New AWS Activate Benefits You Might Not Know About

Since its inception in 2013, AWS Activate has helped over 280,000 startups realize their groundbreaking ideas. We do this by providing access to the technology powering some of the most successful enterprises, such as Airbnb, Lyft, and Stripe—all  of which were startups when they began working with AWS.

When a new startup joins AWS Activate—which happens approximately every 10 minutes—they unlock up to $100,000 in AWS credits and hundreds of thousands of dollars in third-party offers and savings. But AWS Activate has become much more than just a credits program, expanding to offer startups support, networking opportunities, on-call experts, and more. Read on to discover the lesser known Activate benefits that can help your startup be more efficient in both cost and operations.

Networking with Startup Showcase

Networking is intrinsic to getting a startup off the ground, and Activate is here to help you make the connections you need to grow and succeed. We created Startup Showcase as a directory to share your products, amplify your reach, connect with peers, and catch the attention of investors. “It's solving two different needs,” says Rashmit Ritam Das, Senior Manager of Product Management within the AWS Activate team. “One is investor connections, two is awareness.”

Members can create their Showcase page complete with details like product images, industry, AWS technologies used, and their company website. Rashmit added, “We wanted to make it easy for potential investors or customers to get in touch with these startups by adding a key contact—a primary contact—to encourage inbound requests.”

On-call experts

As an AWS Activate member, you have access to your own AWS team, composed of former investors, founders, and startup experts. Your dedicated account manager (AM) is available to help you troubleshoot business and technical issues as they arise, and larger startups may be supported by multiple AMs. They also have the ability to pull in more dedicated support from business development resources and solutions architects (SAs) as needed. Business Development managers can advise you on everything from your pitch deck to your go-to-market strategy. Solutions architects can help you build out your tech stack, optimize your AWS architecture, and bring in more specialized services teams if further consults and advice are necessary.

“We also have third-party consulting experts throughout the AWS Partner Network, which includes more than 130,000 Partners from over 200 countries,” says Rashmit. “You can connect with somebody from MongoDB, for example, to get any of your questions answered.” In addition, you will have access to a startup account team including Technical Account Managers, services teams, and AWS Support, a team dedicated to helping you get as much out of AWS as possible.

Building with pre-built templates

It’s not always necessary—or smart—to start from scratch. Our expert solution architects know this well, which is why they have created an array of complimentary AWS implementation guides and templates for both nontechnical founders and technical builders looking to get their ideas off the ground. These templates are available to you, for free, the moment you join Activate.

“Previously, it would have taken you one week or two weeks to research everything and figure out what to build,” says Rashmit. “But now you can just use one given template on the site and deploy a mobile app within a few hours.” These cloud templates and integration guides can be invaluable when it comes to building your MVP and taking advantage of the AWS tech stack.

Tailored cohort-based programs

As an AWS Activate member, you’re eligible to peruse and join a wide array of cohort-based programs. There are two main types of programs: global accelerators and regional Spotlights. The global accelerators, such as the Generative AI Accelerator, are designed to help founders join an international cohort in an industry that is having an impact worldwide. Spotlight accelerators are geared toward startups in a specific geographical region. Spotlights are guided by local experts and mentors who understand the nuanced needs of the startup community where the program is held. Founders in both types of programs have the opportunity to participate in a demo day at the end of their respective programs and pitch their products to investors.

“We have AWS accelerators and Spotlights across different domains,” says Rashmit. “It’s not one size fits all. You find your cohort. And even the programs in that accelerator are very much targeted toward you, what kind of startup you are, what kind of stage you are, what kind of industry you are in, what kinds of products you are building.”

Join events with ease

AWS Activate members have long had access to a huge calendar of exciting live and virtual events hosted by AWS. But with the new events page on startups.aws, it’s never been easier to find a great event and join in. From local community events to virtual learning paths, AWS Activate gives you access to all of the meet-ups, resources, and trainings specific to startup use cases.

“I’m really proud of all the ways AWS creates opportunities for startups to network and learn from experts and from each other,” says Rashmit. “One of the best parts about being an AWS Activate member with a profile on startups.aws is that we’ve made it so easy for members to find and register for events. No lengthy forms, no juggling calendars. All it takes is one click.”

Connecting through Slack communities

AWS Activate’s Slack communities offer founders the space to mingle, find support, and build alliances 24/7. “As a founder, you always have a lot of questions, but you might not have a peer community to reach out to,” says Rashmit. “The Slack community is that instant communication.”

Currently, Slack communities are being expanded to include industry-specific subgroups. For example, founders will be able to connect with peers who are also in the gen AI world or building on a specific AWS server. “It’s common to feel siloed as a startup founder,” says Rashmit. “These Slack channels give our founders the opportunity to reach out to specific founders they admire and want to learn more from.”

Users can also access the channels to locate industry-specific support, brainstorm, share constructive criticism, and promote their products.

AWS Activate grows with you

After joining, you'll unlock the immediate foundational benefits that are geared toward figuring out what your product is going to be, how to build it, and how to find product-market fit. As you explore the community and make headway on your MVP, you'll see that Activate provides you with go-to-market and growth opportunities, as well as the opportunity to find partners, VCs, and potential customers.

“We support bootstrap startups and we also support startups who have some funding from our partner VCs and partner fee funding,” says Rashmit. “As your startup grows, we provide more and more benefits to you.”

Ready to get started? Create your AWS Activate account today.