OpenRouter

Everything an early-stage team needs to build, experiment, and scale with AI — without managing multiple providers. $1K in universal inference credits , valid for 6 months and usable across all 300+ models on OpenRouter — frontier and open-source. $0 processing fees for 12 months (including both platform fees and BYOK fees). Pay only for the tokens you use. No platform markup. 300+ models through one API. Switch between models instantly. No code changes, no new integrations.

Eligibility

Mercury customers; The program is designed for startups building AI-native products that are at a Pre-Series B stage. Applicants must meet all eligibility requirements in order to qualify, including having a public company website, a professional company email address, and a valid OpenRouter account with less than $500 in lifetime spend. Each applicant is allowed to receive startup credits once, even if they are affiliated with multiple partners. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. If approved, the credits and waived fees will be automatically applied to your OpenRouter organization account associated with an applicant email, and the applicant will be notified.

How to access

Available to eligible Mercury customers

Mercury Perks

Unified access and routing across hundreds of AI models and providers.

Eligibility

Approved Stripe Atlas founders; vendor eligibility and compliance requirements may apply

How to access

Redeem from the Stripe Atlas Perks tab after Atlas approval

Stripe Atlas

OpenRouter for Startups gives qualifying early-stage companies $5000 in universal inference credits — usable across 300+ frontier and open-source AI models with 0% processing fees; through a single unified API.

Eligibility

Direct apply at openrouter.ai/startup-program; no partner required

How to access

Available to eligible startups

OpenRouter official program · Checked Sep 2, 2026