OpenAI is expanding its startups credit program for Australian startups, offering eligible companies up to USD $50,000 (AUD $70,000) in API credits (up from a previous cap of USD $15,000 in credits) alongside 10 complimentary ChatGPT Business seats per company, including access to Codex, OpenAI’s agentic coding tool designed to support multi-agent development workflows.
The initiative was announced at the start of OpenAI Startups Week (16–20 March), which brings members of OpenAI’s global startups team to Australia for a series of workshops, builder lounges and technical sessions. The events are being hosted alongside venture capital firms and local AI companies, including Square Peg, Side Stage Ventures, Relevance AI, and innovation hub Stone & Chalk.
OpenAI first rolled out its Startups program in Australia last year, ahead of the official launch of its Sydney office in December. Since then, OpenAI’s local team has been working closely with Australian startups and venture capital firms, including companies such as Lorikeet AI and Relevance AI, to accelerate the adoption of OpenAI’s frontier models through API implementation, scaling AI-native products, and hands-on support for emerging builders.
The expanded program provides startups with early access to OpenAI’s latest capabilities across the platform, including multimodal models and Codex, the company’s agentic software development environment.
Thomas Jeng, OpenAI’s VC Partnerships Lead for APAC, said the program reflects the company’s growing engagement with Australia’s startup ecosystem.
“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.”
“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.”
The announcement comes as OpenAI’s Codex app gains rapid traction in Australia, with usage more than doubling in the month since launch. Designed as a command centre for agentic software development, Codex allows coding agents to operate in parallel across multiple projects, enabling teams to complete complex development tasks significantly faster.
The surge in adoption comes as OpenAI pushes to close Australia’s “AI capability gap” and unlock the nation’s potential as a productivity powerhouse. OpenAI-commissioned research suggests that if Australia fully harnesses AI, it could add $142 billion to the economy each year by 2030.
Internal data shows the top five per cent of Australian power users utilise around eight times more advanced reasoning and coding capability than the median user, underscoring the significant productivity gains available as more developers build advanced AI skills.
Kicking off at Adelaide’s Southstart Festival, OpenAI’s startups team will host a series of events throughout the week, giving founders hands-on exposure to the latest tools and capabilities across the OpenAI platform. Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in technical deep dives, live demonstrations and builder sessions focused on scaling AI-native companies.
OpenAI Startups credit schedule of events
[Adelaide – Southstart Festival]
- 17th March: Thomas Jeng, OpenAI’s VC Partnerships Lead, APAC, to host afternoon builder session with Stone and Chalk (Time: 2.30pm to 5.30pm). Details HERE
[Sydney]
- 18th March: OpenAI startups team and Relevance AI to host AI Builder Session at Relevance AI’s Sydney headquarters. Registrations HERE
- 19th March: Thomas Jeng, OpenAI’s VC Partnerships Lead, APAC,will co-host a workshop with Square Peg for startup founders and builders on optimising multi-agent workflows and explore what’s new with Codex.
- 19th March: Thomas Jeng, OpenAI’s VC Partnerships Lead, APAC to host an afternoon Builder Lounge event at Stone & Chalk’s Tech Central Innovation Hub. The event will explore multimodal updates, Codex, and where the platform is heading and include a technical deep dive and live Q&A. Details HERE
- 20th March- Thomas Jeng, OpenAI’s VC Partnerships Lead, APAC to host a breakfast with founders in collaboration with key.ai. Details HERE