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At Microsoft for Startups, we're here to help you build faster, smarter, and more securely on Azure. That's why we've introduced a clear and transparent way for startups receiving the Microsoft for Startups Investor Offer to unlock additional Azure credits—by adopting services that support long-term growth and align with cloud architecture best practices.
Why This Matters
Startups that build with foundational Azure services early on are more likely to scale efficiently, reduce risk, and accelerate time to market. This approach helps you get the most out of your Azure credits while setting your solution for long-term success.
How to Unlock More Credits
Startups receiving the Microsoft for Startups Investor Offer can increase their Azure credit allocation by demonstrating active usage of key services that support secure, scalable, and resilient cloud architecture.
To qualify, spend $100 or more in a single month on any combination of the following services:
Azure Monitor A comprehensive observability platform that helps you understand the performance and health of your applications and infrastructure. Azure Monitor enables you to detect issues early, reduce downtime, and optimize performance—critical for startups moving fast and scaling quickly.
Log Analytics A powerful tool for querying and analyzing log data from across your environment. It helps you troubleshoot issues, identify trends, and make informed decisions based on real-time operational insights.
Application Insights Designed for developers, Application Insights provides deep diagnostics and telemetry for your applications. It helps you detect anomalies, understand user behavior, and continuously improve your product experience.
Microsoft Defender for Cloud A unified security management solution that strengthens your security posture. It provides threat detection, vulnerability assessments, and actionable recommendations to help you protect your workloads from evolving threats.
Microsoft Sentinel A scalable, cloud-native security information, and event management (SIEM) solution. Sentinel helps you detect, investigate, and respond to threats across your entire environment—ideal for startups building secure-by-design systems.
Microsoft Purview A unified data governance and compliance platform that helps you manage sensitive data, meet regulatory requirements, and reduce risk. As your startup grows, Purview ensures your data practices scale with you.
These services are essential for building a well-architected solution on Azure. We will monitor usage and increase a startup's Azure credit offer after validating that the criteria are met, which may take up to 30 days to reflect in the Azure portal.
Our goal is to help startups build strong solutions on Azure. By sharing our criteria, we aim to build a long-term partnership based on trust. If we detect misuse of this process, we reserve the right to withhold additional credits and remove the startup from the program.
What is the Azure Well-Architected Framework?
The Azure Well-Architected Framework is a set of guiding principles that help you design and operate reliable, secure, efficient, and cost-effective systems in the cloud. It's built around five core pillars:
Reliability – Ensure your application can recover from failures and continue to function as intended.
Security – Protect your applications and data from threats with a strong security posture.
Cost Optimization – Maximize the value of your cloud investment by managing costs effectively.
Operational Excellence – Continuously improve your processes and monitor performance to deliver business value.
Performance Efficiency – Use computing resources efficiently to meet system requirements and scale as needed.
When startups align their architecture with these principles, they can avoid costly rework, accelerate innovation, and deliver resilient solutions that scale with enterprise customers while growing their business.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much in Azure credits am I eligible for?
The total amount of Azure credits available to your startup depends on various factors. Once you apply and are accepted into the Microsoft for Startups Investor Offer, we share your personalized offer details.
Why these specific services?
These services were selected because they help startups build with best practices in mind—improving security, observability, performance, and compliance. Startups that adopt these services early tend to scale more effectively and avoid costly rework later.
How do I qualify for additional Azure credits?
Spend $100 or more in a single calendar month on any combination of the following services:
Azure Monitor
Log Analytics
Application Insights
Microsoft Defender for Cloud
Microsoft Sentinel
Microsoft Purview
This can be through Azure credits, actual paid usage, or a mix of both.
How is usage measured?
The Microsoft for Startups team evaluates usage based on the calendar month, not a rolling 30-day window. For example, usage from July 1 to July 31 will be counted toward the milestone. A period like July 5 to August 5 wouldn't qualify, even if it totals $100, because it spans two different calendar months.
Do I need to notify Microsoft when I reach the milestone?
No. Once your usage meets the milestone, our Microsoft for Startups team will verify and update your credit offer. You receive email notification confirming that your Azure credit offer has been increased. This may take up to 30 days to process.
Will this extend my time in the program?
No, your program duration remains the same. This milestone only affects the amount of Azure credits you receive—not how long you're in the program.
What if I don't hit the $100 milestone?
You continue with your initial credit offer and can still work toward the milestone until you reach the Investor Offer graduation deadline. After you have graduated out of the offer, you will no longer be eligible for more Azure credits from Microsoft for Startups.
Can I use credits to meet the $100 threshold?
Yes. The $100 can be met through any combination of Azure credit usage or actual paid consumption.
What if I'm using other Azure services not listed here?
That's great! You're free to use any Azure services that meet your needs; however, only usage of these services will be evaluated for an increase your Azure credit offer from Microsoft for Startups.
If I'm not receiving the investor offer, am I eligible to get more Azure credits?
The Azure credit offer increase criteria described in this article are limited to startups the Microsoft for Startups Investor Offer, which requires affiliation with an investor who is a part of the Microsoft for Startups Investor Network. All other startups should take advantage of the Azure startup credit offer directly in the Azure portal.