Datadog for Startups - up to $100K in observability credits
Source: https://www.datadoghq.com/partner/datadog-for-startups
Description
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+ 1 Datadog for Startups (DDFS) provides eligible early-stage companies with $30,000 to $100,000 in Datadog Pro credit for one year or until their next round of funding (whichever comes first). The credit covers the full Datadog observability and security platform with no watered-down tiers. The catch: you cannot apply directly — every applicant must come in through one of Datadog's official referral partners (VCs, accelerators, hyperscalers, or vendor partner programs).
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+ 7 • Stage: Series A or earlier
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+ 8 • New to Datadog: Cannot be a current or prior Datadog customer, and cannot have previously received DDFS credits
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+ 9 • Referred by an official partner: This is non-negotiable — the application form is a dropdown of approved partners and you must select yours
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+ 10 • Region: Global (you pick a data residency region at signup; cannot be changed afterward)
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+ 11
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+ 12 If you're a bootstrapped startup with no VC/accelerator connection, this program is not for you. Look at Datadog's Pro free trial instead, or other observability programs (Grafana for Startups, Sentry for Startups, New Relic free tier).
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+ 18 1. Identify your referral partner first. Ask your investor, accelerator program manager, or startup community contact whether they're a Datadog partner. If you don't have one, you cannot apply.
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+ 19 2. Go to datadoghq.com/partner/datadog-for-startups
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+ 20 3. Click "Apply now"
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+ 21 4. Create a Datadog trial account (or use your existing trial account — must NOT be a prior paid account)
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+ 22 5. Fill out the application form — select your referral partner from the dropdown menu, provide company details, funding stage, and use case
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+ 23 6. Wait 3-5 business days for an Acceptance Notice email
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+ 24 7. On acceptance, your account is upgraded with the promotional credits specified in the Acceptance Notice (this is when your 12-month clock starts)
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+ 25
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+ 26 Important:
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+ 27 • The credit amount you actually get ($30K vs $100K) is at Datadog's discretion based on your funding stage, partner, and projected usage — it is NOT published in tiers
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+ 28 • The 12-month clock starts at Activation, not at signup
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+ 29 • You cannot change data residency region after signup — pick carefully (US1, US3, US5, EU1, AP1, etc.)
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+ 36 • $30,000 to $100,000 of Datadog Pro credit
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+ 37 • Access to the Pro tier of the full Datadog platform: Infrastructure Monitoring, APM (Application Performance Monitoring), Logs, Metrics, Synthetics, RUM (Real User Monitoring), and security modules
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+ 38 • Eligible preview / beta products during the program window
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+ 39 • Extended trials of products outside the Pro tier
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+ 42 • Dedicated Program Manager (PM) assigned to your account
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+ 43 • Customer Success Manager (CSM) assigned after several months
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+ 44 • Optional Technical Engagement Manager (TEM) for onboarding
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+ 45 • Datadog Learning Center access (courses, certifications)
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+ 46 • Orientation session for new Datadog users
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+ 47 • Quarterly check-ins on usage and progress
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+ 48 • Standard support via support@datadoghq.com
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+ 54 Datadog does not publish a tier table. The Acceptance Notice specifies your specific credit amount based on:
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+ 55
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+ 56 • Your funding stage (pre-seed startups skew toward $30K, Series A toward $100K)
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+ 57 • Your referral partner (top-tier accelerators / hyperscalers may unlock higher amounts)
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+ 58 • Projected monthly host count and log volume
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+ 59
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+ 60 If you need a specific budget, mention your projected infrastructure footprint in the application notes — it helps the Program Manager size the credit appropriately.
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+ 66 The full list of partners lives in the application form dropdown. The network includes:
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+ 67
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+ 68 • Hyperscalers: AWS Activate, Google for Startups Cloud Program, Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub
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+ 69 • Top accelerators: Y Combinator, Techstars, 500 Global, and similar tier-1 programs
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+ 70 • Major VC firms: Most established Seed-Series A funds in the US/EU
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+ 71 • Vendor startup networks: Other developer-tool startup programs that cross-promote
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+ 72
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+ 73 If your investor isn't in the dropdown, they may be able to become a partner by emailing ddfspartners@datadoghq.com — but this won't be fast enough to help you apply right now.
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+ 79 The program ends at the earliest of these events:
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+ 80
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+ 81 1. 12 months after Activation (the standard cap)
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+ 82 2. Credit exhaustion — once you burn through your $30K-$100K
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+ 83 3. Removal for inactivity — 3 consecutive months of inactivity triggers a warning, then removal after 30 more days
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+ 84 4. Next funding round — raising your next round (Series B, etc.) ends the program early per Datadog's marketing copy
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+ 85
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+ 86 After the program ends, you're billed at Datadog's standard pricing under the MSA. No auto-discount continues, so plan your migration / spend ramp before the 12-month mark.
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+ 87
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+ 88 Heads up: Datadog billing can spike fast (host-based pricing on infra + per-million on logs). Set Usage Attribution / budget alerts inside Datadog from day one.
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+ 94 If you're a student (not a startup), Datadog has a separate Student Developer Program offering 2 years of free access with usage limits. See datadoghq.com/dg/community/students/ for that path.
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+ 99
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+ 100 • Apply early in your fundraising cycle — if you're about to close Series B, the clock effectively gets cut short
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+ 101 • Use the Learning Center — the courses are genuinely good and free during the program; many translate into Datadog certifications that look good on LinkedIn
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+ 102 • Choose your data residency carefully — EU1 vs US1 cannot be changed post-signup; if you have GDPR-sensitive workloads, pick EU1 from the start
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+ 103 • Keep the account active — even minimal monitoring (one host) avoids the 3-month inactivity removal trigger
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+ 104 • You only get DDFS credits ONCE per company — a second startup founded by the same team may qualify, but the same company applying twice will not
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+ 107
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+ 108 Sources:
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+ 109 • Datadog for Startups (program page)
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+ 110 • Datadog for Startups Program Terms (2026-05-05)
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+ 111 • Datadog Partner Network
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