DigitalOcean startup credits: what DigitalOcean Startups includes

What you get

• DigitalOcean credits for 12 months (amount varies; set via your partner), with a usual $10,000 monthly usage limit
• Free Standard-tier paid support for 15 months
• One-on-ones with DigitalOcean product managers and engineers, plus the startup community
• Welcome Kit of partner perks (e.g. 20% off Stripe Atlas)
• Selected startups may be invited to apply for separate GPU credit packages

Eligibility

• Raised $10M or less
• Company website and an email address on that website's domain
• Registered DigitalOcean team account using a business email
• New to DigitalOcean credits; AI-native startups are prioritised
• Service-based businesses (consulting, web/app development, marketing agencies) are not eligible

How DigitalOcean startup credits work

Credit types and validity

• DigitalOcean credits for 12 months (amount varies; set via your DigitalOcean Startups partner), with a usual $10,000 monthly usage limit
• Free Standard-tier paid support for 15 months
• One-on-ones with DigitalOcean product managers and engineers, plus the startup community
• Welcome Kit of partner perks (e.g. 20% off Stripe Atlas)
• Selected startups may be invited to apply for separate GPU credit packages

How the credits are applied and when they expire

Create a new DigitalOcean team account with your company-domain email and a valid credit card, then apply on digitalocean.com/startups and select your affiliated partner (or 'Other'). On acceptance you get an onboarding email with your credit amount and Welcome Kit. Credits cover qualifying services up to the monthly limit; usage above it, GPU Droplets and other non-qualifying services are charged to your payment method. Credits are non-transferable and forfeited if unused.

For founders in India

No India-specific terms published; Indian startups apply under the same criteria. A valid credit card is required on the new team account.

How to apply, step by step

1. Create a new DigitalOcean team account with your company-domain email and a valid credit card
2. Open digitalocean.com/startups and fill in the application
3. Select your affiliated partner (VC, incubator or accelerator), or 'Other' if you have none
4. Once accepted, you receive an onboarding email with your credit amount and a Welcome Kit

Documents and details to keep ready

• Working company website
• Corporate email address matching the website
• DigitalOcean team account with a valid credit card
• Name of your affiliated partner organisation, if any

Common reasons applications are declined

• Raised more than $10M
• Service-based businesses (consulting, web/app development services, marketing agencies)
• No company website or no email on the website's domain
• Not new to DigitalOcean credits

Tips before you apply

• Open a fresh team account with your corporate email before applying; existing personal accounts don't meet the requirement
• Ask your VC, incubator or accelerator if it is a DigitalOcean Startups partner, since the partner determines your award level
• Keep GPU workloads separate in your budget: GPU Droplets and inference aren't covered by core credits
• Watch the monthly limit; usage above it is billed that month

Terms to know

• Core credits exclude GPU Droplets, H100, bare-metal GPUs, dedicated/serverless inference, third-party AI models, Paperspace and Cloudways
• Usage above the monthly limit is charged; credits are non-transferable and forfeited if unused; no crypto mining