Most startup credit-card and banking platforms offer better deals today than the old Azure/OpenAI programs ever did. We use Brex, and we get free credits from Anthropic, OpenAI, and a long list of legitimately valuable perks -- so the opportunities are still out there, just not handed out as casually as before.
The startup programs do still exist. The part people don’t mention is that you actually have to qualify and be in a stage where those credits matter. And once you’re approved, you’re on the clock -- some give you a year, some (like Anthropic) give you six months. If you’re not ready to extract real value, you’re basically burning your one shot at free compute.
OpenAI credits aren’t going to save an early product either.
Most basic API usage costs almost nothing if you’re thoughtful. I wouldn’t request credits until you know exactly how that $2,500 in tokens is going to turn into something that pushes the company forward.
Once they expire or run out, that’s it -- you’re back on your own again.
Most startup credit-card and banking platforms offer better deals today than the old Azure/OpenAI programs ever did. We use Brex, and we get free credits from Anthropic, OpenAI, and a long list of legitimately valuable perks -- so the opportunities are still out there, just not handed out as casually as before.
The startup programs do still exist. The part people don’t mention is that you actually have to qualify and be in a stage where those credits matter. And once you’re approved, you’re on the clock -- some give you a year, some (like Anthropic) give you six months. If you’re not ready to extract real value, you’re basically burning your one shot at free compute.
OpenAI credits aren’t going to save an early product either.
Most basic API usage costs almost nothing if you’re thoughtful. I wouldn’t request credits until you know exactly how that $2,500 in tokens is going to turn into something that pushes the company forward.
Once they expire or run out, that’s it -- you’re back on your own again.