Every startup that is accepted into the Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub is assigned to one of four levels based on your company stage: Ideate, Develop, Grow, and Scale.
The level to which you are assigned is determined by where you are in your startup journey. As your company and Azure usage grow, you can submit requests for more benefits to achieve the next level and unlock up to $150,000 of Azure credits and additional benefits.
To submit a request for move benefits, log into your Founders Hub profile. On the Home Page, go to Request more Benefits. This will list the criteria for more benefits, and you will be able to select “Submit Request” once you have met these.
If your request is approved, you will receive additional Azure credits, and your Azure sponsorship end date will change to one year from the date of approval. You will also have that extended time to activate other benefits; however, receiving more time does not extend the duration of non-Azure benefits you have already activated.
Level 2 - $5000 total Azure credits (an additional 4k if leveling up) - Develop: You are jumping into the development of your minimum viable product
The level to which you are assigned is determined by where you are in your startup journey. As your company and Azure usage grow, you can submit requests for more benefits to achieve the next level and unlock up to $150,000 of Azure credits and additional benefits.
To submit a request for move benefits, log into your Founders Hub profile. On the Home Page, go to Request more Benefits. This will list the criteria for more benefits, and you will be able to select “Submit Request” once you have met these.
If your request is approved, you will receive additional Azure credits, and your Azure sponsorship end date will change to one year from the date of approval. You will also have that extended time to activate other benefits; however, receiving more time does not extend the duration of non-Azure benefits you have already activated.
Level 2 - $5000 total Azure credits (an additional 4k if leveling up) - Develop: You are jumping into the development of your minimum viable product
- Your startup’s incorporation status is verified
- Your Azure sponsorship is active
Level 3 - $25,000 total Azure credits (an additional 20k if leveling up) - Grow: You are gaining customer traction and market fit
- Your startup’s domain is verified
- You have provided a product demo video
- You have used 50% of your Azure credit balance
Level 4 - $150,000 total Azure credits (an additional 125k if leveling up) - Scale: You have found product market fit and are ready to focus on sales acceleration
- You have provided a list of institutional partners associated with your startup
- You have provided additional links that help to verify your funding, partner affiliation, or customers, including:
- Database profile with funding data (Pitchbook, Crunchbase, etc.)
- Published customer case study
- Information demonstrating involvement in an accelerator program
- Press release discussing customer volumes
- Data on app download volumes
- You have used 50% of your Azure credit balance
- You have added a team member
You can view the requirements relevant to your startup from the Home page in Founders Hub:
Level requirements are evaluated for completeness. If you believe your startup meets the requirements, please contact us contact us to provide additional information.