AWS Announces $600,000 in Cloud Credits to The PenFed Foundation for Military Heroes Veteran Entrepreneur Program

Amazon Web Services will support startups with promotional credits to access AWS technology fueling the next generation of veteran and military spouse-led businesses through AWS Activate.

SEATTLE, Nov. 9, 2026 — Amazon Web Services (AWS) today announced a commitment to The PenFed Foundation of up to $600,000 per year in AWS technology credits to support startups in the Foundation's Veteran Entrepreneur Program (VEP). The announcement was made at the 2026 VEP Accelerator Cohort in Pittsburgh, where veteran and military-spouse founders gather for an intensive program on building, scaling, and funding their businesses.

Through the commitment VEP founders gain access to AWS Activate credits to help offset the cost of building on the cloud, along with technical guidance and go-to-market support. The credits can be applied to infrastructure, data services, and AI/ML workloads, including third-party models available through Amazon Bedrock, where veteran founders can experiment and scale without infrastructure costs getting in the way.

"Our veteran and military-spouse founders have already proven they can lead under pressure and solve hard problems. What they need is access, and access is exactly what this commitment delivers," said Brigadier General Terry Williams, USMC (Ret.), Director of Veteran Entrepreneur Programs. "By removing the cost of cloud technology in those critical early days, AWS is helping our founders put every dollar toward building their product and serving their customers. That is how we turn service into the next generation of American businesses."

"This is a community defined by service, and one which AWS is honored to support," said Rick Buettner, Managing Director of Nonprofits at Amazon Web Services. "The PenFed Foundation's Veteran Entrepreneur Program gives veteran and military-spouse founders the mentorship and network to grow their businesses, and through AWS Activate we're adding the cloud and AI technology to match. Our hope is simple: that every founder in this program has the tools to turn their ideas into lasting businesses."

Since 2018, the Veteran Entrepreneur Program has supported approximately 350 veteran and military-spouse founders nationwide through a network of investors, mentors, and subject-matter experts. The program runs a two-track model - Incubator, Accelerator- meeting founders wherever they are, from early idea to established business ready to scale. AWS is already part of the Accelerator curriculum in Pittsburgh, leading sessions on building a scalable technology foundation.

Founders in the current Pittsburgh Accelerator cohort, which took place on November 2-6, span defense, healthcare, robotics, fintech, and consumer products, and many are building AI-driven solutions where cloud credits have had a significant impact. The AWS commitment is designed to remove a common early barrier for these founders: the cost of the compute, storage, and AI services that modern startups depend on.

Veteran and military-spouse founders interested in the Veteran Entrepreneur Program can learn more at penfedfoundation.org. Startups can learn more about AWS Activate at aws.amazon.com/startups.

SOURCE PenFed Foundation for Military Heroes