US-based technology giant Adobe has launched Adobe for Startups, a programme that gives early-stage startups 12 months of free access to its AI-powered creative, document and marketing tools, along with search analytics from Semrush, the company it acquired earlier this year.
The software maker said the programme is aimed at founders who handle branding, pitch decks, websites and campaigns themselves with small teams and tight budgets.
The programme is open to startups founded within the last five years that have raised less than $15 million in funding. Adobe said it will verify eligibility during the application process, and that programme terms, eligibility criteria and country availability apply.
Adobe has not published a list of the countries where the programme is available. Startups can apply through the Adobe for Startups page on Adobe's business website.
What startups get
Eligible companies receive a year of free access to four products.
The first is Firefly Pro Plus, an all-in-one creative AI studio for producing images, video and audio. The Pro Plus tier gives access to Adobe's own models, which the company describes as commercially safe, as well as partner models, and includes Photoshop on web and mobile.
According to Adobe's India website, Firefly Pro Plus costs Rs 3,990.76 per month including GST, with 10,000 generative credits a month. At that rate, a year of the plan would cost roughly Rs 48,000. The plan also covers access to partner models from Google, OpenAI and Flux.
The second is Acrobat Studio, which combines Adobe's PDF tools and its AI Assistant. Users can edit and share documents, pull insights from them, create presentations and collect signatures. In India, Adobe prices Acrobat Studio at Rs 9,572.16 a year on an annual prepaid plan, including GST.
The third is Adobe Express Premium, bundled with Acrobat Studio. Express is Adobe's template-based app for designing social media posts, marketing material and brand assets.
The fourth is Semrush, a marketing and search intelligence platform. Adobe said startups can use it to measure how their brand shows up across traditional search and AI-powered search, using behavioural data and what it called “billions of observed AI responses”.
Beyond the software, the programme includes workshops, events and sessions with Adobe experts, and access to a community of other founders.
On 3 December, Adobe for Startups will host a hands-on “Brand on Demand” workshop with Artist and the Machine, where participants will build a week of on-brand marketing content using Adobe's AI tools. Adobe also said its MAX 2026 conference in Miami, from 10 to 12 November, will have an Adobe for Startups Hub for demonstrations and networking.
Startups already on board
Notably, Adobe has named three early participants, including DataCurve, Gondola and Oruk.
DataCurve runs a fan identity and intelligence platform for sports, media and entertainment organisations, helping them turn scattered audience data into fan relationships and revenue.
“Creativity is far more powerful when you understand who you're creating for. We already use Adobe Firefly for creative assets, and we see an even bigger opportunity to bring DataCurve's fan intelligence directly into the creative process,” said Aman Johar, co-founder and CEO of DataCurve.
Gondola is building a digital credit and portfolio system for the social media and digital content industry. “When you're launching a company, how you show up matters as much as what you build,” said Jared Kleinstein, founder and CEO of Gondola.
Oruk is a speech AI research lab building foundation models that pick up tone, emotion and delivery as well as words.
“We're especially excited to use Adobe Express to turn complex speech AI research into short, visual demos that show people what they can build with our technology,” said Anastasia Zaporozhtseva, data specialist at Oruk.
