Your platform launched six months ago. You have amazing APIs. Beautiful documentation. A generous revenue share.
Partner count: 3. All are your friends who built integrations as favors.
Nobody else is building. And you don't know why.
The "Build It and They'll Come" Myth
What founders believe: Great platform + developer docs = partners will appear.
Reality: Developers won't build on your platform just because it's technically possible.
Shopify's 2010 problem:
Platform launched. APIs were solid. Early apps were promising.
But app submissions plateaued at ~100 apps after initial launch excitement.
The insight: Partners need more than APIs. They need:
- Proof there's money to be made
- Customer demand signals
- Support during development
- Distribution once they build
- Success stories from other partners
Shopify's pivot: Stop waiting for partners. Start recruiting them.
Within 2 years: 1,000+ apps. Within 5 years: 10,000+ apps.
The shift wasn't better APIs. It was active partner recruitment.
Salesforce's Partner Segmentation Framework
Salesforce doesn't recruit all partners the same way. They segment first.
Strategic partners (top 50):
- White-glove recruitment
- Direct outreach from BD team
- Custom integration support
- Co-marketing commitments
- Revenue guarantees in some cases
Growth partners (next 500):
- Targeted recruitment campaigns
- Simplified onboarding
- Partner success managers
- Marketing development funds (MDF)
- Featured in marketplace
Long-tail partners (thousands):
- Self-service onboarding
- Community support
- Documentation and templates
- Occasional marketing opportunities
- Compete for visibility
The allocation:
- 60% of partner team focuses on strategic partners
- 30% on growth partners
- 10% on long-tail enablement
Why? Top 50 partners drive 60-70% of ecosystem value.
Recruit strategically, not democratically.
AWS's Inbound Partner Qualification
AWS Partner Network gets 500+ applications per month.
The challenge: How do you separate serious partners from tire-kickers?
AWS's qualification framework:
Red flags (auto-reject or deprioritize):
- No existing customers
- No technical team
- Asking AWS to build integration for them
- Vague value proposition
- No understanding of AWS services
- Looking for funding, not partnership
Green signals (fast-track):
- Active AWS customers already
- Proven product in market
- Technical integration already started
- Clear customer demand
- Specific AWS services identified
- Revenue model defined
The screening process:
Step 1: Application review (automated + manual)
- Company size and funding
- Current customer base
- Technical capabilities
- Strategic fit
Step 2: Initial call (30 minutes)
- Understand integration scope
- Assess technical readiness
- Gauge commitment level
- Explain partner benefits
Step 3: Technical validation (for qualified partners)
- Review architecture
- Test integration approach
- Identify blockers
- Estimate timeline
Step 4: Business alignment
- Revenue opportunity assessment
- Go-to-market planning
- Success metrics definition
- Resource commitments
Conversion rate:
- 500 applications
- 200 pass initial screening (40%)
- 100 complete technical validation (20%)
- 50 become active partners (10%)
The insight: Better to say no early than waste time on partners who won't succeed.
Stripe's Outbound Partner Sourcing
Stripe doesn't wait for partners to apply. They hunt for them.
The process:
Step 1: Identify high-value integration opportunities
- Customer feature requests ("I wish Stripe integrated with X")
- Competitive analysis (what integrations do competitors have?)
- Market gaps (payment needs not being served)
- Strategic initiatives (new markets, use cases)
Step 2: Research potential partners
- Companies already in the space
- Funding and growth trajectory
- Technical capabilities
- Customer overlap with Stripe
Step 3: Warm introduction
- Leverage investors, advisors, customers
- NOT cold email from random BD person
- Ideally founder-to-founder or exec-to-exec
Step 4: Pitch the partnership
- Show customer demand data
- Demonstrate revenue opportunity
- Offer integration support
- Provide success case studies
Step 5: Fast-track onboarding
- Dedicated technical support
- Custom documentation if needed
- Co-marketing planning
- Launch coordination
Stripe's outbound vs. inbound mix:
- 30% of strategic partners come through outbound
- 70% through inbound applications
- But outbound partners are 3x more likely to be in top tier
When you need specific integrations, go recruit them. Don't wait.
HubSpot's Partner Onboarding Journey
HubSpot learned that slow onboarding kills partner momentum.
Old process:
- Partner applies
- 2-week review period
- Scheduling calls (another week)
- Waiting for API access
- Documentation treasure hunt
- Build in isolation
- Submit for review
- Back-and-forth on requirements
Average time to first integration: 4-6 months. Dropout rate: 60%.
New process (2020 redesign):
Week 1: Instant start
- Application approval: 24-48 hours
- Immediate API sandbox access
- Automated welcome email with resources
- Invitation to partner Slack channel
- Assign partner success contact
Week 2-4: Guided building
- Weekly office hours (live Q&A)
- Technical documentation + video tutorials
- Sample code repositories
- Common integration templates
- Proactive check-ins from partner team
Week 5-8: Launch preparation
- Integration review process (clear checklist)
- Marketing asset creation (templates provided)
- Marketplace listing optimization
- Launch planning and timeline
Week 9-12: Go-to-market
- Marketplace listing goes live
- Co-marketing activities
- Customer introduction program
- Performance monitoring begins
New average time to integration: 6-8 weeks. Dropout rate: 20%.
The difference: Remove friction, provide support, maintain momentum.
Twilio's Partner Success Metrics
Twilio tracks partner health from day one.
Activation metrics (first 30 days):
- API sandbox login within 24 hours
- First API call within 7 days
- Documentation engagement (pages viewed)
- Community participation
- Technical questions asked
Development metrics (30-90 days):
- Integration completion milestones
- API call volume and patterns
- Error rates (indicates struggle points)
- Support ticket volume
- Time in development vs. stalled
Launch metrics (90-180 days):
- Marketplace listing quality
- First customer deployment
- Revenue generated (if applicable)
- Customer feedback scores
- Marketing material created
Red flags indicating partner at risk:
- No API activity for 14+ days
- High error rates (>20%)
- Multiple support escalations
- Missed check-in calls
- No progress on integration milestones
When red flags appear, partner success team intervenes:
- Proactive outreach
- Technical troubleshooting session
- Resource evaluation (do they need more help?)
- Timeline re-assessment
- Decision point: continue or pause?
Better to help struggling partners succeed than let them fail silently.
Shopify's Partner Motivation Mapping
Why do partners build on Shopify? Different motivations require different recruitment approaches.
Revenue-driven partners (SaaS companies):
- Motivation: Recurring revenue through apps
- Recruitment: Show revenue potential with data
- Support: Business model guidance, pricing strategy
- Success: Help them acquire and retain merchants
Agency partners (development shops):
- Motivation: Client billable work
- Recruitment: Show merchant demand for services
- Support: Technical training, certification programs
- Success: Client referrals, co-marketing
Strategic partners (major platforms):
- Motivation: Customer retention, feature parity
- Recruitment: Executive-level partnership discussions
- Support: Dedicated integration resources
- Success: Joint customer wins, case studies
Hobbyist/indie developers:
- Motivation: Learning, portfolio building, side income
- Recruitment: Community engagement, hackathons
- Support: Detailed documentation, peer community
- Success: First revenue milestone, skill development
The approach: Match recruitment tactics and support to partner motivation.
Don't pitch revenue models to hobbyists or learning opportunities to SaaS companies.
The Partner Pitch Deck
What Stripe includes when recruiting strategic partners:
Slide 1: The Opportunity
- Market size for this integration
- Customer demand signals (specific data)
- Revenue potential (modeled scenarios)
Slide 2: Why This Matters
- Customer pain point being solved
- Competitive landscape
- Strategic importance to Stripe
Slide 3: Customer Evidence
- "X customers have requested this integration"
- Use case examples
- Potential early adopters identified
Slide 4: What Stripe Provides
- Technical integration support
- Documentation and resources
- API credits or sandbox access
- Co-marketing opportunities
- Marketplace placement
- Revenue share terms
Slide 5: Success Stories
- Case studies from similar partners
- Revenue metrics (if shareable)
- Customer acquisition data
- Growth trajectories
Slide 6: The Ask
- Timeline expectations
- Resource requirements
- Next steps
- Decision timeline
Duration: 15-20 minutes. Leave time for questions.
The goal: Make it a no-brainer business decision to build on your platform.
MongoDB's Partner Vetting Process
MongoDB learned not all partners who can build should build.
Technical vetting:
- Can they actually implement the integration?
- Do they have relevant technical expertise?
- Have they built integrations before?
- What's their development process?
Business vetting:
- Do they have a sustainable business model?
- Are they funded appropriately?
- Do they have existing customers?
- What's their growth trajectory?
Strategic vetting:
- Does this integration serve MongoDB's strategy?
- Will it drive customer value?
- Does it compete with our roadmap?
- Are there better alternative partners?
Values vetting:
- Do they share our customer-first values?
- Are they trustworthy with data/security?
- Will they represent our brand well?
- Do they have concerning red flags?
The decision matrix:
- All "yes" across all four? Fast-track partnership.
- Mixed signals? Proceed cautiously with checkpoints.
- Multiple "no" answers? Politely decline.
It's okay to say no. Bad partners hurt your ecosystem more than no partners.
The Partner Launch Playbook
How AWS activates new partners post-integration:
Pre-launch (2 weeks before):
- Finalize marketplace listing
- Create launch blog post (partner writes draft, AWS edits)
- Prepare social media assets
- Identify customer early adopters
- Brief AWS field teams
- Plan launch webinar/demo
Launch week:
- Publish marketplace listing
- Post launch blog
- Social media announcement blitz
- Email to relevant customer segments
- AWS newsletter feature
- Press release (for major partners)
Post-launch (30 days):
- Monitor adoption metrics
- Collect customer feedback
- Address technical issues quickly
- Schedule follow-up webinar
- Share early success metrics
- Plan next marketing beat
The insight: Integration going live isn't the finish line. It's the starting line.
Partners need ongoing support to succeed.
Partner Economics That Work
What actually motivates partners to build and maintain integrations?
Shopify App Store revenue share:
- Partners keep 80% of revenue
- Shopify takes 20% (covers hosting, distribution, payments)
- No upfront fees to list
- Free development tools and sandbox
The result: Clear path to profitability for partners.
Salesforce AppExchange:
- Partners keep 75-95% depending on deal size
- Lead generation from marketplace
- Co-selling opportunities
- MDF for qualified partners
Stripe Connect:
- Partners earn revenue from payment volume
- Incentive increases with customer success
- Transparent pricing calculator
- Negotiated rates for large partners
The principle: Partners should make significantly more than you do from the relationship.
If your platform takes 50%+, partners can't build sustainable businesses.
The Weekly Partner Recruitment Meeting
What Twilio's partner team reviews every week:
Pipeline health:
- New applications this week
- Partners in each stage (applied → qualified → building → launched)
- Conversion rates between stages
- Bottlenecks and blockers
Outbound targets:
- High-priority integrations needed
- Target companies identified
- Outreach attempts and responses
- Warm introductions arranged
Active partner health:
- Partners at risk (no activity, missing milestones)
- Partners ahead of schedule
- Support escalations
- Success stories emerging
Ecosystem gaps:
- Missing integrations customers need
- Competitive parity requirements
- Strategic initiatives needing partners
- Underserved use cases or segments
30 minutes. Keeps partner pipeline moving.
When to Stop Recruiting
Not all platforms need 10,000 partners.
AWS Marketplace: Tens of thousands of partners makes sense
Stripe Connect: Thousands of payment platforms makes sense
Your niche B2B SaaS platform: Maybe you need 50-100 strategic partners
Quality vs. quantity:
If you're a specialized platform, 50 excellent partners who drive customer value > 500 mediocre partners who clutter your marketplace.
Salesforce learned this: Initially pushed for maximum partner count. Realized top 5% drove 80% of value.
Now they focus: Fewer, better, more strategic partnerships.
The First Strategic Partnership
Before you can recruit 100 partners, nail the first one.
The proving ground:
- Choose a partner where there's clear mutual value
- Over-invest in making them successful
- Document what works and what doesn't
- Create templates and playbooks from learnings
- Use as case study to recruit next 10
Shopify's approach with first 10 apps:
- Hands-on technical support
- Weekly check-ins
- Early merchant introduction
- Featured placement guaranteed
- Revenue sharing experiments
Those 10 apps became templates for recruiting next 100.
You can't scale what you haven't proven works.
Start with one exceptional partnership. Then multiply the playbook.