Amazon Offers Free AI Coding Tool Kiro to Startups
▼ Summary
– Amazon is offering its AI coding tool, Kiro Pro+, for free for one year to qualified early-stage startups to compete in the crowded market.
– The free credits are available to startups that have secured VC funding from the pre-seed to Series B stages.
– The offer has geographic restrictions, excluding countries like France, Germany, Italy, much of South America, and trade-sanctioned nations.
– Startups must apply by December 31, and the credits can cover up to 100 users.
– This announcement was made by AWS CEO Matt Garman during the re:Invent 2025 conference keynote.
Finding a foothold in the crowded AI-assisted development market requires a compelling strategy. Amazon Web Services (AWS) is attempting to do just that by offering its Kiro Pro+ coding tool completely free for a full year to eligible startups. This move, announced by AWS CEO Matt Garman, directly targets early-stage companies that might otherwise adopt competing platforms. The initiative provides qualified startups with credits covering up to 100 users, presenting a significant opportunity to integrate AWS’s development environment from the ground up.
To qualify for this no-cost access, startups must meet specific criteria. The offer is exclusively available to venture-backed companies, from those in the pre-seed stage through to Series B rounds. Furthermore, the program is not globally universal. While U.S.-based startups are included, the offer does not extend to several regions, including France, Germany, Italy, and much of South America, alongside nations under international trade sanctions. Interested companies must act quickly, as all applications must be submitted before the deadline of December 31.
This strategic giveaway is clearly designed to attract the next generation of tech companies into the AWS ecosystem early in their lifecycle. By removing the initial cost barrier for Kiro Pro+, Amazon hopes developers will build a foundational reliance on its toolset. The long-term goal is likely to convert these users into paying customers while simultaneously promoting the use of other AWS cloud infrastructure and services. For cash-conscious startups, a year of free access to a powerful AI coding assistant could be a decisive factor in their choice of development platform.
(Source: TechCrunch)
