The Evolution of the Cloud Partnership Model & What’s Coming Next
Today marks the launch of Tackle’s innovative Cloud GTM Ecosystem, a comprehensive program designed to foster collaboration and drive shared success among cloud companies.
I am especially thrilled about this initial phase of our partner ecosystem strategy, as it lays the groundwork for Tackle’s scalable partnership model moving forward.
A Brief History
We’ve contemplated a partner program for several years, but due to the dynamic nature of our startup environment and external factors, the timing hadn’t been right. In my two years at Tackle, I’ve witnessed a full spectrum of market dynamics: from the euphoria of market peaks, to the sobering market crash and necessary business realignment, to the current phase of realistic growth.
Now, as we solidify a successful upmarket transition and reflect on the lessons from past challenges, we are positioned to focus our energies on partnering.
Evolution of the Cloud GTM Ecosystem
The space we operate in has matured significantly, reflecting our own evolution. The industry has progressed from:
- Focusing solely on listing products in the Marketplace,
- To incorporating co-sell strategies to generate revenue,
- To implementing data-driven strategies that maximize co-sell power,
- To establishing Cloud GTM as a core element of any successful B2B software company’s strategy.
As Cloud GTM has matured, we’ve realized that effective cloud partnerships extend beyond alliances alone, requiring tools, solutions, and expertise to support successful cloud businesses. Enter Tackle’s Cloud GTM Ecosystem.
Program Overview
Tackle’s Cloud GTM Ecosystem program launched today to empower our customers to build successful Cloud GTM strategies, leveraging offerings from our partners, while also supporting partners in addressing their customers’ cloud needs.
While we’ve considered a partner program for some time, recent months have seen a stronger pull from various partners, individually and under the suggestion of the Cloud Providers, to explore opportunities to grow their business with Tackle.
This is an exciting time for partnerships. No single product can succeed alone in today’s market. Complex customer needs and intricate business challenges necessitate comprehensive solutions. Two key dynamics underpin our ecosystem partnership strategy:
- Interconnected Tech Stack: Today’s software buyers seek to integrate new tools into their broader tech stack, reinforcing the concept of “too integrated to fail.”
- New Software Buying Paradigm: In a recent 360insights webinar where they announced the launch of their partner ecosystem, Allan Adler referenced HBR research noting that over 80% of B2B buyers begin their purchasing journey with a referral from trusted sources. This emphasizes the importance of a trusted partner network, where co-selling can truly shine.
The opportunity ahead of us is huge. At a much larger scale, according to Venkat Atluri, the author of the book “The Ecosystem Economy: How to Lead in the New Age of Sectors Without Borders,” the global economy is being transformed by ecosystems that are fostering the interconnection of different businesses across different industries, breaking down century-lasting barriers and silos. According to Venkat for McKinsey, these ecosystems will impact 30% of the global economy by 2030. In his words: “We expect the total revenue pool of these ecosystems to be between $70 to $100 trillion by 2030. That would represent around 30 percent of the global economy, but more than 40 percent of total profits and more than half of the profits above the cost of capital.*
Partner Benefits
Our program categorizes partners into four groups:
- Technology Partnerships: Software companies offering foundational capabilities to help ISVs establish, operationalize, and scale Cloud GTM strategies.
- GTM Services: Companies providing services ranging from market positioning, lead generation, and content creation to alliances as a service, built to support ISVs go-to-market strategies and tactics.
- Solution Providers: Firms focused on cloud migrations, application SaaSification, cloud cost management, and business transformation.
- Channel Partners: The traditional channel promoting cloud adoption and ISV software attachment through co-selling with Cloud Providers and channel partner private offers.
Partners joining Tackle’s Cloud GTM Ecosystem can:
- Unlock new revenue opportunities through our referral program,
- Access enablement and education resources on the Tackle Platform and Cloud GTM movement,
- Leverage Tackle to extend their portfolio, providing premium Cloud GTM support to their customers,
- Explore additional co-selling and co-marketing opportunities with Tackle.
We’re proud to have begun this partnership journey with a stellar set of partners, including DoiT, AllCloud, SoftwareOne, and 66Degrees, all of whom see value in working with Tackle to support ISVs in their ecosystems.
Future Roadmap
In the coming months, we’ll continue to mature relationships with our launch partners, enhance program structure and processes, and further expand our technology partnerships to identify solutions that add value for our customers.
For those interested in joining the program, please submit a request to join here.
We extend our gratitude to all partners joining us on this adventure, and we look forward to our shared success.
