NVIDIA Inception 🎁 Program

What you get

NVIDIA Inception is free, with no fees and no equity. Members get codes for free self-paced courses and special pricing on instructor-led workshops at the NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute, access to free cloud credits from NVIDIA and its partners, and preferred pricing on a subset of enterprise GPUs (given as a rebate on the supplier's standard price; NVIDIA does not sell directly to members). Eligible members may join Inception Capital Connect and the NVIDIA Inception VC Alliance for investor introductions.

Membership also unlocks partner offers elsewhere: for example, Lambda and Nebius both run credit offers for Inception members (listed separately in this directory).

Who qualifies

Your company must employ at least one developer, have a working website, be officially incorporated and be less than 10 years old. Funding stage does not matter and revenue is not required. Consulting and outsourced development firms, crypto-associated companies, cloud service providers, resellers and distributors, and public companies are not eligible.

Good to know

• NVIDIA's page does not state credit amounts, DLI values or discount percentages.
• Preferred pricing covers selected hardware and software only and can change.
• You need a company pitch deck to apply, and you should keep your portal profile up to date to stay eligible.
• There are no deadlines or cohorts.

Verdict

An easy yes for almost any AI startup: it is free, and many of the most useful benefits are the partner credit offers it unlocks. Do not expect a large cash-value credit from NVIDIA itself.

1. Prepare your company details, incorporation date and a pitch deck (required).
2. Apply through the Inception portal at https://programs.nvidia.com/phoenix/application.
3. Wait for NVIDIA to review and contact you; there are no deadlines or cohorts.
4. Once accepted, claim DLI codes and browse partner credit offers in the member portal.
5. Keep your profile updated so you stay eligible.