OpenAI boosts Australian startups credits to USD $50,000
OpenAI has expanded its Australian startups credit programme, lifting the maximum API credit allocation to USD $50,000 and adding 10 free ChatGPT Business seats for each eligible company.
The cap rises from USD $15,000. The ChatGPT Business seats include access to Codex, OpenAI's coding product. OpenAI framed the changes as part of a broader push to deepen engagement with early-stage founders and developers in Australia.
More than AUD $1.6 million in credits has already been issued to Australian startups through the programme. OpenAI has worked with local companies including Relevance AI and Lorikeet AI.
Local activity
The expansion was announced as members of OpenAI's startups team visited Australia for a series of workshops and technical sessions. Events were hosted with venture capital firms and local AI companies, including Square Peg, Side Stage Ventures, Relevance AI, and Stone & Chalk.
OpenAI rolled out its Startups programme in Australia last year, ahead of the official launch of its Sydney office in December. Since then, the local team has worked with startups and venture capital firms on implementing OpenAI models via the API and providing related support.
OpenAI said the updated programme also offers earlier access to newer additions across its platform, including multimodal models and Codex.
Thomas Jeng, VC Partnerships Lead for APAC at OpenAI, linked the expansion to increased activity in the Australian market.
"Since launching the program in Australia, we've already provided more than AUD $1.6M in API credits to local startups building with OpenAI's technology. With companies like Canva and Heidi Health, Australia is home to one of the most dynamic startup ecosystems in the world. Having a local team on the ground means we can work directly with founders and developers to ensure they have access to the latest AI capabilities," said Thomas Jeng, VC Partnerships Lead for APAC, OpenAI.
The expanded offer combines credits with ChatGPT Business seats, which OpenAI said provide access to Codex. Codex is designed to support software development workflows using coding agents that can run tasks in parallel.
Codex uptake
OpenAI said usage of the Codex app in Australia more than doubled in the month after launch. It described Codex as a command centre for agentic software development, with multiple agents working across projects at the same time.
OpenAI also cited internal data on usage patterns in Australia, saying the top five per cent of Australian power users use around eight times more advanced reasoning and coding features than the median user.
The company also pointed to commissioned research on AI's potential economic impact in Australia, which suggested widespread adoption could add $142 billion to the economy each year by 2030.
OpenAI plans to continue founder and developer events across Australia, including builder sessions, workshops, live demonstrations, and technical deep dives. Jeng also described how OpenAI expects startups to use the updated package.
"We're excited to see how this expanded program helps Australian startups accelerate not only the products they're building, but also how their teams develop new AI skills and workflows," said Jeng.