GitHub for Startups gives eligible early-stage companies $10,000 in GitHub credits to spend on GitHub Enterprise Cloud over up to 12 months. The credits cover Enterprise licences and paid add-ons including Copilot and Advanced Security. We checked GitHub’s official startups page on 1 November 2026. The older “free Enterprise seats” offer is gone, so ignore listings that still describe it.
What you get
The core benefit is a $10,000 credit applied to your GitHub Enterprise account. You can spend it on:
- GitHub Enterprise licences for your team.
- GitHub Copilot, including licences, premium models and agent features such as the coding agent and code review.
- GitHub Advanced Security, which GitHub lists as Code Security, Secret Protection and Dependabot.
- Other metered offerings on the Enterprise platform.
Enterprise itself includes 50,000 GitHub Actions minutes and GitHub Packages.
How long the credits last
Credits are valid for up to 12 months from approval. They end at whichever comes first: the balance reaching zero or the 12-month period finishing. Anything left at the end is lost.
What happens afterwards
When the credits or the programme period end, active products switch to standard paid billing automatically. GitHub puts the responsibility on you to track usage. If an Azure subscription is linked to the account, GitHub credits are used first and Azure is billed after.
Who qualifies
GitHub lists these conditions:
- Partner affiliation. You must be connected to a GitHub for Startups partner, such as a VC firm, incubator or accelerator.
- Outside funding up to Series B. You must have received outside equity funding, at Series B or earlier. Non-equity credits do not count as funding.
- New to GitHub Enterprise. No Enterprise plan in the past six months, and no previous GitHub credits or Enterprise licences.
- Enterprise Cloud only. The programme supports Enterprise Cloud on GitHub.com. Enterprise Server and Enterprises with data residency are excluded.
Startups that already received GitHub Enterprise credits through Microsoft for Startups or the earlier GitHub for Startups offer are not eligible again.
If you do not meet these rules, GitHub points you to free trials of Enterprise, Advanced Security or Copilot.
Students are covered by a different offer, the GitHub Student Developer Pack, which is outside the scope of this guide.
How to apply
- Ask your VC, incubator or accelerator for its GitHub for Startups application link, or check whether it is listed as a partner on the GitHub for Startups page.
- Apply through that partner route.
- Watch the applicant’s primary email address. GitHub aims to respond within 2-3 business days.
- Add a valid payment method when onboarding. GitHub places an authorisation charge within a few weeks, and a failed authorisation locks the account.
- For problems, open a GitHub support ticket under the “Credit Offers - GitHub for Startups” category.
Things to check before you apply
- Metered add-ons draw down fast. Copilot premium models, agent features and Advanced Security are usage-based. Check your balance regularly so the switch to paid billing does not surprise you.
- Do not downgrade early. Downgrading before the credits are used or the period ends forfeits the remaining balance and bars you from reapplying.
- One redemption only. The offer can be claimed once.
- Credits stay with one account. They apply only to the Enterprise account named in your application and cannot be moved.
- Revocation is possible. GitHub can remove credits from accounts that break its terms.
- Payment details must work. The authorisation charge is not optional. A declined card locks the account.
Making the $10,000 last
Spread over 12 months, the credit works out to about $833 a month. How far that goes depends on team size and how heavily you use metered features. A few practical steps:
- License only active developers. Seats for occasional contributors eat into the balance every month.
- Review Copilot settings. Decide early which members can use premium models and agent features, since those are billed by usage.
- Turn on only the security products you need. Advanced Security is covered, but each enabled product draws on the same balance.
- Check the balance monthly. If you are on track to run out before month 12, plan the move to paid billing rather than letting it happen automatically.
How it compares
The switch from free seats to a $10,000 balance makes the programme more flexible: a small team can put most of the credit toward Copilot and security tooling instead of unused seats. The trade-off is that metered spend can exhaust the balance well before 12 months. The partner requirement is strict, so founders without an investor or accelerator relationship will need to rely on GitHub’s standard trials.
