We're a small, bootstrapped proptech SaaS company in India with about 15,000 organic users and no marketing spend. Our product is built entirely on Azure, with most of our usage coming from Azure OpenAI/Foundry models, followed by Container Apps, VMs, and AI Search. We've used roughly $23,000 of our $25,000 in startup credits, leaving less than $2,000. We've already reduced our model costs by about half by switching to cheaper models where possible and improving prompt caching.
We're currently speaking with investors and negotiating our first larger B2B contracts, but we haven't closed funding yet. Support declined two requests for additional credits or a higher program level, explaining that extensions, renewals, and extra allocations are no longer available under the current program rules. They said further upgrades require a valid Investor Referral Code from an investor in the Microsoft for Startups Investor Network. Microsoft does not publish a participating-investor directory or provide introductions, and a previous upgrade we received does not establish eligibility. They suggested checking ISV Success as a separate option.
For founders who have dealt with this recently: what's the fastest realistic way to obtain an Investor Referral Code without already being funded? Do accelerators, angel networks, or VC firms in India commonly provide one, and does an investor need to invest first, or can a code be issued after an initial meeting or term sheet? Has anyone moved from Founders Hub to ISV Success and received meaningful Azure credits? Are there any other options to avoid service disruption before the remaining credits run out? We understand that a Sponsorship subscription cannot simply be converted in place to pay-as-you-go, so we're preparing a separate PAYG subscription if necessary.
1 Answer
The most practical route appears to be joining an accelerator or startup program connected with investors in the Microsoft for Startups network. An actual completed investment may not be required, but you would need to confirm directly with the accelerator or investor whether they issue referral codes and at what stage.
That’s helpful. We’ll prioritize accelerators and investor networks that can confirm their referral-code process before we spend time applying.