[metadata]
description: From first launch to global reach, OpenAI gives you the tools, support, and community to build a company with confidence.
googlebot: index, follow
og:description: From first launch to global reach, OpenAI gives you the tools, support, and community to build a company with confidence.
og:image: https://images.ctfassets.net/kftzwdyauwt9/6W2HhsZH6SxJJD1WxxfVbF/8962db801d152df6e9cf81285de9db9b/openai-for-startups-seo-image-16x9.png?w=1600&h=900&fit=fill
og:image:alt: OpenAI Business graphic for startups with abstract product interface panels.
og:image:height: 900
og:image:secure_url: https://images.ctfassets.net/kftzwdyauwt9/6W2HhsZH6SxJJD1WxxfVbF/8962db801d152df6e9cf81285de9db9b/openai-for-startups-seo-image-16x9.png?w=1600&h=900&fit=fill
og:image:width: 1600
og:locale: en-US
og:site_name: OpenAI
og:title: Startups
og:type: website
og:url: https://openai.com/business/why-openai/startups/
robots: index, follow
twitter:card: summary_large_image
twitter:description: From first launch to global reach, OpenAI gives you the tools, support, and community to build a company with confidence.
twitter:image: https://images.ctfassets.net/kftzwdyauwt9/6W2HhsZH6SxJJD1WxxfVbF/8962db801d152df6e9cf81285de9db9b/openai-for-startups-seo-image-16x9.png?w=1600&h=900&fit=fill
twitter:image:alt: OpenAI Business graphic for startups with abstract product interface panels.
twitter:image:height: 900
twitter:image:secure_url: https://images.ctfassets.net/kftzwdyauwt9/6W2HhsZH6SxJJD1WxxfVbF/8962db801d152df6e9cf81285de9db9b/openai-for-startups-seo-image-16x9.png?w=1600&h=900&fit=fill
twitter:image:width: 1600
twitter:site: @OpenAI
twitter:title: Startups
viewport: width=device-width, initial-scale=1

[content]
Startups | OpenAI
Skip to main content
Why OpenAI
Products
Solutions
Resources
Customers
Pricing
Try OpenAI
Contact sales
Why OpenAI
Products
Solutions
Resources
Customers
Pricing
Contact sales
Try OpenAI
OpenAI
Shape what’s next
Transformative companies can come from anywhere. OpenAI supports founders at every stage of their startup journey to turn ambition into products, customers, and companies.
Join an event
Start building
(opens in a new window)
Resources built by founders, for founders
Our team of former founders, operators, and investors is here to support your journey.
Build
Ship faster with starter repos, Build Hours, and technical guides.
Watch Build Hours
(opens in a new window)
Grow
Join founder events and community programs that expand your network.
Join an event
Scale
Unlock credits and dedicated support through eligible VC partners.
Explore stories
Gain an early edge with OpenAI
Startups backed by a VC partner receive dedicated technical and GTM support.
Pingo
Pace
Aaru
Monaco
Minerva
“OpenAI has been a true partner in helping us make fast, natural, multilingual conversations possible at global scale. They’ve helped us move faster on the hardest parts of voice AI and model behavior, and iterate quickly as we scaled Pingo from 0 to millions of learners.”
– Michael Xing, Co-founder & CEO
Build with OpenAI live
Join upcoming events for hands-on building, technical support, and connecting with other founders.
Build Hour: Image Gen 2 (July 23, 10 am PT, Virtual)
Learn how gpt-image-2 uses text, images, and broad world knowledge to generate and edit images with strong instruction following and contextual awareness.
Register here
Build Hour: Building Agents (July 29, 10 am PT, Virtual)
Learn how to build agentic apps with less orchestration overhead and more built-in support for real workflows.
Register here
Build Hours (On Demand)
Build with session materials from past Build Hours, including demos, starter code, and examples across agent workflows, integrations, and deployment patterns.
Catch Up
Hear from the founders bringing bold ideas to life
Warp’s big bet on building open source with GPT-5.5
Startup
May 27, 2026
Parloa builds service agents customers want to talk to
Startup
May 7, 2026
Gradient Labs gives every bank customer an AI account manager
Startup
Apr 1, 2026
How Descript engineers multilingual video dubbing at scale
Startup
Mar 6, 2026
Explore more stories
OpenAI for Startups FAQs
Build what’s next
If you have the ambition to build a company, our team is here to support you.
Join an event
Start building
(opens in a new window)
Research
Research Index
Research Overview
Economic Research
Latest Advancements
GPT-5.6
GPT-5.5
GPT-5.4
Safety
Safety Approach
Deployment Safety
(opens in a new window)
Security & Privacy
Trust & Transparency
Products
ChatGPT
(opens in a new window)
ChatGPT Business
(opens in a new window)
ChatGPT Enterprise
(opens in a new window)
ChatGPT for Education
(opens in a new window)
Codex
Release Notes
API Platform
Overview
API Log In
(opens in a new window)
Docs
(opens in a new window)
Business
Overview
Solutions
Resources
Customer Stories
Partner Network
Contact Sales
Developers
Apps SDK
(opens in a new window)
Open Models
Docs
(opens in a new window)
Resources
(opens in a new window)
Developer Forum
(opens in a new window)
Company
About Us
Our Charter
Careers
News
Support
Help Center
(opens in a new window)
More
Stories
Academy
Supply Co.
Livestreams
Podcast
RSS
Terms & Policies
Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
Other Policies
(opens in a new window)
(opens in a new window)
(opens in a new window)
(opens in a new window)
(opens in a new window)
(opens in a new window)
(opens in a new window)
OpenAI © 2015–2026
Manage Cookies
English
United States
I’m interested in building a startup—where should I start?
You’re in the right place! We recommend checking out
Build Hours
⁠
(opens in a new window)
and
code repos
⁠
(opens in a new window)
. These resources give you a head start building with OpenAI models with practical tips from founders. You can also sign up for the
Startup Drop newsletter
⁠
to get updates, events, and resources right to your inbox each month. Find more of our resources for startups
here
⁠
.
How do I create an OpenAI account for my startup?
Head over to the
sign up page
⁠
(opens in a new window)
on the OpenAI site. You can use your Google or Microsoft account, or sign up with an email and password. Use whatever gets you building fastest.
My startup is backed by a VC. What does that unlock for my startup?
Congrats on the funding. That’s a big milestone! Some VCs, like Thrive Capital, Sequoia, a16z, Kleiner Perkins, and Conviction Partners, are part of our partner network. The portfolio companies of these firms get access to additional resources.
If you’re not sure whether your VC (venture capital firm) is a partner, just ask them. They’ll know if they’re in our network and how to access OpenAI resources.
If they are, your startup may be eligible for benefits like free API credits, rate limit upgrades, and time with our solutions engineers or other technical team members. You’ll also be invited to exclusive events and get a direct line to the Startup team.
I’m ready to start building with the API. Do you offer API credits?
Yes! Please reach out to your VC to learn how to unlock OpenAI API credits.
Track your credit usage
here
⁠
(opens in a new window)
.
I’m ready to apply for credits. What should I have on hand?
You won’t need a pitch deck but we will ask for:
A unique referral code from your VC
A description of your product and how you plan to use the API
Company name and key team contacts, including a valid business email
Basic funding details
That’s it. We keep it simple so you can focus on building.
How do I find my OpenAI org ID?
We ask for your org ID when applying for credits or at events where we give credits out, like hackathons. It’s a unique identifier tied to your OpenAI account.
To find it:
Log in to the
OpenAI platform
⁠
(opens in a new window)
Click the cog icon (or your org name) in the top-right corner.
Go to Settings →
Organization settings
⁠
(opens in a new window)
.
Under the General tab, you’ll see your unique Organization ID.
As a founder, what kind of events and resources can I tap into?
We run Build Hours (live technical deep dives and demos)
and roundtable sessions with builders and technical staff at OpenAI to go deep on topics that impact what you are building. You’ll also get starter repos, cookbooks, and guidance from teams already shipping with OpenAI.
Check the
calendar
⁠
and
resources
⁠
above to get started.
What happens when I use up my credits?
Running out of credits usually means you’re getting traction. Once your credits run out, you’ll automatically switch to standard billing. No downtime, no surprises. If you’re growing fast or hitting limits, our team may be able to help with upgraded rate limits or enterprise plans.
If you’ve hit a snag, check out our
Help Center
⁠
(opens in a new window)
to find the answers you’re looking for.
Does OpenAI offer Zero Data Retention (ZDR) for startups?
Yes. On paid plans, you can request ZDR so your prompts and responses aren’t stored or used for training.
This can help with compliance needs (like HIPAA or GDPR) and gives you more control over sensitive data. This may limit some functionality like personalization.
Find more information on this topic
here
⁠
(opens in a new window)
.
I’m building in a regulated domain. How can I navigate data privacy, security & compliance?
We’ve seen what matters most to leading enterprises - and when you build with OpenAI, you get the same security and privacy foundations they rely on. It signals credibility to your customers from day one. Security and privacy are core to our mission, trusted by companies like Morgan Stanley, Amgen, and BBVA, plus countless startups selling to large enterprises.
To dig into the details, you can read more about our
business data policies
⁠
and
enterprise privacy commitments
⁠
, and head over to our
Trust Portal
⁠
(opens in a new window)
for detailed documentation.
