MongoDB for Startups is MongoDB’s programme for early-stage software companies building on Atlas, its managed database service. Accepted startups get Atlas credits, Voyage AI embedding tokens and access to MongoDB engineers, with the size of the package set by one of four tiers. We checked the official MongoDB pages on 1 November 2026; MongoDB does not publish a dollar amount for any tier, so treat any fixed figure you see elsewhere with caution.
What you get
MongoDB relaunched the programme in October 2025 with a tiered structure and, by its own account, 50% more Atlas credits than the previous version. The four tiers map to company stage:
| Tier | Typical stage | What MongoDB says you get |
|---|---|---|
| Inspire | Bootstrapped | Baseline credits to validate the idea and build |
| Grow | Early funding | More credits plus direct technical help |
| Innovate | VC-backed and growing | Further credits and deeper expertise |
| Scale | Scaling fast | The largest credit grant, priority support and expert guidance |
Every tier includes some combination of the following:
- Atlas credits. These are applied as a promo code on your Atlas organisation and are drawn down against your usage.
- Voyage AI tokens. Voyage AI is MongoDB’s embedding and reranking model provider. Tokens are included, but MongoDB does not state how many.
- Support. The Developer Support plan is free for the first 30 days. After that you can keep it and pay with Atlas credits, from $49 per month. The plan covers round-the-clock support, in-app chat and the support portal.
- Professional services. One 1:1 session with a MongoDB professional services expert.
- Go-to-market help. MongoDB mentions marketing opportunities but gives no detail.
A note on credit amounts
The only firm Atlas figure we found on a MongoDB domain is on its Google Cloud page, which advertises up to $5,000 for Atlas for startups that apply through the joint Google Cloud offer. That is a separate route from the main MongoDB for Startups form, and MongoDB does not list its conditions there.
Who qualifies
MongoDB lists four base requirements:
- Early stage. The company is less than 7 years old and at Series A or earlier.
- One scalable product. You sell a single software product or service.
- First time in the programme. You have not been accepted before.
- Visible online. You have a live company website and a LinkedIn company page.
Development shops and agencies are excluded. Current Atlas customers can apply.
Most startups arrive through a VC firm, accelerator or incubator that partners with MongoDB, but you can also apply directly without one. If your investor is not a partner yet, MongoDB suggests contacting [email protected].
One inconsistency to be aware of: the eligibility text says Series A or earlier, while the application form lets you pick “Series B or higher”. If you are past Series A, ask MongoDB before relying on acceptance.
How to apply
- Open the MongoDB for Startups page and fill in the application form. It asks for a company email, company name and domain, LinkedIn URL, headquarters country, postal code and funding stage.
- Wait for a decision. If you have heard nothing after 5 business days, email [email protected].
- Once accepted, look for your unique promo code in the welcome email.
- Sign in at account.mongodb.com, open Billing, choose Apply Code, paste the code and submit.
- Check the balance and expiry date under Billing, in the Available Credits section.
Only an Organization Owner or Organization Billing Admin can apply the code, so make sure the right person on your team handles step 4.
Things to check before you apply
- Two separate 12-month clocks. You have 12 months to activate the code, then 12 months from activation to spend the credits. Activating early starts the second clock, so wait until you have real workloads.
- No backdating. The code only covers charges incurred after you apply it.
- Extensions are not automatic. Ask about three months before expiry. MongoDB decides case by case.
- Support costs come out of the same pot. If you keep Developer Support after the free 30 days, that spend reduces the credits left for your clusters.
- One acceptance per company. Past members cannot reapply for a fresh grant.
- Amounts are tier-based. Bootstrapped founders should expect the Inspire tier, so budget for paid usage if you scale quickly.
How it compares
Several database vendors now run startup programmes, but most publish a single number. MongoDB’s tiered model means a VC-backed company can receive far more than a bootstrapped one, while also making it hard to plan around a figure before you apply. The Voyage AI tokens are a useful extra for teams building retrieval or semantic search on Atlas Vector Search, since embeddings and the database come from the same vendor.
