Up to $10,000 in cloud credits for early-stage companies building on Rails Cloud. Infrastructure, support, and community to help you ship.
Cloud credits you can use across VPS, databases, AI labs, container registry, and all other Rails Cloud services.
Credits are valid for a full year from approval. Enough time to build, launch, and find product-market fit.
VPS, managed databases, AI labs, container registry, object storage, and more. No feature restrictions.
Credits are awarded based on your stage and needs. Start small, scale up.
Credits work across the entire Rails Cloud platform. Use them for anything.
Mobile wallets, lending platforms, insurance tech, and payment integrations using Rails Pay APIs.
Business tools, CRMs, ERPs, and productivity apps deployed on VPS with managed databases.
Train models, run inference, and build AI-powered products using GPU-accelerated AI Labs.
Streaming platforms, content delivery, and media apps using Rails Media APIs and object storage.
The Startup Program gives you the tools and connections to actually succeed.
Create an account and select "Startup" as your account type.
Tell us about your company, product, and how you'll use Rails Cloud.
We review applications within 1-3 business days. Most startups hear back the same week.
Credits are applied instantly. Start deploying and building on Rails Cloud.
We're not looking for a perfect pitch deck. We want to understand what you're building and why.
What problem are you solving, and for whom? The more specific, the better.
How will you use Rails Cloud? VPS, APIs, databases, AI Labs — what does your architecture look like?
Who's on the team? What's your background? Solo founders are welcome.
Already have users? Great. Still pre-launch? Tell us your 90-day plan.
No. The Startup Program is credits-only. We don't take equity, revenue share, or any other ownership in your company.
Absolutely. Most of our startups apply at the idea or MVP stage. You don't need revenue or funding to qualify.
You transition to standard pay-as-you-go pricing. No cliff — your infrastructure keeps running. You can also apply for additional credits if you're still in the growth phase.
The program is open to startups building products for African markets. You don't need to be physically located in Zimbabwe, but your product should serve the continent.
The Startup Program gives you credits to build independently. The Ubuntu Ignite incubation is a structured 6-month program with mentorship, milestones, and Demo Day. You can be in both.
Register with a startup account and submit your application. Most reviews are completed within 1-3 business days.