Redeeming Y combinator credits

Question

**I got an email that I have already got the credits/benefits. ****We're not able to accept you at this time because **your startup has already been accepted into Microsoft for Startups. But I am not able to see the benefits.

Answer 1

The email means the startup has already been enrolled in Microsoft for Startups and the Azure credits/benefits have been issued, but access to those benefits is controlled separately from the program enrollment.

For Microsoft for Startups credits and benefits, two things are distinct:

1. Program enrollment and benefits being granted to the startup
2. Access for individual team members to the Azure subscription and resources where those credits were applied

In this situation, the startup is already accepted and has credits, but the individual account isn’t yet connected to the subscription or tenant where those credits live.

To resolve this:

1. Identify who activated the credits
   • Typically the founder or whoever received and redeemed the original Microsoft for Startups credit offer email.
   • That person’s Microsoft Account (for example, a personal MSA such as ******@outlook.com or ******@gmail.com) usually owns the subscription where the credits were applied.
2. Have that person verify the Azure setup
   • They should sign in to the Azure portal with the account that redeemed the credits and confirm:
     • Which subscription has the Microsoft for Startups credits applied.
     • Which Microsoft Entra ID tenant (directory) is associated with that subscription.
3. Have them grant access to the subscription
   • As long as they are an Owner/Admin on the subscription, they must explicitly add the user as a role assignment on that subscription using Azure RBAC.
   • They should follow the documented steps in “Steps to assign an Azure role – Azure RBAC” to assign at least the Reader, Contributor, or Owner role on the startup’s subscription to the user account.
   • Until this role assignment is done, the user will see messages like “You’re not currently assigned to your startup’s Azure subscription” and won’t see or use the credits.
4. Ensure the company tenant is set up correctly (if not already)
   • Credits are initially tied to an individual’s Microsoft Account, but the recommended setup is to:
     • Establish a company-backed Microsoft Entra ID tenant with a custom domain (for example, @contoso.com).
     • Make sure the person who activated the credits has the correct admin permissions in that tenant.
     • Add other team members to that tenant and grant them access to the subscription.

If, after being added to the subscription via Azure RBAC, the user still doesn’t see credits, the owner should:

• Confirm that the credits were actually redeemed and applied to the correct subscription in the Microsoft for Startups Portal.
• Verify that the user is signing in with the same identity (work account vs personal MSA) that was granted access.

Program acceptance alone doesn’t automatically expose credits to every team member; subscription access must be explicitly granted by the person who activated the credits.

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References:

• Why can’t I see my startup’s Azure credits as a team member?
• What is Microsoft for Startups?
• Properly Setting Up Your Azure Account