How to get startup credits in NL
Find cloud, AI and software credits your startup can use from the Netherlands, check which access route fits, and avoid expiry, billing and eligibility traps.
- Who it's for
- Founders building a scalable startup in the Netherlands
- Time
- 30–60 min to shortlist
- Programs checked
- 35 programs + Dutch support
- Last updated
- 10 October 2026
Source-linked · AI-assisted research · Checked against official sources. The original catalogue was reviewed on 26 September 2026. The eight added programmes and Claude update were checked on 10 October 2026. Every listed programme links to its provider, but this is not a Dutch-entity approval guarantee.
Overview
What you're trying to do
Startup credits can reduce the cost of cloud, AI and software while a company is still small, but the headline value is rarely the whole story. Some offers are direct, some require venture funding or an approved accelerator, and some start charging normal prices when the benefit ends. The useful approach is to start from costs you already expect, match each offer to your real funding and partner route, and record the exit before you activate anything.
Before you start
Know which access route you have
Have the same company facts ready for every application: your exact legal name, KvK registration, company website, work email, founding date, funding stage and a short description of what you build. Decide which tools you would choose without a credit. A large offer is not useful if it pushes you onto a platform you would not keep at normal pricing.
Route A · direct
Bootstrapped or pre-funded
You can apply without inventing a partner relationship. Start here first.
Cloudflare · Google Start · AWS Founders · Microsoft · Mixpanel · Claude membership
Route B · funded
Institutionally funded
Funding can unlock products that are closed to bootstrapped companies or improve the offer.
Claude partner-VC credits · Auth0 · Stripe · HubSpot · Atlassian · Google Scale
Route C · partner-backed
VC, accelerator or ecosystem partner
Use a real affiliation you can prove. Partner routes often unlock the highest-value offers.
AWS Portfolio · GitHub · Vercel · Datadog · Cloudflare higher tiers · Miro
Three questions, plus a setup check
Funding, partner access and company age decide the program matches below. The KvK setup check gives advice only. Your answers stay in this browser.
Advice only. This answer does not change the matches.
Answer the three main questions to see which programs fit. You can change your answers at any time.
Step by step
Your recipe
- 01
List the costs you already expect
Write down the cloud, database, auth, analytics, CRM, support and collaboration tools you genuinely expect to use in the next 12 months.
Do this: Start from planned spend, not from the perks catalogue.
- 02
Apply to the direct programs first
Bootstrapped founders have several useful direct routes. Cloudflare, Google Start, AWS Founders, Microsoft, OVHcloud and Scaleway are the strongest infrastructure examples.
Do this: Run the route check, then shortlist only providers you can realistically build on.
- 03
Check whether an existing partner unlocks more
Your incubator, investor, university or accelerator may already be an approved provider. Do not assume it is. Check the provider's own partner list or ask the organisation for its referral route.
Do this: Use partner proof only when it already exists.
- 04
Prepare one consistent company profile
Keep your legal name, company website, work email, founding date, funding stage and product description consistent. Several programs reject unclear or service-business profiles.
Do this: Tick off the application kit before your first application.
- 05
Check Dutch support alongside the credits
Credits lower tool costs. WBSO can lower the cost of the people building your product. If you do technical R&D, the application has to go in before the work starts.
Do this: Read Dutch support before you plan the next quarter.
- 06
Protect the downside before activation
Read expiry, service coverage and overage rules. Add budgets and alerts. If a provider requires a payment method, assume a paid bill is possible unless the terms explicitly say otherwise.
Do this: Add each benefit to your shortlist and put the review dates in your calendar.
Prepare once
Your application kit
Most applications ask for the same handful of things. Get them ready once and every application takes minutes instead of an evening. Your ticks stay in this browser.
0 of 7 ready.
Programs
Start with the infrastructure layer
OVHcloud and Scaleway both have concrete startup-credit routes and European infrastructure. For a Netherlands-based startup, they belong in the main comparison rather than an appendix. A direct route means no partner or VC introduction is stated as mandatory; it does not confirm that a Dutch BV or eenmanszaak is eligible. Check this with each provider before applying.
Cloud and network
Cloudflare for Startups
$10k direct · up to $350k
Network, security and developer platform
Tier 3 is for bootstrapped or self-funded startups with under $1m raised. Higher tiers require funding through an affiliated partner. The company must be a for-profit technology startup with a public website and matching business email.
- Clock
- 12-month cohort; upgrades do not reset the expiry
- Watch for
- product-specific caps apply and some advanced features need manual enablement
Cloud and AI
Google for Startups Cloud
$2k Start · up to $350k AI
Cloud, AI and Workspace benefits
Start is for young pre-funded digital-native startups with a working MVP and plans to seek venture funding. Early-stage funded startups can qualify for much larger Scale benefits.
- Clock
- Start credits are valid for 12 months
- Criteria
- founded within 24 months; no prior Google Cloud credits beyond trial
- Workspace
- Business Plus free for 12 months, but only if your domain was not already on a paid Workspace plan
- Extra
- $200 Google Skills credits, which are a separate benefit from Cloud billing credits
Cloud
AWS Activate
$1k first · up to $5k direct
Portfolio route up to $200k
Self-funded startups can use the Founders route without an Activate Provider. Provider-backed startups can use the larger Portfolio route.
- Founders
- start with $1k; selected companies may receive more up to $5k
- Eligibility
- pre-Series B, founded in the last 10 years, and an AWS account on a paid tier plan
- Portfolio
- requires an Activate Provider and Org ID
Cloud
Microsoft for Startups
$200 → $5k → $25k → $50k → $150k
Azure credits unlocked through milestones
The headline $150k is not an immediate grant. Microsoft now ties higher levels to verification, active workloads and sustained Azure usage.
- $5k
- complete business verification
- $25k/$50k
- 5 or 7 active workloads for about 60 days
- $150k
- 10+ workloads plus roughly $3k/month sustained usage
European cloud
OVHcloud Startup Program
€10k Start · up to €100k Scale
European cloud infrastructure
The 12-month Start level includes €10k cloud credits and engineering time. Scale offers up to €100k plus more technical support.
- Clock
- credits valid 12 months from contract signature
- Watch for
- not every OVHcloud product is covered; payment method remains required
European cloud
Scaleway Startup Program
€1k · €9k · €36k
European public cloud
Founders, Early Stage and Growth programs map to different usage levels and stages. Basic eligibility includes being under five years old, under 50 employees and not yet a Scaleway customer.
- Founders
- up to €1k over 12 months
- Early/Growth
- €9k over 6 months or €36k over 12 months
Cloud
DigitalOcean Startups
Credit amount varies
Award depends on route and onboarding
You can apply even without a VC, accelerator or incubator by choosing “Other”. Award size is not published as one fixed amount. Core credits generally have a $10k monthly limit.
- Account
- new team account, company-domain email and valid payment card required
- Watch for
- GPU products and some third-party AI inference are excluded from core credits and can be billed separately
Hosting
Vercel for Startups
Up to $30k
Hosting, compute, AI Gateway, v0 and more
This is a strong offer if you already have an approved Startup Partner. Vercel asks for proof from the partner’s own dashboard, hub, wiki or console.
- Clock
- one-year flexible commitment
- Watch for
- valid payment method required; max 50% can be used for AI Gateway
Then fill the gaps in your stack
These can be valuable, but only when they replace an expected cost or solve a real technical or operating need.
Developer platform
GitHub for Startups
$10,000 · up to 12 months
Partner-affiliated startups can receive flexible platform credits across Enterprise, Copilot, Actions and eligible add-ons.
AI coding
Kiro Startup Credits
Up to 30 users by tier
Complimentary Kiro Pro+ and one year of promotional credits for eligible early-stage teams.
- After promo
- Pro+ lists at $40 per user per month with 2,000 credits
- Watch for
- unused monthly credits do not roll over to the next month
Offer closes 31 December 2026
Database + AI retrieval
MongoDB for Startups
Amount varies by startup tier
Stage-based Atlas credits, Voyage AI tokens and technical support. Both new and existing Atlas users may apply.
Identity
Auth0 for Startups
1 year free
One year of B2B Professional capabilities, including up to 100k monthly active users. For venture-backed startups under two years old, with under $5m raised and under $1m ARR.
Internal tools
Retool for Startups
100% off · value up to $60k
Eligible startups get Team or Business plan free for one year. Note the unusual flow: Retool says to upgrade to a monthly paid plan before submitting the startup application.
Search
Algolia Startup Program
$10,000 · 12 months
Credits for new or free Algolia customers, with automatic pay-as-you-go pricing once credits are exhausted.
Monitoring
Sentry for Startups
$5,000 credits · 1 year
For companies founded in the last two years, under $5m VC raised and new to paying for Sentry.
Monitoring
Datadog for Startups
Free for 1 year · up to $100k in credits
A year of the full Datadog platform. For startups at Series A or earlier that are new to Datadog and referred through an official partner. AWS Startups lists it as a partner offer for eligible AWS participants.
AI ecosystem
NVIDIA Inception
Free program · variable partner benefits
Free membership with training, preferred pricing, partner offers and access to cloud-credit opportunities. There is no single guaranteed public credit amount.
AI models
Claude for Startups
Partner offers now · $1k/Team offers at capacity
Bootstrapped, pre-seed and venture-backed startups can apply for Claude Startups and its partner offers. Anthropic says the free year of Claude Team and $1,000 API-credit offer are currently over capacity and existing applications may be re-reviewed. Partner-VC startups may separately qualify for up to $100k in first-party API credits.
- Eligibility
- founded within five years, or funded within the last two years
- Available
- partner tools and office hours remain available to accepted members
- Credits
- Claude API credits work in Claude Console, not via Bedrock or Vertex AI
Generative AI API
Runware Grant Program
Up to $30k API credits · 12 months
For bootstrapped or early-stage teams before Series A that have a real product or credible MVP and plan to use Runware for generative AI within six months. Approval and award amount are not guaranteed.
Netherlands check: Public terms do not explicitly confirm Dutch BV or eenmanszaak eligibility; check with the provider before applying.
- Use case
- image, video, audio and other AI-model inference on Runware
- Clock
- 12 months; grant review typically within two weeks
AI inference
Together AI Startup Accelerator
Up to $15k Build · up to $50k by tier
A selected accelerator programme for startups using Together AI inference, training or fine-tuning. Build tier is for companies with up to $5m raised. Larger tiers require more funding; the headline amount is not a guaranteed grant.
Netherlands check: Public terms do not explicitly confirm Dutch BV or eenmanszaak eligibility; check with the provider before applying.
- Build
- up to $15k platform credits for startups with up to $5m raised
- Limit
- credits do not cover Reserved GPU Clusters
Voice AI
ElevenLabs Startup Grants
33m characters · 12 months
Twelve months of ElevenLabs grant access, including 33 million characters for a long-term product built around AI voice. Startups must have fewer than 25 employees and a real business plan. Agencies, one-off projects and existing enterprise customers are excluded.
Netherlands check: Public terms do not explicitly confirm Dutch BV or eenmanszaak eligibility; check with the provider before applying.
- Value
- ElevenLabs advertises a value above $5,500, not a cash grant
- Eligibility
- requires a valid business email and a long-term product use case
- Exclusion
- projects built for children aged 18 or under are not eligible
Postgres database
Neon / Databricks Startup Program
Up to $1k self-funded · larger backed tier
Self-funded early-stage teams with less than $1m raised can seek up to $1,000 in Neon credits. The up-to-$200k higher tier is combined Neon and Databricks credit for eligible VC-backed or accelerator startups, not $200k of Neon credits alone.
Netherlands check: Public terms do not explicitly confirm Dutch BV or eenmanszaak eligibility; check with the provider before applying.
- Clock
- 12 months from acceptance
- Watch for
- use the self-funded amount unless you qualify for the separate backed tier
- After
- normal usage billing resumes on the selected plan after credits expire
Product analytics
Amplitude
100% off Y1 · 40% off Y2
Full Growth plan free in year one, then a discounted paid path or the option to drop back to the free plan.
Product analytics
Mixpanel for Startups
1 year free · up to 1bn events
The free Startup Plan is for companies founded less than five years ago, with no more than $8m raised, that have never been paid Mixpanel customers. No VC referral is needed. The offer starts on acceptance.
Netherlands check: Public terms do not explicitly confirm Dutch BV or eenmanszaak eligibility; check with the provider before applying.
- Deadline
- send data within 90 days of acceptance or lose the programme and the chance to rejoin
- After
- move to a Free, Growth or Enterprise plan after one year
- Privacy
- review consent and personal-data handling before analytics installation
Product analytics
PostHog for Startups
$50,000 credit · 12 months
For companies under two years old that raised less than $5m. Apply from a PostHog account on your company email domain after adding billing details. Since 14 September 2026 the credit no longer covers PostHog’s AI tools.
Project management
Shortcut for Startups
Business + SSO free · 12 months
Twelve months of the Shortcut Business plan and SAML SSO for new customers. Requires fewer than 50 employees, under five years in business, under $10m external funding and pre-Series A status. Service providers and consulting agencies do not qualify.
Netherlands check: Public terms do not explicitly confirm Dutch BV or eenmanszaak eligibility; check with the provider before applying.
- After
- choose whether to renew or cancel when the free year ends
- Fit
- best for teams already planning to use Shortcut
Workspace + AI
Notion for Startups
1–6 months Business + AI
Offer depends on route: partner-affiliated startups can get six months, non-partner startups three months, and some small teams receive one month.
Collaboration
Miro Startup Program
$500 direct · $1,000 partner
$1,000 through a global partner or $500 as an individual startup. The independent route requires funding verification.
Project and team tools
Atlassian for Startups
Premium free · 12 months · up to 50 users
Premium editions of Jira, Confluence, Loom, Bitbucket and more, free for 12 months for up to 50 users (some products fewer). You must not already pay Atlassian, must be VC-funded or linked to a partner accelerator or incubator, and must have raised no more than $10m. Marketplace apps are excluded.
Customer messaging
Customer.io for Startups
Up to 12 months free · 30k profiles
For companies with less than $10m raised that have never been a Customer.io customer. The Startup plan includes up to 30,000 profiles for email, SMS and push messaging; the exact free period depends on application approval.
Netherlands check: Public terms do not explicitly confirm Dutch BV or eenmanszaak eligibility; check with the provider before applying.
- Data
- contact lists must be obtained legitimately, not purchased
- After
- review the graduation price and usage charges before the free period ends
CRM + growth
HubSpot for Startups
30% bootstrapped · up to 90% Y1
Bootstrapped technology startups established within the last 5 years, with 1 to 25 employees depending on region and no VC, accelerator or incubator affiliation, can get 30% off in year one. Pre-seed to Series A startups with verified venture funding or an approved partner route can get up to 90% off in year one, then 50% in year two and 25% in year three. Discounts apply to new Professional or Enterprise products only; Starter plans are excluded.
Customer support
Intercom Early Stage
93% Y1 · 50% Y2 · 25% Y3
For new customers under $10m funding and fewer than 15 employees. Some usage items remain at list price.
Customer support
Zendesk for Startups
6 months baseline · up to 2 years
Zendesk currently publishes conflicting eligibility rules. A June 2026 overview says bootstrapped through Series B can qualify, while an August 2026 qualifications page says venture-funded through Series A and fewer than 50 employees. Treat the route as uncertain and verify before applying.
International hiring
Oyster for Startups
Up to $1,200 saved per hire
A first-year discount on Oyster Employer of Record services for startups employing team members in other countries. Open to pre-seed through Series A companies and bootstrapped startups under 50 employees. Only useful if you actually plan an international hire.
Netherlands check: Public terms do not explicitly confirm Dutch BV or eenmanszaak eligibility; check with the provider before applying.
- Clock
- 12 months from each hire, rather than a company-wide credit activation
- Watch for
- check the ongoing EOR fee and country-specific employment terms before hiring
Payments
Stripe Startups
Amount varies
For early-stage venture-backed companies. Benefits are fee credits or waived processing fees depending on country and referral source.
Eligibility traps
Headline value is not the same as usable value
A big number only helps if you can actually get it and use it. These are the rules that most often catch founders out.
From applying
Checks people often miss
The rules above are published by the providers. These are the checks that decide whether an approved benefit is worth anything in practice. Where a check depends on a provider or government rule, we give that first. Practical lessons from our own applications are marked separately, because one company's application is not a rule.
Check the live credit line, not only the welcome email
A welcome email describes a programme in general terms. The account-specific numbers live in the provider's billing console. Google Cloud documents that its Credits page lists, for each promotional credit, the status, the remaining and original value, the scope if the credit is limited to particular services, and the start and end date. Read those before you plan around a benefit.
Our own experience, not a provider rule
In our 2026 Google for Startups application the billing credit line was the only place that gave us the exact start date, the exact expiry and the remaining balance for our own account.
Keep company, website, email and billing identity consistent
Some programmes check that your company is real and that the details line up. Cloudflare's entry tier asks for a for-profit business with a valid, publicly accessible website and a business email matching your domain. Not every provider applies the same check, so treat this as hygiene rather than as one shared rule.
- the legal company name, spelled the same everywhere
- the product or startup website
- the email address you apply with
- the email and domain of whoever administers billing
- the billing account itself
- the payment and company profile behind it
Our own experience, not a provider rule
Two of our own 2026 applications turned on this. One went through only once the company website and the identity administering the billing account matched. In one of our AWS Activate applications, inconsistent domain details led to a rejection, and the detailed reason appeared in the account dashboard rather than the email we received.
A credit does not replace billing status
An approved credit and a free trial are different things, and they can sit on the same account at the same time. Google's own documentation says that when a free trial ends, all resources created during the trial are stopped and stored data is marked for deletion and might be lost, with a 30-day grace period in which upgrading to a paid billing account may recover them. Holding a credit does not keep the account open by itself, so find out which action is required and by when.
Our own experience, not a provider rule
Our own billing account held an active startup credit and was still on a free trial at the same time. The credit did not move the trial end date.
Check what happens after the promotion
Write down the expiry, what renews automatically, what the normal price becomes, what is charged as overage, and whether unused monthly allowances carry over. Cloudflare says credits are valid for one year or until fully consumed, whichever comes first, and that on expiry it bills the credit card on file unless you move to a prepaid contract. Kiro's published pricing puts Pro+ at $40 per user per month with 2,000 credits, and says unused credits do not roll over to the next month.
Check the invoice, not just the checkout screen
A product covered by a startup programme can still show normal list pricing while you sign up, because the benefit is usually applied to the account rather than to the price on screen. Cloudflare says credits are added on the backend of your account and are not visible from the invoice, and that the invoice reflects any account credits that were used. Google says promotional credits are applied automatically to reduce the bill. Confirm the real cash cost from the invoice, the promotional balance, the billing transaction and the card statement.
Our own experience, not a provider rule
We activated a Business subscription on one of our own sites in September 2026 and the checkout screen showed the normal $250 per month price. We are treating the final cash cost as unconfirmed until the invoice shows it.
Headline credits are not the same as savings
A $10,000 credit is worth nothing to a company that would otherwise have spent nothing on that product. A credit is worth the spend it actually avoids, so compare it against your real budget and not against the headline.
- do we already use this product?
- would we pay for it anyway?
- does it replace spend we have now?
- what would moving onto it cost in work?
- will it leave a paid dependency when it expires?
Our own experience, not a provider rule
One of our own approved credits sits on a cloud platform where we run nothing and have no natural spend. On paper it is a large benefit. So far it has saved us nothing.
Do not move tools or workloads onto a platform only to use a credit up.
Dutch support
Next to credits: Dutch schemes worth checking
These are not startup credits. They are tax benefits and loans from the Dutch government. For a startup doing real technical work, WBSO can matter more than any single credit because it lowers the cost of the people building the product, not just the tools.
The government Startup Box asks two questions and points you to six schemes: WBSO, VFF, Innovatiekrediet, Seed Capital, Seed Business Angel and BMKB. Use it to find a route, not as proof that you qualify.
WBSO
36% of R&D costs up to €391,020 · 50% for starters
WBSO lowers the payroll tax you pay for time spent on technical research and development. Costs above €391,020 get 16%. Self-employed founders get a fixed deduction instead: €15,979 in 2026, plus €7,996 extra for starters, and RVO asks them for at least 500 WBSO hours in the calendar year.
Three separate checks
- May you apply? A BV whose employees do the work applies as a WBSO withholding agent. A self-employed founder applies as a WBSO taxpayer. Submitting needs eHerkenning at level eH3 with a level 3 authorisation for RVO services, so arrange that before the deadline, not on the day.
- Is the work qualifying S&O? RVO separates ‘new’ from ‘technically new’. Its 2026 handbook says software development does not always qualify, and lists work that is not eligible: describing models, formulating algorithms and describing an architecture; activities that focus on applying, compiling or implementing software; and projects that build new functionality on available or obtainable technology. Normal product implementation is not enough on its own.
- Can you use the credit? A withholding agent settles the credit in its payroll tax return. RVO is explicit that you may never deduct more than the payroll tax you are liable for, and that your payroll tax liability is never negative. With a small payroll, an approved amount can stay partly unused.
- Timing:
- apply before the R&D work starts
- Watch for:
- approved is not the same as usable; check the payroll you will actually run in that calendar year
- Bonus:
- an S&O-verklaring also counts as proof of innovation for VFF
Vroegefasefinanciering (VFF)
Up to €450,000 for an innovative starter
A loan to test whether an innovative idea is technically and commercially feasible. Innovative starters can borrow up to 100% of an early-stage project costing €50,000 to €450,000. You need a letter of intent from a future investor for at least the amount you ask from the government, and you must not start the project before you apply.
- Window:
- 1 January to 31 December 2026
- Innovative starter:
- registered with KvK for less than 5 years, plus a WBSO S&O-verklaring, an external expert evaluation, or at least 10% of operating costs spent on R&D
- Interest:
- set by RVO and changes over time; check the current rate before you apply
Innovatiekrediet
Up to €10m per technical project · 2026 budget €50m
For developing a new product, process or service with substantial technical risk and a strong market outlook. Applications are assessed critically, and each application covers one development project.
RVO: InnovatiekredietFounding from outside the EU?
Credit programs ask about your company, not your nationality. Whether you may run a company here depends on your residence permit. The IND start-up permit gives founders from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland one year to build an innovative business with an RVO-recognised facilitator.
This guide does not give immigration advice. Start with the IND page and get qualified advice for your own situation.
IND: start-up permitLeft out on purpose
Some names should stay out of the main list
Before you activate
Check the exit before the entry.
A startup credit can save money or just move the bill twelve months into the future. Record these four things before any production workload moves.
When does the clock start, and can it be extended?
Which products, regions, seats and usage types are actually covered?
What is charged automatically after the benefit is exhausted?
Would you still choose this platform at normal pricing?
Your shortlist
Plan activation and review dates
Add programs from the list above, fill in when you activated each one, and download calendar reminders ahead of each end date. Everything stays in this browser.
Questions
Common questions
Can I apply to several programs at the same time?
Yes. Using credits from different providers at once is normal. Within one provider it is usually one award per company, and several programs exclude you if you already pay for the product or had startup credits before. Apply for the tools you will really use first, so you do not spend an eligibility you need later.
Can I apply with an eenmanszaak?
Some direct programmes may accept registered sole traders, but many do not say which Dutch legal forms qualify. Having a BV is not an automatic approval either. Ask the provider to confirm its accepted countries and legal entities before applying, especially for investor-backed offers.
I'm not from the EU. Can I still use these programs?
The programs ask about your company, not your nationality. What matters first is whether your residence permit allows you to run a business here. This guide does not give immigration advice; start with the IND page on the start-up permit.
What happens when the credits run out?
Usually your account moves to normal pricing on the payment method you added, without a new approval step. Algolia and PostHog say this explicitly. Add the expiry date to your calendar and set budget alerts on the day you activate.
Why is a well-known program missing?
We only list programs whose current terms we could confirm on the provider's own pages. Names we checked but left out are listed with the reason.
Verify before you act
Official and provider sources
The original 27 programmes and Dutch sources were reviewed on 26 September 2026; the eight additions and the Claude update were checked on 10 October 2026. Provider rules, eligibility, award sizes and partner lists can change. Check each source before acting.
Dutch schemes and background
Spotted something outdated? Email [email protected] and we will check it.
Where to go next
Not sure what to focus on next?
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