Urgent help with uploading excel add- in to store

Question

Hi,

My startup Filot has spent months developing an excel add-in and have been struggling to get setup for around a week and a half now just to simply be able to upload our excel add-in for review to be put in the store for others to use.

I have been stuck trying to get past this screen into the Microsoft 365 and Co-pilot

(where I believe I need to go to upload our add-in for review)

According to the string of setup instruction links and follow up stemming from here:  https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/partner-center/marketplace/open-a-developer-account#create-your-developer-account We are to setup an azure with our work email (done) and then create a new tenant that links to our domain.  When I go to do so I am met with a disabled radio button saying a subscription is needed (no instructions in the docs for this). 

From here, through more digging online and chatting with Microsoft copilot (since calling customer service on the phone isn't helpful, as they just direct you to the forums), I am of the impression that I need to sign up for the developer program in order to create this tenant.  Upon trying to sign up I am getting this rejection message, which led me to find the original forum link I put at the start of this post. I even went on to pay for a business account with 365, thinking this would remedy the subscription issue but no, still there.

All I am trying to do is submit the add-in for review, why is this so difficult?

I would really appreciate some assistance on this. I have reached out to customer support twice by phone and made 2 posts on your online forums, both with no help. Currently quite disappointed without experience so far, hoping this can turn around.

Best,

Bjorn