWS, Google Cloud or Azure.
  • When Anthropic expanded the program on October 6, 2026, members were offered a free year of Claude Team and a one-time $1,000 API credit; the program page no longer lists them.

Source: The provider's official program page (claude.com/programs/startups) · as of Nov 4, 2026

Eligibility

Who it's for

Current cohort fullPartner-VC route for API credits
Funding / backing
Any startup
Startup stage
Idea, Pre-seed, Seed, Series A, Series B+
Geography
Global
Recurring / expiry
Credits apply only to the first-party Claude API through the Claude Console. Under Anthropic's Supplemental Credit Terms, promotional credits expire at the time indicated when issued, or one calendar year after issue if no time is given.
Other requirements
Anthropic's current cohort is full and it is not accepting new applications right now; it asks founders to apply when applications open for the next cohort. The up to $100K in additional API credits is claimed only through a VC in Anthropic's partner network.
While applications are closed

Other credits that pay for Claude

These belong to other companies and pay for Claude when you call it through their platforms.

  • AWS Activate FoundersUp to $5KAny startup

    Open to self-funded startups. AWS says “AWS Activate Credits can also be used for third-party models available on Amazon Bedrock”, whose models come from companies “including OpenAI, Mistral AI, Anthropic, and Meta”.

    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 PortfolioUp to $200KVC / accelerator-backed

    The larger AWS tier, reached through an accelerator, angel investor or venture firm that is an AWS Activate Provider. Its credits pay for Claude on Amazon Bedrock the same way.

    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...)

  • OpenRouter for StartupsUp to $3KReferral required

    Credits for any model OpenRouter serves, Claude Opus 5.5 among them, for pre-Series B startups an OpenRouter partner refers: “Eligible startups can receive up to $3,000 in universal inference credits”.

    Source: OpenRouter for Startups page (openrouter.ai/startups), OpenRouter: Anthropic models (openrouter.ai/anthropic)

Each value is the one its own program page shows today. The reasons were read on the linked pages on November 4, 2026.

Questions

Claude for Startups (Anthropic Startup Program): what founders ask

Each answer restates what Anthropic and the pages linked under it say, read on November 4, 2026; every quoted line was still on those pages on November 14, 2026.

Is Claude for Startups accepting applications?

No. Anthropic's page says “our current cohort is now full, so we're not accepting new applications right now”, and it gives no date for the next cohort. It asks founders to subscribe to the Claude Startup newsletter “to hear when applications open for the next cohort”.

Anthropic expanded the program on October 6, 2026 and added the notice on October 13. Applications still in review then were not taken further: “we weren't able to move forward with applications that were still in review, and we've emailed everyone affected”. Anthropic encourages those founders “to apply when applications open for the next one”.

Source: Claude Startups page (claude.com/programs/startups), Anthropic: expanding the Claude Startups program (claude.com/resources/articles/were-expanding-the-claude-startups-program-to-h...)

What do Claude for Startups members get?

Offers from other companies through the Claude Startup Stack, “discounts and credits worth up to $45,000 from companies building with Claude”, plus live group sessions with Anthropic's Applied AI team every other week and invites to Claude Startup events, hackathons and meetups.

The $45,000 is a ceiling, not a balance: Anthropic calls it “the combined maximum value of all Claude Startup Stack offers at partner list prices as of September 2026” and adds “Your company may not be able to receive or combine all offers”. The offers cover “sales, design, data, meetings, and engineering”, and members redeem each one with a code in the Claude Console.

Anthropic's announcement adds help with a Claude Marketplace listing: members “get hands-on help building theirs and submitting it for review”.

Source: Claude Startups page (claude.com/programs/startups), Anthropic: expanding the Claude Startups program (claude.com/resources/articles/were-expanding-the-claude-startups-program-to-h...)

How many Claude API credits does the program give?

Anthropic's page now states one amount: a startup backed by a VC in Anthropic's partner network “may be eligible to receive up to $100K in additional API credits, claimed through your VC”. The page names no partner funds, so ask your investor whether it is one.

When Anthropic expanded the program on October 6, 2026, members could get “up to $7,000 in Claude products and credits”: “A free year of Claude Team” with up to five Premium seats, and a one-time API credit of $1,000. Anthropic's footnote puts the Team year at $6,000 of that. The program page no longer lists either offer, so do not count on them for the next cohort.

Source: Claude Startups page (claude.com/programs/startups), Anthropic: expanding the Claude Startups program (claude.com/resources/articles/were-expanding-the-claude-startups-program-to-h...)

What are the requirements for Claude for Startups?

For the cohort that opened on October 6, 2026, Anthropic set one test: “Startups founded in the last five years or funded in the last two are eligible to apply”. The program page states no requirements for the next cohort, so this is the latest test Anthropic has published.

Source: Anthropic: expanding the Claude Startups program (claude.com/resources/articles/were-expanding-the-claude-startups-program-to-h...)

Where do members sign in and redeem offers?

Members sign in from the “Member sign in” link on the Claude Startups page. Session invitations arrive “by email and in the Claude Startups portal”, and each Startup Stack offer is redeemed with a code in the Claude Console.

Source: Claude Startups page (claude.com/programs/startups)

Can the credits be used for Claude on AWS Bedrock, Google Cloud or Azure?

No. “Claude Startups credits apply to the first-party Claude API through Claude Console. They can't be used on AWS, Google Cloud, Azure, or other third-party platforms.” A product that calls Claude on Amazon Bedrock needs AWS's own credits there (the routes below).

Source: Claude Startups page (claude.com/programs/startups)

Do Claude API credits pay for Claude Code?

Yes, when Claude Code is signed in with a Claude Console account: it then “consumes API tokens at standard API pricing”, and Anthropic's billing article says Console credits “cover API access, playground usage, and Claude Code”.

The monthly API credits that come with Max, Ultra and Team plans work differently: Anthropic says they do not apply to “Interactive Claude Code in the terminal, IDE, desktop, or web”.

Source: Claude Code product page (claude.com/product/claude-code), Claude Help Center: paying for Claude API usage (support.claude.com/en/articles/8977456-how-do-i-pay-for-my-claude-api-usage), Claude Help Center: monthly API credits for Max, Ultra and Team plans (support.claude.com/en/articles/17154008-monthly-api-credits-for-max-ultra-and...)

Can a large Claude credit be spent right away?

Only up to your organization's monthly spend cap: $500 on the Start tier, $1,000 on Build and $200,000 on Scale. At the cap “API usage pauses until 00:00 UTC on the first day of the next month” unless you request a higher limit, so check your tier in the Claude Console before a large credit arrives.

Source: Claude Docs: rate limits and spend limits (platform.claude.com/docs/en/api/rate-limits)

Do Claude startup credits expire?

Yes. Program credits fall under Anthropic's Supplemental Credit Terms, under which promotional credits “expire at the time indicated when issued (or otherwise one calendar year from when issued if no time is specified)”.

Credits you buy yourself expire too: Anthropic's billing article says purchased credits “expire one year from the purchase date”.

Source: Anthropic: expanding the Claude Startups program (claude.com/resources/articles/were-expanding-the-claude-startups-program-to-h...), Anthropic Supplemental Credit Terms (anthropic.com/legal/credit-terms), Claude Help Center: paying for Claude API usage (support.claude.com/en/articles/8977456-how-do-i-pay-for-my-claude-api-usage)

Also from Anthropic

Anthropic's other ways to get Claude credits

  • Monthly API credits on Claude Max, Ultra and Team plans

    Paid Max, Ultra and Team plans include monthly credits for the Claude Platform: $100 a month on Max and $200 on Ultra, $20 per Standard and $100 per Premium Team seat, with a team's credits “pooled into one monthly balance, capped at $500”. Unused credits “expire at the end of each billing cycle”.

    Source: Claude Help Center: monthly API credits for Max, Ultra and Team plans (support.claude.com/en/articles/17154008-monthly-api-credits-for-max-ultra-and...)

  • AI for Science

    For researchers at research institutions working on high-impact scientific projects: if an application succeeds, Anthropic will “apply up to $20,000 in API credits to your account for a 6-month period”.

    Source: Claude Help Center: AI for Science program (support.claude.com/en/articles/11199177-anthropic-s-ai-for-science-program)

  • Menlo Anthology Fund

    A venture fund created through “a partnership between Menlo Ventures and Anthropic”, not a credit program: startups it invests in receive “$30,000 in free Anthropic credits”.

    Source: Menlo Ventures: Anthology Fund (menlovc.com/menlo-anthology-fund)

Terms history

How Claude for Startups (Anthropic Startup Program)'s terms have changed

We have read Anthropic's page for it (claude.com/programs/startups) 5 times since August 19, 2026, most recently on November 4, 2026. The terms last changed on October 13, 2026.

  1. October 13, 2026 · Stopped taking applications

    Its page stated it was not taking applications. The read on August 19, 2026 found it open.

Every startup program change we found this quarter
Complete guideAnthropic Startup Program: Claude Credits Guide 2026Anthropic's Claude Startups cohort is full and new applications are closed for now. What members still get, the partner-VC route to up to $100K, and every other way to get Claude credits.
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