Routes open in United States
| Route | Max credits | Who qualifies | How to apply |
|---|---|---|---|
| AWS Activate Founders | $1,000 | Self-funded, no institutional funding, live website | Apply online in the Activate console |
| Activate via a Provider | Up to $100,000 | Backed by an accelerator, VC or incubator in the Activate network | Get an organization ID from your provider |
| Local accelerator or VC | Varies | Accepted into a local program | Apply to the program; credits follow |
| Our partner match | Same as AWS | Any stage; we suggest the best route | Use the credit check on this page |
Amounts are the maximums AWS advertises; approval is never guaranteed. Source: AWS Activate terms
Who qualifies from United States
- Your company is usually under 10 years old and hasn't had Activate credits before.
- You have a live company website, and you sign up with an email on that domain.
- For the $100,000 tier, you're backed by an Activate Provider and haven't raised a Series B yet.
- Company in United States: apply with it directly. Company abroad (for example a US Delaware company): apply with whichever entity owns the AWS account. No company yet: start with Founders once your website is live.
Region, latency and data rules
- Data protection law
- No federal law; CCPA/CPRA + state laws
- Must data stay in-country?
- No general rule; some government and health work has its own requirements
- Regulator
- Check with the local data protection authority
What your credits buy here
A typical early-stage stack (a few small servers, a managed database, storage and traffic) costs about $600/month in us-east-1.
$1,000
1.7
months
$5,000
8.3
months
$25,000
42
months
$100,000
99
months
Estimates. Credits usually expire after 12 to 24 months, so large amounts rarely last their full length.
Startups like you
Startups from United States named in AWS program cohorts:
AWS Generative AI Accelerator 2025 · up to $1M
Chai Discovery, Eloquent AI, Exaforce, Hedra, Inception Labs, Invisible Universe, LlamaIndex, Manifold Bio, NeuBird, Nexxa.ai, Pathway, Ravenna, Reevo.ai, Runloop AI, Wondera AI
AWS Generative AI Accelerator 2024 · up to $1M
Alma, Archetype AI, Argo Labs, AudioShake, Bedrock Robotics, Capitol.ai, Cartesia, Cerbrec, Cinder, Culminate, Enkrypt AI, Jam & Tea Studios, Leash Bio, Noetik, Normalyze, RealAvatar, Reality Defender, Symbolica AI, TypeSafe AI, Wispr Flow
Amounts are the program's maximum, not what each company received.
Local accelerators
Accelerators, incubators and startup programs in United States worth asking about AWS credits.
Y Combinator
San Francisco · Accelerator
Up to $100,000
Techstars
Boulder and other cities · Accelerator
Up to $100,000
500 Global
San Francisco · VC
Up to $100,000
Plug and Play
Sunnyvale · Accelerator
Up to $25,000
MassChallenge
Boston · Non-profit accelerator
Ask the provider
Alchemist Accelerator
San Francisco · B2B accelerator
Ask the provider
Startup hubs: San Francisco, New York, Austin, Boston
Check with each program that it's a current Activate Provider before you rely on it.
Notable local investors and funds
Investors, accelerators and government funds active in United States. If one backs you, ask whether they can give you an Activate Provider code.
Grants, non-dilutive funding and R&D tax credits
Money you can stack on top of AWS credits in United States.
- Grant
SBIR/STTR
Non-dilutive federal R&D contracts and grants (NSF, NIH, DoD, DOE and others). The program lapsed on 30 Sep 2025 and was reauthorized through 30 Sep 2031 on 13 Apr 2026 (P.L. 119-83) [1] [2].
- Tax incentive
R&D tax credit (IRC s.41)
Qualified small businesses can apply up to $500k a year against payroll tax through Form 6765/8974. Cloud computing used in qualified research can count as a QRE [3].
- Program
Section 174A (OBBBA, 2025)
Domestic R&E can again be expensed immediately. Small businesses (receipts up to about $31M) could elect retroactive relief for 2022–2024 by about 6 Jul 2026 [4].
- Equity
QSBS (s.1202)
Capital-gains exclusion for founders and investors in C-corps [5]. Many states add their own R&D credits and grants.
Setting up a local company
- Common startup entity
- Delaware C-corporation (VC standard) or LLC
- Minimum share capital
- Paid-in minimum capital required for a domestic LLC: No; for a foreign-owned LLC: No (World Bank B-READY 2025)
- Time and cost to register
- Domestic LLC: 12 days, USD 400; foreign-owned LLC: 50 days, USD 1,380 (B-READY 2025, expert median)
- Online registration
- Fully electronic registration: Yes (B-READY 2025)
Capital and registration figures are from the World Bank (Doing Business 2020 / B-READY 2025). Check the registry for current rules.
What's different in United States
- Billing entity
- Amazon Web Services, Inc.
- Currency
- USD
- Tax AWS adds
- State sales tax in some states. Not covered by credits.
- Payments and verification
- US cards and bank accounts work without trouble. Sales tax depends on your state.
Credits don't cover taxes. Source: AWS Promotional Credit terms
Paying the AWS bill from United States
- Use a card that allows international recurring payments, or a multi-currency business card.
- Enter your VAT or tax number in the AWS console so tax is handled correctly.
- Credits don't cover tax, so a small cash charge can appear even while credits last.
Startup scene
829
unicorns
Anthropic ($965B), OpenAI ($840B), Databricks ($190B), Stripe ($159B), VAST Data ($80B)
Startup sectors
Main economic sectors
Unicorn data: CB Insights, as of 2 October 2026. Sectors: CIA World Factbook.
Startup visa
International Entrepreneur Parole (not a visa)
Key requirements: US startup formed within 5 years; at least $311,071 from qualified US investors or $124,429 in government grants; parole up to 2.5 years (+2.5)
AWS events and community in United States
Sources for United States (19)
- 1. https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/IN12705
- 2. https://www.sbir.gov/
- 3. https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-prior/i6765--2024.pdf
- 4. https://computelaw.blog/tax/how-ai-companies-deduct-cost-training-compute/
- 5. https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/26/1202
- 6. https://docs.aws.amazon.com/global-infrastructure/latest/regions/aws-regions.html
- 7. https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/global-infrastructure/localzones/locations/
- 8. https://aws.amazon.com/legal/aws-contracting-party/
- 9. https://repost.aws/knowledge-center/accepted-payment-methods
- 10. https://aws.amazon.com/tax-help/united-states/
- 11. https://docs.aws.amazon.com/awsaccountbilling/latest/aboutv2/manage-account-payment.html
- 12. https://aws.amazon.com/awscredits/
- 13. https://cppa.ca.gov/
- 14. https://iapp.org/resources/article/us-state-privacy-legislation-tracker/
- 15. https://aws.amazon.com/events/reinvent/
- 16. https://aws.amazon.com/events/summits/new-york/agenda/
- 17. https://aws.amazon.com/events/summits/washington-dc/
- 18. https://aws.amazon.com/startups/lp/aws-gen-ai-loft-san-francisco?lang=en-US
- 19. https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/aws/in-the-works-aws-builder-lofts-in-berlin-hyderabad-and-sao-paulo/
Research current as of 2 October 2026. Not legal or tax advice.
Questions
Is AWS Activate available in United States?
Yes. AWS takes sign-ups from United States, and the AWS Activate terms don't exclude it.
How much in AWS credits can a startup in United States get?
Self-funded teams usually start with $1,000 from Activate Founders. Teams backed by an Activate Provider can get up to $200,000.
Do I need a company registered in United States?
No. You can apply with a United States company, a company registered abroad (for example a US Delaware company), or as an early team with a live website. Use the entity that owns the AWS account.
Do AWS credits cover VAT/GST in United States?
No. Credits don't cover taxes, so any VAT/GST is charged to your card.
What's the closest AWS region to United States?
us-east-1 in N. Virginia, inside the country. Typical latency is under 20 ms from the main cities.
Can I apply without an accelerator or VC?
Yes. Activate Founders is open to self-funded startups. A partner can also point you to other routes.
Will using a partner change how much I get?
No. The credits come from AWS on the same terms. A partner just helps you find the right route and prepare the application.
Find your best route from United States
Answer four questions and we'll match you with a partner who knows United States. Free, and the credits are the same as going direct.
Cloud Credits is independent and not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Amazon Web Services. AWS and AWS Activate are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Data last checked 2 October 2026; check AWS for current terms.