People searching AWS Activate credits want the dollar figures, not a cloud primer. Here is what our perks file lists as of the current catalog stamp. We do not run AWS Activate. Amounts below are copied from content/perks.json. If a row and the AWS page disagree later, trust AWS.
Three AWS rows sit in the directory: Program Founders up to $5,000, High-Tier AI up to $300,000, and Trainium up to $300,000 more for startups using AWS AI chips. Apply links live on /perks. Sign in or confirm the newsletter email to see them. We do not paste raw forms here.
What the catalog actually lists
| Catalog id | Company label | Credits | Conditions (verbatim) | Description (verbatim) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
aws-5000 |
AWS | $5,000 | pre-Investment Committee teams | Program Founders - up to $5,000 in AWS Activate credits. |
aws-300000 |
AWS | $300,000 | AI startups, application reviewed | AWS Activate High-Tier AI - up to $300,000 credits for AI/ML startups with significant compute needs. |
aws-trainium-300000 |
AWS Trainium | $300,000 | startups using AI chips | AWS Trainium Credits - up to $300,000 in additional credits for startups using AWS AI chips. |
Read the "up to" literally. The file stores the top of each range. Program Founders is not the High-Tier AI grant. Trainium is labeled additional. Do not add the three rows into a $605,000 stack unless AWS says that in writing on their site.
Program Founders vs High-Tier AI
Start with the $5,000 row if you are pre-Investment Committee. That is the condition on aws-5000. It is the smaller grant. It is also the one most early teams will actually match.
The $300,000 High-Tier AI row is for AI/ML startups with significant compute needs, application reviewed. That is a different bar. If you do not have the compute story, do not write the $300,000 number into a pitch deck as if it were already yours.
AWS's own program page is aws.amazon.com/activate. Use it for eligibility that is not in our file. Our file is a directory snapshot, not the application.
Trainium is extra, not a substitute
The Trainium row is a separate $300,000 figure for startups using AWS AI chips. Conditions: startups using AI chips. If you are not on Trainium (or planning to be), skip the row. It is not a second copy of High-Tier AI with a prettier name.
We do not have a published dollar split for "how much of High-Tier plus Trainium one company can hold at once." Not reported in the catalog. Ask AWS.
How to claim from this site
- Open /perks and search AWS.
- Sign in or confirm the newsletter email so apply links render.
- Read the conditions on the row you actually match.
- Apply on AWS. We do not intermediate the form.
- If the live AWS page lists a different cap, the live page wins.
Related credits live in the same directory — Anthropic, Google Cloud, Render, and others. Stack only what each vendor allows. We do not publish a combined "total cloud credits" number because that would invent a figure.
Board context if you are also picking models: /leaderboard reprints a dated Artificial Analysis snapshot. We do not run the evals. Method: /methodology.
What this page is not
It is not a walkthrough of AWS Organizations, IAM, or billing alarms. Those belong on AWS docs.
It is not a promise that your application will clear. Approval indexes in the catalog are labels (high on Founders, average on High-Tier, low on Trainium). They are not odds.
It is not a fourth URL for "AWS credits for startups" or "Activate Founders." Same intent. Same page.
Frequently asked questions
How much are AWS Activate credits?
In our catalog: up to $5,000 (Program Founders), up to $300,000 (High-Tier AI), and up to $300,000 additional Trainium credits. Those are the three numbers we have. Anything else is not reported here.
Who qualifies for the $5,000 Founders credits?
The catalog condition is pre-Investment Committee teams. We do not have a headcount, country, or incorporation test in that row. Confirm on AWS.
Who qualifies for the $300,000 High-Tier AI credits?
The catalog says AI startups, application reviewed, for AI/ML startups with significant compute needs. We do not have the scoring rubric.
Do Trainium credits stack on top of Activate?
The Trainium description calls them additional credits for startups using AWS AI chips. Whether your company can hold both at the stated caps is not reported in our file. Ask AWS.
Where is the apply link?
On /perks, after you sign in or confirm the newsletter email. We do not publish the raw form URL in this article.
Bottom line
If you searched AWS Activate credits, match the row to the stage: $5,000 Founders, $300,000 High-Tier AI, Trainium only if you use AWS AI chips. Copy the conditions as written. Apply from the perks directory, not from a guessed URL.
Sign in or confirm the newsletter email at https://modelsandmakers.com/perks to see apply links and browse startup credits.