Once your credits are confirmed, all eligible usage-based features will be automatically deducted from your credit balance or applied at no cost as a program benefit. Core security and networking features are included entirely for free across all tiers.

Your monthly invoices will include a detailed breakdown of your usage, credits deducted, and features covered at no cost.

Note on Dashboard Visibility: Credits are not currently visible directly inside your Cloudflare dashboard. You can track your remaining balance and consumption details on your monthly invoices.

Product-Specific Caps & Exclusions:

While credits cover the vast majority of our compute, storage, and Developer Platform, please keep the following specific rules in mind:

• R2 Object Storage: Covered up to a $10,000 cap.
• Workers AI: Covered up to a $50,000 cap (standard partner model pricing applies).
• AI Gateway: Temporarily not covered by credits. We are actively working to make it accessible and will update all startups in the program as soon as it goes live.

We recently updated our program tiers, increasing Tier 3 from $5,000 to $10,000 to give early-stage founders even more runway, and increasing Tier 1 from $250,000 to $350,000 to better support our fastest-scaling startups.

If you are an active member of the program who joined under our previous limits (at either the $5,000 or $250,000 level) and you are approaching your cap, you may request an evaluation for an upgrade. Please note the following guidelines:

• Case-by-case Basis: Upgrades are not automatic. Our team reviews each request individually based on your current product usage, architecture scaling needs, and overall program engagement.
• No Expiry Extension: If approved for an upgrade, please note that this does not reset your 1-year program expiration date. The additional credits will still expire at the end of your original 12-month cohort window.
• How to Request: If you would like our team to evaluate your account for a tier increase, please reach out to us at startups@cloudflare.com with your account ID and a brief summary of how you are utilizing Cloudflare products.

Some advanced features must be manually enabled by our team before you can access them. Depending on the feature, please follow the specific request paths below:

Request via email (startups@cloudflare.com):

• Advanced Certificate Manager (ACM).
• SSL for SaaS.
• Advanced Rate Limiting.
• Load Balancing (for adding additional origins).

Request via Support Ticket:

• Bot Management.
• API Shield.
• Apex Proxying.
• Additional Zero Trust seats.

The following products and services are currently excluded from Startup Program credit coverage:

• AI Gateway: Temporarily not covered by credits.
• Registrar Services: Domain registration and renewal fees are not eligible for credit deductions.
• Enterprise Feature Add-Ons: These are excluded by default, but you can request access by emailing us at startups@cloudflare.com.
• Premium Network Services: Magic Transit, Enterprise Spectrum, Dedicated IPs, and the China Network are excluded and require a dedicated contracted plan.

Credits are valid for one year or until fully consumed, whichever comes first. We are not able to approve extensions at this time. Mark the date you received your confirmation email on your calendar, so you're not caught off guard when you approach graduation.

We want to make your transition as smooth as possible. Our team will reach out to the contact email listed on your application with three reminders leading up to your official graduation date.

Upon graduation, you have a few options depending on your setup:

• Move to a Self-Serve Plan: You can select any self-serve plan directly from your Cloudflare dashboard to continue using pay-as-you-go features without interruption.
• Downgrade to a Free Plan: Any Enterprise domains that are not actively moved to a paid self-serve plan by your graduation date will automatically revert to our Free plan.
• Stay on Enterprise: If your startup has scaled and you would like to remain on an Enterprise plan, please reach out to our team prior to graduation to discuss pricing and options.

Right now, this program isn't open to educational institutions, personal blogs, consultancies, service-based agencies, MSPs, or resellers.

If you are a government entity or a civic project, we'd still love to support you! We offer free security and performance for state and local election websites through the Athenian Project, and robust protection for civic projects through Project Galileo.

The Startup Program is a one-time opportunity per startup and credits cannot be transferred between accounts. However, if you manage multiple distinct startups, you are welcome to apply for each one using different account IDs and email addresses.

Our review process typically takes up to 48 hours. Once approved, you'll receive a confirmation email at the address provided in your application form.

• Haven't heard back? Please check your spam folder or reach out to us at startups@cloudflare.com.
• Was your application rejected? Our team will always provide a reason for the decision. If you believe you qualify and can provide supporting information, we're happy to re-evaluate your application.

All tiers include priority ticket support and chat. If you ever need help escalating an issue, simply share your ticket number with the startup team. Additional support varies by tier:

• Tier 3: Developer documentation and Discord community access.
• Tier 2: Access to a dedicated Account Manager (case-dependent).
• Tier 1: Bi-weekly Solutions Architect office hours.

Because Cloudflare offers a generous free tier across many of our features, you may be using our products without drawing from your balance. Your Startup Program credits will only be applied when you utilize paid features or exceed the limits of the free tier.