Recipes that work the first time.

A genuinely free plan for cap-table management, SAFE and equity issuance — until you cross 25 stakeholders or $1M raised, at which point you graduate to paid.

First-try successnot yet measured

Up to a year free on the full Datadog platform and up to $100k of credits — but only through an official partner, and the credits evaporate if you do not activate within 30 days.

First-try successnot yet measured

A steep multi-year software discount — 90/50/25% for VC-funded companies, 30/15% for accelerator-affiliated ones — on net-new Pro or Enterprise seats only.

First-try successnot yet measured

Up to six months free on a paid Linear plan, for teams under 50 that come through one of Linear's 900+ accelerator and VC partners.

First-try successnot yet measured

NOT a credits program, and labelled that way on purpose. Raise is Mercury's fundraising and community program: warm investor introductions through Investor Connect, plus a vetted founder community. Free and self-serve. Mercury's dollar credits live in a different program — see the traps.

First-try successnot yet measured

Free months on the Business plan including Notion AI — six with a partner code, three for tech startups, one for small businesses. New non-paying customers only.

First-try successnot yet measured

Charge cards with 1.5% cashback and a large bundle of partner perks — including the OpenAI credits — with no VC referral required. US entity and roughly $75k of cash needed.

First-try successnot yet measured

A year at 100% off a monthly Team or Business plan — a published ceiling of $60,000 — then 25% off year two, for new customers under $10M raised.

First-try successnot yet measured

Incorporation as a service (Delaware C-corp/LLC, EIN, 83(b), Cooley docs) with $2,500 of first-year Stripe credits and a bundle of other vendors' discounts. There is a real fee.

First-try successnot yet measured

There is no standing credit program. The only route is the annual AI Startup Searchlight competition, which closes 11 September 2026 and names honorees in mid-to-late November.

First-try successnot yet measured