X
Akamai acquires Fermyon to combine WebAssembly function-as-a-service (FaaS) with Akamai’s globally distributed platform. Read news
Login
Login Close
Control Center
Access the Akamai platform
Login Close
Cloud Manager
Manage your cloud resources
Login
Login Close
Control Center
Access the Akamai platform
Login Close
Cloud Manager
Manage your cloud resources
Try Akamai
Under Attack?

Rise: Akamai Cloud’s Program Built for Start-Ups

Get credits to build on affordable cloud products like VMs, GPUs, and storage: Join our cloud computing start-up program

Create account
Join Rise start-up program

Benefits

Access world-class cloud infrastructure while unlocking exclusive benefits tailored to accelerate your success.

Infrastructure credits

Qualify immediately for $500 in cloud infrastructure and earn up to $120,000 during your first year.

Cloud consulting

Leverage cloud architecture experts to help you build, launch, and scale your business.

IT services

Cloud professionals offer guidance on architecture, migrations, and more ($250/hour value).

Community

Connect with other program members, alumni, advisors, and resources.

Support

Prioritized 24/7/365 award-winning customer support via phone, email, or social media.

Become a Rise start-up program member

Rise membership eligibility: established businesses fewer than seven years old that use Akamai Cloud, plan to grow workloads, and are new to Rise.

Apply now

Step 1

Review the Rise membership qualifications and then complete the application process.

Step 2

If eligible, a team member will contact you to schedule an interview and review your application.

Step 3

After acceptance, credits are added to your Akamai Cloud account and next steps are established with the program coordinator.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

The Rise start-up program is designed to empower early-stage companies to build and scale in the cloud. Participants receive infrastructure credits that can be applied to a wide range of cost-effective cloud services — including virtual machines, GPU instances, and cloud storage. Whether you’re onboarding your first test user or serving your millionth customer, the program helps reduce operational costs while supporting innovation and growth.

  • You must be an early-stage company that is fewer than seven years old.
  • Revenue and company size are factors. We are looking for at least one of the following: paid employees outside of founders; active users that are non-friends/family/investors; generating initial revenue.
  • Defined plan on how you will scale your infrastructure as the company grows.
  • Plans include Akamai Cloud as one of the primary providers of your infrastructure.

Please review the Rise membership qualifications above and then complete the application process. If your business qualifies, one of our team members will schedule an interview with you to review your application. Following acceptance to the program, your credits are added to your Akamai Cloud account and the next steps are established with the program coordinator.

Yes. Before applying for the Rise start-up program, you must create a new account for your start-up with 1) the corporate email address associated with your company domain and 2) a valid credit card. For security reasons, applicants must include a working website and a matching corporate email address using a domain aligned with the corporate entity’s web property. Please also make sure the account gets designated as a commercial account via having a corporate entity in the Company field.

We welcome all start-ups, but we prioritize SaaS, media, and gaming start-ups. Managed hosting providers, MSPs, system integrators, and other resellers are not eligible. If you are a reseller, please navigate to our Partner page for the application, and they can work with you on your eligibility.

If you exceed the monthly credit limit, we will charge you for the additional usage for that month.

First-year credits and unused credits do not roll over month-to-month or subsequent years. Rise is a three-year program with discounts offered in years two and three.

We provide a dedicated account manager, access to our Customer Success team, and access to our Solutions Engineering team free of charge! Our Support Engineers are complimentary and available 24/7/365.

Apply to the Rise start-up program

Receive between $500 and $120,000 in cloud credits during your first year in Rise. Fields marked with * are required.