- Microsoft pulls the plug on its startups program in favor of a new scheme
- From July 2025, startups need to participate in a two-track system
- For most credits, startups need a referral
Microsoft has pulled the plug on a popular program designed to support startups by offering them up to $ 150,000 in Azure credits, according to a new memo sent on June 27, 2025, but it hasn’t gone forever.
Instead, the company makes changes to the program-Microsoft will continue to support startups, but this time via a two-track system that gets its support from investors as well as the company itself.
Microsoft emphasized that existing activated credits remain valid until they expire, but new applicants will be controlled down the two-track system, which came info effect on July 1st.
Microsoft for the Startups program undergoing a big shift
The new program will first consist of an investor-supported track-without doubt the most valuable for startups.
It consists of $ 100,000+ in Azure credits, but requires a referral from an affiliated investor, such as accelerators, venture capitalists and universities. Qualified startups can also lock additional benefits based on program engagement and their investor.
Dedicated support channels, co-marketing initiatives and tailor-made resources are also available.
Secondly, the self -service track, which is open to startups without investor support, is new in Azure. Up to $ 5,000 in Azure credits are available, which consists of $ 1,000 available for 90 days after registration and another $ 4,000, which remains available in 180 days after business verification.
However, there is no dedicated support on this track-it is only self-service.
The sudden change can cause disruption of many startups that may have already budgeted based on the previous $ 150,000 credit accessibility, where most Startups will unlikely to focus on their strategies considering the short notice period.
It’s unclear how the changes can also affect Microsoft’s model, with Google offering up to $ 200,000 in credits (or $ 350,000 for eligible AI startups) and AWS, offering up to $ 100,000 and another $ 30,000 for startups using AWS Trainium or Inferentia.
