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Claude Startups: how to apply, and what you'll actually get
Anthropic's startup program gives members partner offers worth up to $45,000 and office hours with its AI team. The $1,000 credits and the free Claude Team year are over capacity right now, so read the heads-up first.
Checked on 9 Oct 2026. Tools change fast, so the official page always wins if it says something different.
Read this first
- Heads-up: Anthropic says it got hundreds of thousands of applications in a few days and is over capacity on the $1,000 API credits and the free year of Claude Team. New applicants may not get those two right now, and it's re-reviewing all applications. (Official FAQ, 9 Oct.)
- What members still get: partner offers worth up to $45,000 (the "Startup Stack"), 45-minute office hours with Anthropic's Applied AI team every other week, and events.
- Partner offers include ElevenLabs 12 months free + 33M characters, Granola 3 months of Business free (up to 10 seats), Gamma 25% off your first year of Pro, Firecrawl 2.5x credits for a year, ClickHouse $5K credits and Hex 6 months free on Enterprise. They come from the partner companies, not Anthropic.
- No investors needed. It's open to bootstrapped, pre-seed and venture-backed startups. Backed by a VC in Anthropic's partner network? You may get up to $100K extra API credits through your VC.
- Credits only work in the Claude Console (the Claude API), not on AWS Bedrock or Google Vertex AI.
What you need first
Step by step
Open the program page and click Apply now
Go to claude.com/programs/startups and click Apply now.
- Click Apply now. It opens the application in the Claude Console.
Sign in to the Claude Console with your business email
No Console account yet? The same screen creates one.
- Type your business email ([email protected]), not Gmail.
- Click Continue with email and open the sign-in link they email you.
Fill in the application
Say what you're building with Claude in plain words: who it's for and what Claude does in it. Be honest, they re-review applications.
We use Claude to [what it does] for [who it's for]. For example: we answer customer questions and book appointments for local salons.
Wait for the email
Anthropic aims to review every application within one week and emails you the decision.
Accepted? Redeem the offers
Members redeem each partner offer with a code in the Claude Console. The office hours link comes by email and in the Claude Startups portal.
Some of the partner offers on the page (9 Oct):
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The catch
- The $1,000 credits and free Team year are over capacity. Anthropic's own FAQ says so. Apply for the partner offers and office hours, and treat the credits as a bonus if they come back.
- Applications are being re-reviewed, which may change some people's status.
- Partner offers come from other companies, each with its own terms. Read them before you rely on one.
- Credits only work in the Claude Console. Not on AWS Bedrock or Google Vertex AI.
Stuck?
Can I apply with a Gmail address?
I'm already a member. Do I need to reapply?
Can I use the credits on AWS Bedrock or Google Vertex?
How long does it take?
Official links
Want to go further?
I show a new AI tool every week, and how to make money or save hours with it. No tech background needed.
Unnerd AI · I'm not linked to Anthropic or its partners, I just think it's useful.