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Could not verify my startup

Furkan Ergun 0 Reputation points
2026-05-04T07:39:50.7266667+00:00

Hello,

I applied for the Azure Startup Credit Offer and successfully received the initial $1,000 credit. After that, I completed the business verification form to unlock the additional $4,000 (to reach the full $5,000 tier), but I received the following message:

"We couldn't verify your startup. You will be switched to a pay-as-you-go subscription once your original $1,000 USD credit is exhausted or expires."

No specific reason was given for the rejection, and I was not offered any option to appeal or correct the submitted information directly in the portal.

My startup meets the documented eligibility requirements:

  • It is a registered legal business entity.
  • It develops and owns a software-based product (not licensed from another party).
  • It is not a government agency, educational institution, consultancy, agency, development shop, personal blog, or crypto mining operation.
  • I am within the 90-day window after redeeming the initial $1,000 credit.

I have my company registration documents, tax certificate, and domain ownership proof ready to share.

Could you please advise:

  1. What was the specific reason my verification was rejected?
  2. How can I re-submit additional documents for manual review?
  3. Is there a way to escalate this case to the Azure Startups verification team?

I would really appreciate your guidance on resolving this so I can unlock the additional credits before my current ones expire.

Thank you.

Azure | Azure Startups
Azure | Azure Startups

Startups: Companies that are in their initial stages of business and typically developing a business model and seeking financing.

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Answer accepted by question author

  1. Jilakara Hemalatha 12,915 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-05-05T11:17:49.3+00:00

    Hello Furkan,

    Thank you for reaching out regarding your Azure Startup Credit verification. I understand how important it is to complete this step and unlock the additional credits, and I appreciate you sharing the details of your situation.

    I’m sorry you ran into this issue. The “We couldn’t verify your startup” message shown in the portal is a generic response and does not specify the exact reason for rejection. Based on common scenarios, this usually happens due to factors such as a mismatch between your legal business name or address and what appears in official records, domain ownership not clearly linked to the same business name or Azure AD tenant, or the application appearing to fall under an unsupported entity type based on the submitted documentation.

    Azure Startup Credit applications are reviewed against multiple validation criteria, including business registration details, product ownership, and overall eligibility alignment. If any of these cannot be fully validated or appear inconsistent, the application may not be approved, and unfortunately the system does not always provide granular feedback.

    At this stage, there isn’t a direct option in the portal to resubmit your verification details. The best next step is to carefully review your original submission and ensure that your company name, registration number, address, and domain exactly match your official documents and public records. Even small discrepancies in naming or formatting can lead to verification issues

    You can then request a manual review by creating a support request in the Microsoft Azure portal under Help + support > New support request > Billing > Subscription management > Startup Credits verification. Please include your subscription ID, a screenshot of the error, and attach your business registration documents, tax certificate, and domain proof. Also, clearly request escalation to the startup verification team.

    If the above doesn’t get you a direct “resubmit” link, you can email the Startups team at startups@microsoft.com or use the “Contact us” form on the Microsoft for Startups portal (https://startups.microsoft.com/support).

    Reference: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/signups/overview?

    Hope this helps!

    1 person found this answer helpful.

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