I believe it's under the assumption that you (a funded start up) will be around ...

HelloFellowDevs on Feb 17, 2019 | parent | context | favorite | on: Startup Credits – Free/discounted plans for startu...

I believe it's under the assumption that you (a funded start up) will be around longer than something that might go under and not worth eating the cost of the discount without the pay off of a full price subscription later.