Building your startup stack on a budget

Many tools offer generous free tiers that cover early-stage needs. Start here before paying for premium features.

GitHub offers free private repositories. Notion provides free personal workspaces. Stripe has no monthly fees—you only pay processing fees. These free tiers can cover your needs for months or even years.

Only upgrade to paid tiers when you hit free tier limits. By then, you might qualify for startup discounts that make premium features affordable.

Startup deals are often time-limited or have limited availability. Claim them early, even if you don't need premium features immediately.

Notion for Startups, Stripe startup programs, and HubSpot discounts require application approval. Start these applications as soon as you're eligible—approval can take 1-2 weeks.

Some deals have expiration dates. AWS Activate credits are valid for 24 months, but you need to activate them within a certain timeframe. Don't wait until you need infrastructure—claim credits early.

The biggest savings come from combining multiple deals. Don't just claim one deal—build a complete stack using deals across categories.

Combine cloud credits (AWS, GCP, Vercel) with software deals (Notion, Stripe, HubSpot) and banking deals (Brex, Mercury). This comprehensive approach maximizes total savings.

One founder saved $47K by combining AWS credits ($30K), Notion deals ($1K), Stripe fee waivers ($5K), and banking deals ($11K). The combination is more valuable than any single deal.

Know exactly how much you're saving. Track deal values, expiration dates, and renewal opportunities.

Create a simple spreadsheet tracking: deal name, value, expiration date, and renewal eligibility. Review this quarterly to plan for credit expiration and identify new opportunities.

Share savings metrics with your team and investors. Showing $50K+ in first-year savings demonstrates financial discipline and extends runway.