Cannot Sign In to Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub – Need Guidance

Question

Body: Hello, I am trying to sign in to the Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub, but I keep getting redirected back to the marketing homepage instead of the actual portal.

Here is my setup:

• Tenant Name: Metabrain

Primary Domain: Metabrain.onmicrosoft.com

Tenant ID: a292f5d3-eb66-485d-86fe-0cf55fadaf8b

Account: ******@Metabrain.onmicrosoft.com

Role: Global Administrator (confirmed in Microsoft Entra)

I click Portal sign in, but instead of reaching the Founders Hub dashboard or the application form, I am taken back to the main Microsoft for Startups page.

I have tried:

InPrivate / Incognito mode

Multiple browsers

Direct URL: https://portal.startups.microsoft.com (portal.startups.microsoft.com in Bing)

Signing in with my Global Admin account

Nothing gets me into the actual Founders Hub portal.

Question: What is the correct way to sign in to the Founders Hub portal, and how can I resolve this redirect loop?

Thank you for any guidance.

— Ron

Answer 1

Hello @Ronald Marks,

Thanks for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A.

It sounds like you’re running into the classic “marketing page redirect” when your account isn’t yet bound to an approved Founders Hub membership. Here’s what to double-check and try:

Use the Founders Hub login URL:

• Go directly to https://foundershub.startups.microsoft.com/login – not the general marketing page or portal.startups.microsoft.com.

• Sign in with the exact Azure AD/Microsoft account that you used when you applied or were invited to Founders Hub.

Verify your program status

• Browse to the Microsoft for Startups dashboard (https://startups.microsoft.com/dashboard) and confirm your startup’s status is “Approved.” If it’s still “In review” (or you never completed the application), you’ll be bounced back to marketing.

Ensure you have the right role inside Founders Hub:

• Being an Azure “Global Administrator” doesn’t automatically make you a Founders Hub Administrator.

• In the Founders Hub portal, the person who completed the onboarding (the “Startup Admin”) must invite you under “My team.” Make sure your account shows up there with the “Admin” or “Member” role.

Clear cache / test again:

• Completely clear cookies for *.startups.microsoft.com (or use a fresh InPrivate/Incognito window but after clearing cache).

• Disable any extensions or Conditional Access policies that might block “login.microsoftonline.com” if you have custom network rules.

If you’re still stuck:

• Confirm the email you’re signing in with is the same one on your Founders Hub invite/application. 2

• Open the browser’s developer tools (F12) on the Network tab and watch for failed redirects or errors on the AAD sign-in endpoints.

• From within Founders Hub (once you do get in), click the “?” icon in the top-right to submit a support ticket.

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Answer 2

The redirect loop indicates a sign-in or tenant access issue rather than a browser problem, since InPrivate mode, multiple browsers, and the direct URL already failed.

Use the following steps and escalation paths:

1. Confirm Microsoft account vs. work account
   • Ensure the sign-in uses the correct work/school account (the Metabrain Entra ID account) and not a personal Microsoft account. If a personal Microsoft account is involved, use the Microsoft Account troubleshooting guidance to verify that account is healthy and can sign in elsewhere: see the Microsoft Account troubleshooting guide.
2. Check for general Microsoft sign-in issues
   • Verify that the account can sign in successfully to other Microsoft properties (for example, support.microsoft.com or other Microsoft 365/Azure portals). If there are sign-in failures or loops on those sites as well, follow the generic sign-in troubleshooting:
     • Clear browser cache and cookies.
     • Ensure the relevant Microsoft domains are not misconfigured in the browser’s trusted sites or security zones. For example, for support.microsoft.com sign-in loops, Microsoft recommends ensuring microsoft.com, login.live.com, and login.microsoftonline.com are either all in or all out of the trusted sites list so cookies can be shared correctly.
     • If using Internet Explorer or Microsoft Edge with custom security zones, align with the guidance in “Troubleshoot sign in issues for support.microsoft.com”.
3. Validate that the Microsoft account itself is accessible and not locked
   • If the account password has stopped working, or verification codes are failing, use the Sign-in Helper tool and the recovery guidance under “I can't sign in to my Microsoft account” to ensure the identity is fully usable.
   • If verification codes are not arriving or are blocked, follow the verification-code troubleshooting referenced in the same article.
4. If the tenant or account is blocked or inaccessible
   • If any error appears indicating the tenant is blocked or inactive (for example, AADSTS5000225 in other Azure scenarios), the tenant administrator must contact Microsoft support to reactivate or investigate the tenant. The documented pattern is:
     • Tenant admin calls the appropriate global support phone number and opens a support case.
     • Do not open multiple cases for the same issue while one is in progress.
5. If locked out due to MFA or admin access issues
   • If the global admin account is blocked by MFA or similar and there is no other admin, Microsoft’s Data Protection team must assist. The documented approach is:
     • Call Microsoft customer service using the regional support phone numbers and state that access to the admin account is blocked (for example, due to Authenticator or verification issues).
     • Work with the support engineer to verify identity and restore access.
6. Escalate via Microsoft support if the redirect persists only for Founders Hub
   • If the account can sign in to other Microsoft services but only the Founders Hub portal keeps redirecting to the marketing page, this is likely a service-side or tenant-linking issue specific to that program.
   • In that case, open a support request with Microsoft using any working Microsoft account (personal or work) and clearly describe:
     • The tenant name and primary domain.
     • The tenant ID.
     • The global admin UPN.
     • That sign-in to other Microsoft services works, but portal.startups.microsoft.com continually redirects to the marketing homepage instead of the portal.
   • If no existing tenant can be used to open a ticket, one documented workaround in similar Azure/tenant issues is to create a temporary trial Microsoft 365/Azure tenant, then use its admin center “Support” → “Help & support” to open a ticket, explicitly stating that the problem is with a different tenant (provide that tenant’s details). After resolution, cancel the trial to avoid charges.

Because the redirect is isolated to the Founders Hub portal and browser-side fixes are already exhausted, the practical resolution path is to:

• Confirm the account itself is healthy using the Microsoft account sign-in and recovery tools, and
• Escalate to Microsoft support with full tenant and admin details so they can correct any Founders Hub–specific enrollment or routing issue on the backend.

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References:

• I can't sign in to my Microsoft account
• Troubleshoot sign in issues for support.microsoft.com
• General Questions
• 7 Day Old Azure Account: AADSTS5000225: This tenant has been blocked due to inactivity. - Microsoft Q&A
• I have a Micrsoft business account and I am the admin and the only user registered under this account. I can't log in because i have replaced my phone and the authenticator doesn't work. - Microsoft Q&A
• I need to speak with a real person and it seems impossible. - Microsoft Q&A