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Baseten

Baseten AI Startup Program

Up to $25,000 in credits for Dedicated Inference or Training and up to $2,500 for Model APIs, for Seed to Series A startups.

VerifiedLast verified Nov 3, 2026Official source

Worth

Up to $25,000 (Dedicated Deployments/Training) + up to $2,500 (Model APIs)

usd_max reflects the $25,000 Dedicated Inference/Training ceiling; the Model APIs allowance is a separate up-to-$2,500 bucket. Credits expire 6 months after grant.

Quick facts

Value
Up to $25,000 (Dedicated Deployments/Training) + up to $2,500 (Model APIs)
Type
Credits
Duration
6 months
Stages
Seed, Series A
Regions
Global
Max funding raised
Not stated
Max company age
5 years
Last verified
Nov 3, 2026 · Verified

Ways to get it

  1. Apply directly

    Apply directly

    Up to $25,000 + up to $2,500 Model API credits

    • Seed to Series A funding stage
    • Company started less than 5 years ago
    • Never received Baseten credits before; no paid Baseten plan on your domain within 31 days of applying

    Apply through baseten.co/talk-to-us/startup-program. Acceptance at Baseten's discretion.

    Open program page

Eligibility

Requirements

  • Seed to Series A
  • Founded less than 5 years ago
  • AI-first, VC-funded startup
  • Net-new Baseten customer

Not eligible

  • Companies that previously received Baseten credits
  • Domains subscribed to a paid Baseten plan within 31 days of applying
  • Companies that have IPO'd or been acquired, educational institutions, government entities, nonprofits
  • Personal blogs or content sites, dev shops, consultancies and agencies

How to apply

  1. 1

    Create a Baseten workspace and add a payment method (credits are applied to invoices before the card is charged).

  2. 2

    Submit the form at baseten.co/talk-to-us/startup-program with funding stage, founding date and your planned inference or training workloads.

  3. 3

    On approval, credits appear on your workspace; use them within 6 months of the grant date.

  4. 4

    If credits do not show on your invoice, contact Baseten support.

Gotchas

  • Credits expire 6 months after the grant date; unused balance is lost.
  • Model API usage is capped at a separate $2,500 allowance; the $25,000 ceiling is for Dedicated Inference or Training.
  • Net-new customers only, and a paid plan on your domain in the prior 31 days disqualifies you.
  • Acceptance is discretionary even if you meet all criteria.

About the Baseten program

Baseten's AI Startup Program gives accepted startups direct access to Baseten's platform and free credits: up to $25,000 for Dedicated Deployments or Training and up to $2,500 for Model APIs. It targets early-stage, AI-first, VC-funded startups; search excerpts of the program page state Seed to Series A funding stage and a company started less than five years ago.

Only net-new customers can be enrolled, meaning you have never received credits from Baseten before, and the legal disclaimers add that your company domain must not have been subscribed to a paid Baseten plan within 31 days of applying, up to the day the benefit is requested. Baseten cannot accept companies that have IPO'd or been acquired, educational institutions, government entities, nonprofits, personal blogs or content sites, dev shops, consultancies or agencies, and reserves the right to accept or reject applications at its sole discretion.

Credits apply to the Baseten Inference and Training services under Baseten's Terms and Conditions and should be used within 6 months of their grant date; unused credits expire after 6 months. Baseten applies credits to the current invoice before charging the payment method, so there is nothing to redeem manually; contact Baseten if credits do not appear.

Frequently asked questions

How much does Baseten give startups?

Up to $25,000 in credits for Dedicated Inference or Training plus up to $2,500 for Model APIs, per the program page.

How long do the credits last?

Credits should be used within 6 months of the grant date and expire after that, per Baseten's startup program legal disclaimers.

Do I need to redeem a code?

No. Baseten applies credits to your current invoice before charging your payment method; contact Baseten if they do not appear.

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Verification. Checked by our automated checker on Nov 3, 2026 against https://www.baseten.co/talk-to-us/startup-program/. Status: verified.

Fetched directly on 2026-11-03: baseten.co/talk-to-us/startup-program states 'free credits. Up to $25,000 for Dedicated Deployments or Training and up to $2,500 for Model APIs'; baseten.co/startup-program-legal-disclaimers states the 31-day paid-plan rule, the excluded company types, Baseten's discretion, and that credits expire if not consumed within 6 months of grant. The Seed-Series A / under-5-years criteria come from search excerpts of baseten.co/startup-program, whose body is rendered client-side.