Asterisks startup rejected for $1,000 Azure credits – Request for eligibility review

asterisks app 0 Reputation points
2026-07-30T05:17:36.74+00:00

Hello Microsoft for Startups Support Team,

I am a co-founder of Asterisks, an early-stage fitness technology startup. We tried to apply for the $1,000 Microsoft for Startups Azure credits, but our application or startup verification was rejected. We did not receive a clear explanation about the exact reason for the rejection.

Startup details:

Company Name: Asterisks

Business Email: ******@asterisks.app

Website: https://asterisks.app/

Public LinkedIn Company Page:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/135854255/

Asterisks is building a gym management and fitness technology platform for gym owners, trainers, sales teams, and gym members.

Our platform includes or is being developed to include:

  • Gym membership and member management
  • Attendance tracking
  • Fee collection and invoice generation
  • Trainer and staff management
  • Lead and sales CRM management
  • WhatsApp notifications and customer communication
  • Member workout and exercise tracking
  • Trainer booking and fitness progress features
  • Nutrition, meal tracking, and AI-powered fitness features

We are an independent, privately held, early-stage B2B SaaS startup and are currently developing and improving our product for gyms and fitness businesses.

We plan to use Azure credits for hosting our application backend and APIs, database services, storage, monitoring, security, and AI-powered fitness features.

During the application, we used our business email address, ******@asterisks.app. Please confirm whether the rejection occurred because:

  1. We used a company-domain email instead of a personal Microsoft account.
  2. The Microsoft account already had an Azure account or subscription.
  3. Our LinkedIn company page could not be verified.
  4. Our company information, address, website, or documents did not match.
  5. Additional startup verification documents are required.

Could the Microsoft for Startups team please review our application and provide the exact rejection reason?

Please also confirm whether we should reapply using a personal Microsoft account, such as an Outlook account, while keeping ******@asterisks.app as the official business contact email.

We can provide company registration documents, website ownership verification, founder LinkedIn profiles, product screenshots, and other required information through a private support channel.

For security reasons, we will not post our Azure subscription ID, tenant ID, payment information, or private documents publicly.

Thank you for your assistance.

Regards,

Deepak

Co-Founder, Asterisks

Business Email: ******@asterisks.app

Website: https://asterisks.app/

Azure | Azure Startups
Azure | Azure Startups

Startups: Companies that are in their initial stages of business and typically developing a business model and seeking financing.

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  1. AI answer

    2026-07-30T05:18:00.3666667+00:00

    The exact rejection reason cannot be confirmed from the available program guidance. Microsoft for Startups states that applications are typically reviewed in about three business days, and decisions are sent by email. If an application is not approved, reapplication may be possible after addressing the feedback provided during review, but Program Support cannot override eligibility decisions.

    Supported next steps:

    1. Review the original application details for consistency.
      • Ensure the company name, address, website/domain, and any submitted business information match official records.
    2. If the application is still pending, use the confirmation email flow to delete and reapply.
      • Submitted applications cannot be edited.
    3. If the application was declined, wait 14 days and reapply.
    4. If already approved into Microsoft for Startups and access to the Azure Portal benefits area is available, submit a program support request there.
      • In the Azure Portal, startups can submit a program support request.
    5. For Azure technical issues, use Azure Portal support:
      • Sign in to the Azure Portal.
      • Select the ? icon.
      • Select Help + support.
      • Select Create a support request and complete the form.
    6. For Microsoft for Startups program-specific support, use the program support channel listed in the portal guidance:

    What can be confirmed from the available guidance:

    • Using a company-domain email is not identified as a rejection reason in the available documentation.
    • Having an existing Azure account or subscription is not identified as a rejection reason in the available documentation.
    • LinkedIn company page verification is not listed as a documented review criterion in the available documentation.
    • Mismatched company information or unverifiable business details are consistent with the documented need for business verification and accurate application information, but no exact rejection logic is published here.
    • Additional documents may be relevant when verification is required, but the exact required document set for a rejected application is not specified here.

    If the goal is to apply again, the documented path is to apply directly at https://startups.microsoft.com by selecting Get started. If a referral code from a Microsoft for Startups Investor Network partner is available, it can be entered during the application process to unlock additional benefits.

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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