Share via

Azure for Startups: Unable to access YC Startup School credits after account created with LinkedIn login

Apurv Jain 0 Reputation points
2026-04-25T19:45:33.7133333+00:00

Service: Azure / Microsoft for Startups (Credits)

Scenario: I received Azure credits through YC Startup School and attempted to set up my Azure account. I initially signed up using my LinkedIn login, which is linked to my personal Gmail account. Later, I added my company email ID during the Azure account setup process.

Issue:

  • When I log in now, the Azure portal shows no credits available.
  • If I try to use my personal Gmail account separately, I’m unable to create a new Azure account with the credits.

What I’ve tried:

  • Logging in with both LinkedIn (original login) and personal Gmail
  • Attempting to re-initiate Azure account creation

Question: Who should I contact or what steps should I follow to correctly map or activate my Azure credits to the right account?

Azure | Azure Startups
Azure | Azure Startups

Startups: Companies that are in their initial stages of business and typically developing a business model and seeking financing.

0 comments

3 answers

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Himanshu Shekhar 6,420 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-04-27T20:46:49.97+00:00

    Hey Apurv this usually happens when credits get split across two different Microsoft Accounts (MSAs). Azure for Startups credits are bound to the exact MSA you used when you redeemed them, and you can’t merge or share them across multiple accounts unless you open a support ticket.

    Here’s what you can try:

    Confirm your “primary” MSA • You said you signed up with LinkedIn (backed by your personal Gmail MSA) and then added your company email. Make sure both of those are aliases on the same MSA rather than two separate accounts. • To check or add an alias, go to https://account.microsoft.com > Your info > Manage how you sign in to Microsoft.

    Redeem your YC Startup School credits in the Startups portal • Sign in at https://portal.startups.microsoft.com using that MSA (the one with both aliases). • Under Offers, pick “Azure for Startups” (or “Microsoft for Startups Investor Offer” if you have a referral code) and enter your code.

    Activate your Sponsorship subscription in the Azure portal • Go to https://portal.azure.com > Subscriptions > + Add. • Select the Azure for Startups (MS-azr-0036P) sponsorship offer. • Complete any remaining business-verification steps (you get $1K upfront for 90 days; you can unlock up to $5K more with verification).

    If credits still don’t appear, open a billing support request • In the Azure portal, go to Help + support > New support request > Issue type: Billing > Category: Offers & Credits > Subcategory: Azure for Startups. • Provide: your MSA email, subscription ID (if one exists), and the referral/promo code from YC.

    Hope this helps—once you redeem and activate on the same MSA, you’ll see your credits show up under Subscriptions. If you run into any errors or the wrong account still claims the credits, let us know the exact MSA you used and any subscription ID you see, and we can dig deeper.

    Reference docs

    If you have any further queries, let me know. If the information is helpful, please click on Upvote and Accept Answer on it

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  2. kagiyama yutaka 3,510 Reputation points
    2026-04-26T03:37:27.4533333+00:00

    Ur YC creds are stuck on the MSA that hit the first token‑mint hop, so just open Azure w/ each acct and check Subscriptions for “Azure Sponsorship”. If u still don’t see it, ask Startups support to trace the holder and move it.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments

  3. AI answer

    2026-04-25T19:45:48.5833333+00:00

    Azure startup credits are always issued to a specific individual Microsoft account (MSA) and then applied to a single Azure Sponsorship subscription. The key is to identify which account actually activated the credits and then use that account to manage the subscription or grant access to the company account.

    Follow these steps:

    1. Identify which account activated the credits
      The credits are tied to the MSA that redeemed the offer (often a personal email like Gmail):
      • Go to the Azure portal and sign in with each possible Microsoft account (for example, the personal Gmail that LinkedIn is linked to).
      • After signing in, open Subscriptions and look for a subscription type such as Azure Sponsorship.
      • If an Azure Sponsorship subscription appears, that account is the one that activated the credits.
    2. If you cannot determine the activation account
      If no Azure Sponsorship subscription appears under any of the accounts tried:
    3. If credits need to be moved to a different account
      If the credits were activated on the wrong MSA and need to be associated with another account (for example, a company email):
    4. After the correct subscription is located
      Once the Azure Sponsorship subscription with credits is identified:
      • Ensure the Entra tenant and company domain are set up correctly so the environment is not locked to a single personal account.
      • From that subscription, the owner can assign roles to the company account so it can see and use the credits, following the standard Azure RBAC role assignment steps.
    5. If there are sign-up or eligibility issues
      If the problem is that the benefit cannot be activated at all (for example, the portal will not let the account create the sponsorship subscription):
      • Sign in to the Microsoft for Startups portal to verify eligibility.
      • If eligibility looks correct but activation still fails, create a Microsoft for Startups support request as described in the troubleshooting guidance.

    If none of the above resolves the issue, use Azure support (via Help + support in the Azure portal) or Microsoft Q&A, but for YC Startup School credits specifically, the Microsoft for Startups Support Team is the primary contact to correctly map or move the credits.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

    Was this answer helpful?

Your answer

Answers can be marked as 'Accepted' by the question author and 'Recommended' by moderators, which helps users know the answer solved the author's problem.