Inception FAQ for Startups

There are no application fees, membership fees, or equity requirements for NVIDIA Inception. If accepted, members must update their profile every six months to remain eligible for benefits.

All NVIDIA Inception startups enter the program as Community members. Select startups may be invited to become Premier members if they've closed their Series A funding (at minimum), are in production, use NVIDIA technologies, and pass an internal NVIDIA Inception review. NVIDIA Inception Premier members benefit from a dedicated relationship manager, DevRel support, increased co-marketing opportunities, and access to Premier-only events (such as business connections or VC introductions).

Yes. NVIDIA Inception offers members discounts on instructor-led workshops through the NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute, a repository of self-paced AI and deep learning training courses that demonstrate how your startup can benefit from NVIDIA solutions. Your NVIDIA Inception program manager can also help you understand which NVIDIA technologies will best meet your startup’s needs.

As an early-stage startup, your organization must employ at least one developer, maintain a working website, be officially incorporated, and be less than 10 years old.

Funding status is an important indicator of startup maturity and helps our team determine which program members should be elevated to Premier status. The Inception team also uses this information to determine which members might be appropriate for VC introductions.

We recognize the concerns associated with disclosing sensitive customer information. If you're unable to share information about your customers, feel free to leave the field at "Can't disclose" and share any information that helps us better understand the market opportunity (e.g., customer's business vertical(s), number of customers, proof of concept).

Generating revenue is not a requirement for NVIDIA Inception membership. The program is designed to support startups of all stages.

No. Your company needs to be incorporated, and you'll need to provide the incorporation date in the application form.