Unable to access Founders Hub portal - M365 benefit redemption blocked
I am an approved Founders Hub member with an active $1,000 Azure credit and I am unable to access the Founders Hub portal or redeem my Microsoft 365 Business Premium benefit. I have already contacted Azure Billing Support regarding this issue, but I believe this falls under your team's remit rather than billing, so I am reaching out directly. The issues I am experiencing: 1. portal.startups.microsoft.com/login only offers a "Log in with LinkedIn" option — my Founders Hub account is not linked to LinkedIn, so this does not work for me. 2. Clicking "Log in with your Microsoft account here" redirects me to portal.startups.microsoft.com/signup, which is the new user signup page — not a login page. 3. Navigating directly to portal.startups.microsoft.com also lands on the signup page with no way to manually enter my Microsoft account email. All roads lead back to the same circular loop with no resolution. My Founders Hub account is registered under a gmail not my custom domain. I am fully signed into the Azure Portal (portal.azure.com) with this account and can confirm my Azure credit is active. What I need help with: - Accessing my existing Founders Hub account - Redeeming the Microsoft 365 Business Premium benefit - Setting up a Microsoft 365 tenant so I can use Teams under my custom domain Please advise on how to proceed.No Decision After 7 Working Days + Portal Loop Issue – Rain Stella Technology
Hi Microsoft for Startups Community & Team, I am following up on my Microsoft for Startups application submitted on behalf of Rain Stella Technology, and would also like to flag a portal issue I experienced after the application was submitted. --- Application Status --- I received a confirmation email acknowledging receipt of my application, however it has now been 7 working days with no further communication — no approval, no decline, and no request for additional information. According to Microsoft's own guidelines, applications are typically reviewed within 3 business days. We are now more than double that timeframe with no update. Application Details: • Applicant Name: Khalid Adine • Startup Name: Rain Stella Technology • Status: Receipt confirmation received, no decision communicated since • Days Elapsed: 7 working days --- Portal Issue --- During and after submitting my application, I encountered a frustrating portal bug where, instead of displaying a confirmation screen or application status, the portal kept redirecting me back to the "Apply Now" screen — as if my submission had not been recorded. I received the receipt confirmation email, which confirmed the application went through, but the portal still does not reflect any application status. This caused significant confusion, and I wanted to flag it in case it is a widely known issue affecting other applicants. I also attempted to contact support via email (email address removed for privacy reasons), but the address returned a bounce error, leaving the forum and contact form as my only available channels. --- My Requests --- 1. Can someone from the team confirm the current status of our application? 2. Is any additional information or documentation required from our side? 3. Can the portal loop bug be investigated and fixed for other applicants facing the same issue? 4. What is the correct and currently working support email or channel for urgent queries? We are actively building our product and are eager to move forward with the program. Any update would be sincerely appreciated. Thank you for your time and support. Khalid Adine Founder, Rain Stella Technology
Founders Hub billing issue - stuck between Microsoft and ISV with no resolution path
Hi everyone, I'm reaching out to the community because I've hit a wall with standard support channels and hoping someone from the Founders Hub team or other founders who've faced similar issues can help. QUICK SUMMARY I'm a Founders Hub participant who got charged ~€1,000 for using Claude (Anthropic) models through Azure AI Foundry. I assumed these were covered by my $25k Sponsorship credits since: • I used ai.azure.com (not a separate marketplace) • There was no clear warning about separate billing • There's no way to monitor Marketplace spending in Founders Hub THE PROBLEM: I'm stuck in a loop: • Microsoft says "contact the ISV for refund approval" • Anthropic says "billing is handled by Microsoft, not us" • The "Support" link Microsoft points to redirects back to Microsoft Support I've sent detailed emails explaining this circular situation. Support keeps responding with the same copy-paste policy text, ignoring my request for escalation. MY ASK 1. Is there a dedicated support channel for Founders Hub billing issues? 2. Has anyone from the Founders Hub team dealt with similar Marketplace confusion before? 3. Any founders here who successfully resolved unexpected Marketplace charges? I'm not trying to get something for free - I already paid the first invoice (€460). I just want help with the second invoice that surprised me a month later. The Founders Hub program has been great otherwise, but this experience has been really frustrating. Any pointers would be hugely appreciated. Thanks! BartekStartup Showcase: Ignitus
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