🔍 Analysis of the Rejection
The email mentions three specific checks that likely triggered the rejection:
- Valid billing and AWS account details - Most likely culprit
- Consistent business information - Possibly an issue
- Connection to accounts linked to misuse - Unlikely for you
This is typically an automated pre-screening, not a human review of your actual application.
🎯 Immediate Next Steps (Next 48 Hours)
Step 1: Diagnose the Issue
Check your AWS account status:
# Verify your account is in good standing
aws sts get-caller-identity
# Check if there are any service limit restrictions
aws service-quotas list-service-quotas --service-code eks --region us-east-1
# Verify billing information is complete
# Go to: https://console.aws.amazon.com/billing/home#/accountCommon issues that trigger automated rejection:
- ❌ No payment method on file (credit card not added)
- ❌ New account (< 30 days old)
- ❌ Free tier only (never made a paid AWS charge)
- ❌ Incomplete billing information (missing company name, address)
- ❌ Personal email used (gmail.com, outlook.com vs. custom domain)
- ❌ Inconsistent information (application name doesn’t match account name)
Step 2: Fix Common Issues
Issue A: Add Valid Payment Method
1. Go to: https://console.aws.amazon.com/billing/home#/paymentmethods
2. Add a valid credit/debit card
3. Ensure it's not expired
4. Verify the card with the small charge AWS makes
Issue B: Complete Billing Profile
1. Go to: https://console.aws.amazon.com/billing/home#/account
2. Fill out ALL fields:
- Company name: "Fawkes Platform" or your legal entity
- Full address (not P.O. Box)
- Phone number (professional, not personal)
- Tax information (if applicable)
3. Ensure "Account Type" is set to "Business" not "Personal"
Issue C: Make a Small AWS Charge
If your account has never incurred ANY charges:
1. Spin up a tiny EC2 instance for 1 hour (~$0.01)
2. Or create a small RDS instance for testing (~$0.50)
3. This proves the account is "active" and billing works
4. Delete the resources after testing
Issue D: Use Professional Email
If you applied with Gmail/Outlook:
1. Get a professional email (ideally custom domain)
2. Options:
- Register domain: fawkes.dev ($12/year)
- Set up email: you@fawkes.dev
- Google Workspace: $6/month
- Zoho Mail: Free tier available
3. Update AWS account email address
4. Re-apply with professional email
Step 3: Re-apply (After Fixes)
Wait 7 days after making changes, then:
- ✅ Ensure all billing information is complete
- ✅ Payment method verified
- ✅ Account has made at least one small charge
- ✅ Using professional email (not Gmail)
- ✅ LinkedIn profile updated with Fawkes project
- ✅ Company website or professional GitHub presence
Then submit a new application with the improved profile.
🔄 Alternative Paths (Parallel Approach)
Don’t wait for AWS Activate—pursue these simultaneously:
Option 1: AWS Cloud Credits for Research
Program: AWS Cloud Credits for Research
URL: https://aws.amazon.com/government-education/research-and-technical-computing/cloud-credit-for-research/
Benefits:
- Up to $100,000 in credits (higher than Activate!)
- For research/education projects
- Fawkes Dojo qualifies (education platform)
How to qualify:
- Position Fawkes as an educational/research project
- Emphasize: Training platform engineers (education)
- Highlight: Open-source research on platform engineering
- Partner with Platform Engineering University (education org)
Option 2: Apply Through Accelerator/Incubator
AWS offers higher credit tiers through partners:
Accelerator Path ($25K-$100K credits):
- Y Combinator: $100K in credits
- Techstars: $75K in credits
- Microsoft for Startups: $150K Azure (use to negotiate AWS)
- AWS Startups Loft: Direct AWS connection
Application tips:
- Apply to 3-5 accelerators simultaneously
- Emphasize: Open-source, education, community impact
- Mention: Already built (not just an idea)
- Use your docs: Business case + cost estimation
Option 3: GitHub Education Pack + Other Credits
Stack multiple smaller credit programs:
1. GitHub Education Pack
- $200 in AWS credits (plus other services)
- URL: https://education.github.com/pack
2. DigitalOcean Credits
- $200 for new users
- Run dev/staging there, production on AWS
3. Google Cloud Platform
- $300 free tier for new users
- Use for non-critical workloads
4. Azure for Students/Startups
- $100-$150 credits
- Negotiate with AWS ("competitor offers")
Option 4: Approach AWS Directly
Leverage your comprehensive preparation:
Strategy: Direct outreach to AWS
Who to contact:
1. AWS Solutions Architects in your region
2. AWS Startup team on LinkedIn
3. AWS User Group organizers
4. AWS EKS product team (you're building on EKS)
Message template:
"Hi [Name], I'm building Fawkes, an open-source platform
engineering platform on AWS EKS. We have comprehensive
architecture docs, deployment guides, and are training 200+
engineers on AWS services through our Dojo program.
My AWS Activate application was auto-rejected due to [specific
reason]. Can you help connect me with someone who can review
the actual project merit?
Project: github.com/paruff/fawkes
Impact: Training engineers on AWS, driving AWS consumption"
Option 5: Bootstrap Differently
Minimize costs while building proof:
Ultra-Low-Cost Approach:
1. Development (Local/Free):
- Use Minikube/Kind locally (free)
- Docker Compose for services (free)
- Build everything locally first
2. Minimal AWS Footprint ($50-100/month):
- Single t3.small EKS node ($30)
- db.t3.micro RDS ($15)
- Single ALB ($20)
- Minimal S3 usage ($5)
Deploy ONLY production demo environment
Prove traction, then scale
3. Alternative Hosting (Temporary):
- Fly.io: $10/month generous free tier
- Railway: $5/month for small apps
- Render: Free PostgreSQL
Host Backstage demo there, point to GitHub
4. Proof First, Scale Later:
- Get 50 Dojo students on minimal infra
- Show enterprise interest (LOIs)
- Use traction to unlock credits/funding
📊 Recommended Action Plan
Week 1: Fix & Re-apply
- Day 1-2: Fix AWS account issues (billing, payment)
- Day 3: Make small test charge to validate billing
- Day 4-5: Update LinkedIn, create professional email if needed
- Day 6-7: Wait for account to stabilize
Week 2: Parallel Applications
- Apply to AWS Cloud Credits for Research
- Apply to GitHub Education Pack
- Contact 3-5 accelerators
- Direct outreach to AWS Solutions Architects
Week 3: Bootstrap Approach
- If no credits yet, deploy minimal AWS environment ($50-100/month)
- Launch Dojo with first 10-20 students
- Document traction and testimonials
Week 4: Leverage Traction
- Re-apply to AWS Activate with proof of traction
- Show: “50 students trained, 10 companies interested”
- Include testimonials and metrics
- Much stronger application now
🎯 What I Recommend RIGHT NOW
Priority 1 (Today):
- Log into AWS Console → Billing
- Add/verify payment method
- Complete ALL billing profile fields
- Change account type to “Business”
- Spin up tiny t3.nano instance for 1 hour ($0.01)
Priority 2 (This Week):
- Apply to AWS Cloud Credits for Research (better odds)
- Apply to GitHub Education Pack (guaranteed $200)
- Reach out to 3 AWS Solutions Architects on LinkedIn
Priority 3 (Next 2 Weeks):
- Deploy minimal Fawkes environment ($50-100/month from pocket)
- Recruit first 20 Dojo students (free tier)
- Get 2-3 enterprise LOIs (letters of intent)
- Re-apply to AWS Activate with traction
💡 Silver Lining
This rejection might actually be good because:
- Forces validation: Build with minimal resources first
- Better story later: “We bootstrapped, proved traction, then scaled”
- Multiple credit sources: Stack GitHub + GCP + AWS
- Stronger re-application: Include actual metrics and users
Many successful startups were rejected first, then accepted with traction.
🤔 Questions to Help Diagnose
Can you check:
- Is your AWS account < 30 days old?
- Do you have a payment method on file?
- Have you ever incurred any AWS charges (even $0.01)?
- Is your billing profile 100% complete (company name, address, phone)?
- Did you apply with a personal email (Gmail/Outlook)?
- Is your AWS account email different from the email you used in the application?
Let me know the answers and I can give you more specific guidance!
This is a setback, not a failure. Many paths forward. 💪