Microsoft Founders Hub for Startups is a program offered by Microsoft that provides eligible startups with tools and resources to help them overcome the challenges startups face. The program is available to all founders at any stage to reach their next milestone through personalized technical tools and business resources. 

One of the key benefits of the program is that it provides eligible startups with Azure cloud credits. As your startup grows, the number of free Azure credits you receive grows with you, so you can save money and develop at your own pace. The program is open to all founders at any stage and does not require startups to be “investor-backed” to sign up and access benefits.  

Additionally, Founders Hub provides mentorship resources, development and access to productivity tools & technical tools including Open AI credits. 

AWS Activate provides the resources you need to quickly get started on AWS and grow business. With AWS credits, personalized guidance, training and more, AWS Activate supports you on your journey. Whether you’re just getting started or scaling your startup, Activate takes your startup further. As a University of Toronto startup, you have access to $5,000 in AWS credits valid for 2 years.  

If you do not have an existing AWS Account, please create one here using your company email address. When applying for credits, be sure to use the same email address as the one used when you created the account you would like the credits applied to. Please use your AWS account’s primary contact email address (name@startup.com). If you do not have a domain name yet, please use a public email domain (@gmail or @hotmail) over your university email address. 

Credits will be deposited into your account within 2 weeks of your application being approved. To see your credit balance, applicable services and credit expiration date, please go to your Billing and Management Console. Please do not share the Organization ID. 

Eligibility requirements of the program can be found here.