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Get a free year of Claude for your startup
Anthropic just expanded its Claude for Startups program. If your startup qualifies, you get a full year of Claude Team plus $1,000 in API credits. Here’s exactly how to apply.
Announced 6 October 2026. Details from Anthropic’s program page, checked October 2026.
What you get
1 year of Claude Team
Free for up to five Premium seats, if your organisation is new to Claude Team.
$1,000 in Claude API credits
To build with Claude. Credits expire six months after they’re granted and work on the Claude API through the Claude Console.
Up to $45K in partner offers
Deals from the Claude Startup Stack.
Up to $100K more in API credits
For founders backed by one of Anthropic’s partner VCs, claimed through your VC.
Office hours
Time with Anthropic’s Applied AI team.
Community
Events, hackathons and meetups, plus higher API rate limits for credit recipients.
Do you qualify?
Your startup was founded in the last 5 years, or raised funding in the last 2 years
You have a Claude Console account
You have a company email that matches your website’s domain
You can describe what you’re building in a few lines
Good news
You don’t need investors. Bootstrapped and pre-seed startups can apply too.
Anthropic also checks applications against its supportability policies.
How to apply in 4 steps
Step 1
Sign up for the Claude Console
Create your account at platform.claude.com if you don’t have one yet.
Step 2
Use your company email
It should match your website’s domain, like you@yourstartup.com.
Step 3
Fill in the short application
Describe what you’re building in your own words. Tip from me: write it yourself. Copy-pasting from AI may get you rejected.
Step 4
Check your inbox
Most decisions arrive within minutes. Manual reviews usually take 2 to 3 business days. Once you’re accepted, the email links you to the Claude Startups portal where you claim your offers.
Start your application
Good to know
The free Claude Team year is only for organisations that are new to Claude Team.
API credits expire six months after they’re granted.
Credits work on the first-party Claude API in the Claude Console, not on AWS Bedrock or Google Vertex AI.
Extra VC credits (up to $100K) are claimed through your partner VC, not directly.
Source: Anthropic, Claude for Startups program page.
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