Adam Michalski

OpenAI

Crossbeam

VP of Ecosystem

Partnered

Co-Founder & CEO

Branch Metrics

Enterprise Account Executive

Angel.ai (formerly GoButler)

Director of Sales & Operations

DormChat

Founder & CEO

Senior Associate

Head of Partnered

I’m a growth-minded executive with a unique blend of marketing and ecosystem leadership experience, most recently serving as Chief Partner Officer at WorkSpan, where I built and scaled strategic partnerships with AWS, Microsoft, and Google. Now, as the Founder and Host of Inside Partner, I’m focused on advancing the partnerships industry - spotlighting partner leaders and insights through executive interviews and thought leadership content.

Over the past 20+ years, I’ve led teams across marketing, ecosystem strategy, and community engagement at category-leading SaaS companies. At WorkSpan, I created the Ecosystem Management category and launched Ecosystem Aces, a video podcast series featuring over 220 executive interviews and 110+ show-floor conversations from major partner events. These experiences cemented my belief in the power of storytelling and relationships to drive strategic growth.

Whether building demand gen engines from scratch, positioning companies for Series A to C growth, or shaping industry conversations through analyst briefings and event presence, I bring energy, strategy, and executive credibility to every engagement. I thrive in fast-paced environments, and I’m passionate about coaching teams, developing ecosystems, and helping B2B SaaS companies grow through partnerships and marketing alignment.

Key Strengths:
🔹 Ecosystem & Partner Strategy
🔹 Pipeline Generation & Driving Revenue
🔹 Category Creation & Messaging
🔹 Video Content & Thought Leadership
🔹 ABM & Demand Gen Engines
🔹 Community Growth & Influencer Marketing

Let’s build something impactful - whether it’s a brand, a category, or an ecosystem.

Chip Rodgers

🚀 This is how AWS is automating enterprise deal-making. 

Enterprise deals almost always involve custom pricing.
 
But the way that pricing gets negotiated has barely changed in years.

I heard Matt Yanchyshyn on this morning's Partnership Leaders webinar and it reminded me of some of the cool things Amazon Web Services (AWS) launched at re:Invent last month. 

In this clip, Matt talks about how 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝘀 in AWS Marketplace flips that model.

Instead of endless emails or calls, partners can now predefine the rules - customer type, deal size, contract length - that qualify for discounts. 

AWS Marketplace then handles the qualification and automatically delivers the private offer. 💪 Wow!

The result is simpler procurement for customers and far less friction for partners trying to scale.

It’s a great example of how Marketplace is moving beyond transactions and into automation that actually accelerates deals.

Tai Rattigan Chris Grusz Louise Strandoo Jessica Rudy Eamonn Colman Mona Chadha Reagan Koryozo

🎙 Inside Partnering | Chief Partner Officer | CMO | Ecosystem Strategy | B2B SaaS Growth & GTM Leader

This is what it sounds like when a CEO truly understands a hyperscaler partnership.

At AWS re:Invent, I asked Rick McConnell , CEO of Dynatrace , to talk about what the AWS partnership really looks like behind the scenes.

His answer was refreshingly direct.

Dynatrace runs on AWS. AWS is fundamental to how the platform works. And the relationship goes well beyond infrastructure.

Dynatrace and AWS co-sell together to help customers deliver observability at cloud scale - and now, with the announcement of Dynatrace’s integration with Amazon Bedrock, that partnership is extending directly into agentic AI environments.

Rick made a critical point that often gets overlooked in AI conversations. As customers build and deploy agents, the data feeding those agents must be accurate and trustworthy. Without that, autonomous action quickly becomes risky.

This clip is a strong example of how modern ISV and hyperscaler partnerships are evolving - not just to support workloads, but to enable entirely new operating models built around AI, agents, and automation.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗘𝗢 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗸𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗮𝘆?

Asher Mathew Matt Perron Michele Todd Kacey Leckenby Sandra Conn Miranda Allen Burney Barker Corinna Spitzbart

𝗔𝗜 𝘄𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝘅 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝘄𝗻 - 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹. Kelley Lear broke down how Blue Yonder is scaling partners to deliver real outcomes. 

I caught up with Kelley Lear, CVP and GM of Global Alliances for Blue Yonder, live at Microsoft Ignite in San Francisco, where Blue Yonder received the very prestigious 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗼𝗳𝘁 𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗦𝗩 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 award. 

Kelley shared how her team is aligning more than 300 partners across global SIs, boutique regional firms, and technology innovators to deliver real customer impact. 

And with Blue Yonder’s AI-powered end-to-end supply chain platform running on Azure and Snowflake, the role of partners is critical.
 
Some highlights from our conversation:

✅ Why deep 𝗰𝗼-𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗼𝗳𝘁 matters more than logos, awards, or announcements.
✅ What it really takes to scale a 𝟯𝟬𝟬+ 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 without losing focus or quality.
✅ How Blue Yonder is using 𝗔𝗜 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿, in real time.
✅ Why 𝗲𝗻𝗱-𝘁𝗼-𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 is now a business survival issue, not an IT upgrade.
✅ How modern 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 unlock the long tail, not just the top SIs.

Kelley summed it up perfectly: “𝘞𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘯𝘥 - 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯.”

The full episode has so much insight for partner leaders, supply chain executives, and anyone working with AI-driven platforms.

Thanks Kelley for taking time to share your insights with us!

🎥 Full interview link in comments.

Jennifer Bojues Heidi Albers Meg Paintal Patricia Harris Sandy Gupta Jake Zborowski Anthony Joseph Priscyla Laham Feliz Fuentes Montpellier Nina Harding Katie Ecklund #ai #supplychain

✅ Global supply chains don’t fail because of one bad decision - they fail when systems, data, and partners aren’t connected.

In this 1-minute clip from my conversation with Kelley Lear, CVP and GM of Global Alliances at Blue Yonder, we talk about how Blue Yonder is approaching supply chain transformation differently - by combining 𝗔𝗜, 𝗲𝗻𝗱-𝘁𝗼-𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺.

This isn’t about partnering for logos or awards. It’s about using AI and ecosystem expertise to help customers plan, adapt, and respond in real time - even as disruption becomes the norm.

Watch the clip to hear how Blue Yonder is thinking about the future of supply chains, and why partners are central to making that future work.

DataMasque built a worldwide business from New Zealand by designing AWS Marketplace into the GTM from day one.

In this clip, Grant de Leeuw, CEO and Founder of DataMasque, explains how DataMasque approached global scale from New Zealand by leaning early into AWS Marketplace - not as an add-on channel, but as a core GTM strategy.

What stands out is how intentional the partner motion was:

✅ Co-building with AWS product teams
✅ Co-marketing through funded case studies and events
✅ Co-selling with AWS field teams once traction appeared

This wasn’t about chasing logos. It was about building credibility, usability, and trust with enterprise customers first.

For partner leaders, there are clear lessons here:

📌 AWS Marketplace can give you global reach and scale without boots on the ground
📌 Co-build creates long-term leverage when paired with deep technical alignment..
📌 And partner-first models require discipline, not shortcuts.

The full conversation dives deeper into DataMasque’s approach, including design wins, global expansion, and how partnerships replaced a traditional field sales model.

The first comment links to the full video and writeup (paid).

Amazon Web Services (AWS) Karthik Balakrishnan Chris Casey Matt Yanchyshyn Chris Grusz Allison Bishop Allison Johnson Jeff Grimes Vineet Anshuman Jagjit Dhaliwal (JD) Jing Zhu Reagan Koryozo Asher Mathew Megan Barbone Jay McBain Bryan Williams Desmond Russell Natasha Reynolds Dickie Currer Basem Emera Ross Dawson

Partners have more influence on AWS roadmaps than most people realize.

In this clip, Rohan Karmarkar explains how feedback from partners doesn’t just get logged - it gets fed directly into Amazon Web Services (AWS) engineering teams and influences what gets built, prioritized, and shipped.

In many cases, this goes beyond feedback into 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗲 𝗰𝗼-𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 between AWS services teams and partner engineering organizations.

That’s a very different model than “build it and hope the platform catches up.”

𝘈𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮 𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘥𝘮𝘢𝘱𝘴?

Abhisheikh Lahoti Jing Zhu Matthew Girdharry Allison Johnson Allison Bishop Megan Barbone

🟢 Most agentic AI initiatives don’t fail because of the technology. 🟢

They fail because they never make it past the pilot.

At AWS re:Invent in Las Vegas, I sat down with Pankaj Kumar, Global VP of Strategic Alliances and Head of the AWS Business Group at Kyndryl, to unpack what it really takes to turn agentic AI into something enterprises can actually run at scale.

One point Pankaj made stood out immediately.

“A very small percentage of those pilot projects actually see ROI in terms of real world executable projects.”

From his perspective, the gap isn’t vision or funding. It’s execution.

Kyndryl’s role is unusual. They manage decades of mission-critical systems for a large share of the Fortune 100 and Global 2000. That access to operational systems and data fundamentally changes what’s possible with agentic AI.

“That repository of knowledge that we have is the critical fuel that you require to make an agent AI project successful.”

We also talked about how this shows up in real partner execution with Amazon Web Services.

Their joint motion is tightly aligned to how AWS goes to market today - industry-focused, regionally customized, and built around co-sell realities rather than generic programs.

“Our sales motion and our collaboration with AWS is in tune with how AWS is going to the market.”

For partner and alliance leaders, this conversation is a reminder that scaling AI inside large enterprises is less about launching pilots and more about integrating deeply with the systems that already run the business.

Execution discipline, industry alignment, and trusted access to operational data are what separate experiments from outcomes.

Thanks Pankaj for taking time to share your insights and how Kyndryl is driving value for customers with agentic AI projects!

🎥 Full Substack article and video linked in the first comment

Brian Bohan Chandra Pinapala Matt Yanchyshyn Chris Grusz Lewis Howarth Louise Strandoo Rima Olinger Gavin Booth Shankar Moorthy Angharad West Harriet-Marcia Shakir Maria Bartolome Winans Rosa Toro Bernadette Davis Gaurav Mathur Dorian Acosta Russ Lindburg Pranshuman Roy Alan Berrospi Tomas Krojzl

🔵 In the AI era, platforms alone won’t deliver value - partners will. 🔵

The pace of change in AI is forcing a reset in how customers think about platforms, partners, and value.

In this clip, Marc Monday lays out how ServiceNow is approaching that moment - by putting partners at the center of the AI journey.

As Marc puts it, “The partner opportunity is now.”

Customers don’t want rip-and-replace strategies.
➡️ They want choice.
➡️ They want to work with the infrastructure they already have.
➡️ And they need partners who can move fast, understand their business, and translate AI into real outcomes.

Marc also references a line from Bill McDermott that perfectly captures the urgency of this moment:

"The pace of change has never been this fast - and it will never be this slow again."

That reality is exactly why partners matter more than ever.

Where are partners making the biggest difference for your customers right now?

Marc Rolfe - 罗飞 Sonal Patel Michael Park Hasan Kidwai Meaghan Moore Roisin Monaghan Ira Simon Deven Ravel Caroline Parkinson Carla Goldsberry

🔹 There’s a lot of noise right now about AI agents. 🔹

But when it comes to 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴, the bar is different.

In this clip, Gretchen O'Hara explains why trust is non-negotiable when AI touches financial data - and why Sage has taken a more deliberate approach.

As she puts it:  
“𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘺𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘢. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘯𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱.”

That point really landed for me.

In finance, AI can’t just be impressive - it has to be 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁, 𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗶𝘁-𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆, and 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱. 🎯 The moment users start questioning the output, the productivity gains disappear.

What I appreciate about Gretchen’s perspective is that AI isn’t framed as replacing people. It’s about enabling productivity, freeing teams from manual work, and letting humans focus on insight and judgment - but only if the foundation is solid.

For partners, that trust layer matters just as much. If you’re going to lead customers into an AI-powered world, you need confidence that what you’re delivering actually works.

Get beyond AI pilots - into production - to drive real customer ROI.

In this 1-minute clip from my conversation with Pankaj Kumar, Global VP of Strategic Alliances and Head of the AWS Business Group at Kyndryl, we focus on a hard truth many partner leaders are seeing right now.

“A very small percentage of those pilot projects actually see ROI in terms of real world executable projects.”

Pankaj explains how Kyndryl helps customers move beyond experimentation by grounding agentic AI in mission-critical systems, operational data, and execution discipline - not just tools.

For alliance and ecosystem leaders, this is the difference between impressive demos and measurable customer outcomes.

▶️ Full article in first comment

🌕 Strong partners don’t just adopt platforms - they influence them. 🌕

One of the most interesting parts of my conversation with Masooma Naqvi, VP of Digital Services at HP, was how clearly she described a 𝘵𝘸𝘰-𝘸𝘢𝘺 partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS).

This wasn’t just about consuming cloud services.

Masooma explained how HP brings concrete customer requirements to the table - especially around predictive analytics, geo availability, and sovereign markets - and how those inputs directly shape how Amazon Bedrock evolves.

At the same time, HP is an early tester as new capabilities launch, validating them inside real enterprise development lifecycles.

That feedback loop matters.

It’s a reminder that the strongest hyperscaler partnerships aren’t passive. They’re built when product leaders show up with real problems, clear requirements, and the scale to pressure-test what gets built next.

Where have you seen partnership input materially change a platform?

Tom Hempfield Meg Brennan Chris Grusz Matt Yanchyshyn Allison Johnson Vineet Anshuman Jagjit Dhaliwal (JD) Rohan Karmarkar Allison Bishop

Many AI conversations are still abstract. This one isn’t - Masooma Naqvi walks through how HP applies AI to real operational problems CIOs face every day.

Masooma is VP of Digital Services at HP.  Instead of talking about proofs of concept, Masooma shared how HP is using Amazon AI today to:
 🔹 Proactively manage enterprise IT environments
 🔹 Reduce downtime
 🔹 Improve employee productivity across remote, hybrid, and in-office work models

At the center of it all is HP’s Workforce Experience Platform, which brings together device, collaboration, network, and application telemetry. 

Powered by Amazon Bedrock, the platform does something many IT teams struggle with - it moves from insight to action.

Masooma explained how predictive self-healing models can now identify recurring issues, recommend fixes, and in some cases deploy them automatically. 

The result is fewer help desk tickets, lower operational cost, and a better experience for employees who just want their technology to work.

We also talked deeply about partnerships. HP has built this platform not just for direct enterprise customers, but for MSPs and GSIs who need scalable tools they can wrap services around. 

That partner-first mindset shows up in how HP co-builds and feeds real enterprise requirements back into Amazon product teams.

If you care about AI that delivers real business outcomes, platform design at scale, or how hyperscaler partnerships actually work in practice, this episode is for you.

🎥 Full Substack article and video in first comment.

Manoj Leelanivas Tom Hempfield Meg Brennan Chris Grusz Allison Bishop Christopher Sullivan Matt Yanchyshyn Allison Johnson

Signing 20 new partners feels productive - until none of them actually scale.

In this clip from my conversation with Chandos Quill at AWS re:Invent, she explains why Epsilon is taking a very deliberate approach as they build their partnerships function.

Instead of chasing volume, the focus is on 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘆 - leaning into the partners that truly matter, proving value with executives and sales, and scaling from a strong foundation.

This mindset is especially important when you are still building the team, the operating model, and internal credibility for partnerships.

Less noise. More impact.
 
That’s how partner programs earn trust and momentum.

How are you deciding which partners truly matter as you scale your program?

Great session today at Amazon Web Services (AWS) Security Summit. 

Incident response (IR) with AI is shifting from "analyzing bits and bites" to having to know the underlying business process and the INTENT to understand if an incident is a threat, an attack, drift, hallucination.  

Question: Can current team members level up to that requirement?  Do they want to?  (I suspect some will, others won't.)

Matthew Bretan Rob Solomon Jaime Franklin Vineet Anshuman Jonathan Rende Andy Horwitz Melody Nouri Natasha Raju

Not every partner is the right partner.

In this clip, Charlie Pagliazzo explains what Granite Telecommunications actually looks for when new partners want to work together.

🚫 It’s not about size.
🚫 It’s not about geography.
🚫 And it’s not about chasing every opportunity.

✅ What matters most is clarity.

Partners who understand who they are, what they’re trying to accomplish, and where they can truly add value tend to align best - and perform best over time.

That level of focus makes collaboration easier, trust faster, and outcomes better for everyone involved.

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀?

▶️ Full conversation is linked in the first comment.

What actually makes a good AWS partner? 

After working with hundreds of partners, this is what consistently stands out.
 
Mona Chadha breaks it down simply and clearly:

✅ They have a real AI mindset
✅ They stay focused on what matters to the end customer
✅ They integrate deeply
✅ They are a good AWS customer
✅ They embed AWS into how they build and sell
✅ They co-sell effectively
✅ They bring that to the table and they share information with us.

That last part is often the hardest - and the most important. 

Strong partnerships are built on transparency, shared context, and a willingness to work as an extension of each other’s teams.

This clip is a great reminder that successful partnering is less about programs and more about behavior.

Incredible venue this morning for the Amazon Web Services (AWS) AI Security Forum at SHACK15 in the Ferry Building in SF. 

Andy Horwitz Mauricio Astacio ☁ Vineet Anshuman Matthew Bretan Natasha Raju

🚨 Before I book the next wave of guests, I want to hear directly from you. 🚨

As we kick off the new year, I want to make sure 𝙄𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 continues to be as useful and relevant as possible for you.

Over the past year, I’ve had the chance to speak with incredible partner and business leaders across hyperscalers, ISVs, GSIs, and the broader ecosystem.
 
To help shape what comes next, I’ve put together a 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘆 to better understand:
🟣 𝗚𝗨𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗦 you want to hear from
🟣 𝗧𝗢𝗣𝗜𝗖𝗦 that matter most to you in 2026
🟣 𝗩𝗔𝗟𝗨𝗘 you want to get from 𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨
 
Only 2 required multiple-choice questions, so it should take 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲𝘀, and your input will directly shape upcoming episodes, topics, and formats this year.

Link to short survey: https://lnkd.in/gWNE6zBK

Drop a comment here on LinkedIn as well!

Let's have an amazing 2026 together! ❤️

Open article: Inside Partnering | Chip Rodgers | Substack by insidepartnering.substack.com

Inside Partnering | Chip Rodgers | Substack

🔹 Building a channel from one person to 800+ active partners doesn’t happen by accident - it happens by design. 🔹

After spending more than 20 years building Granite Telecommunications’ channel organization, Charlie Pagliazzo has a perspective you only get from doing the work - at scale.

In this episode of 𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨, I sat down with Charlie, VP of Channels at Granite, to talk about what it really takes to grow a partner ecosystem from one person to 80+ channel professionals and 800+ active selling partners.

A few themes stood out:

➡️ Granite treats partners as customers - and structures its teams, investments, and ROI models around that belief.

➡️ ROI is not just revenue. It is how the entire team spends their time, who they support, and where they can make the biggest impact.

➡️ AI is reshaping everything - from bandwidth requirements to customer experience - and creating new opportunities for partners who can guide end users through complexity.

➡️ We also talked about M&A, private equity, and why customer outcomes must stay ahead of valuation thinking if the channel is going to keep growing the right way.

This was a thoughtful, practical conversation grounded in real operating experience - not theory.

If you are leading partnerships, channels, or ecosystem strategy, this one is worth your time.
 
▶️ Short clip here
📄 Full video and write-up in the first comment

Michael Sims Brad Dupee

If you’re a Salesforce partner in AI and you’re not excited right now, you’re missing the moment.

Brian Landsman explains why 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗮 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗮 Salesforce 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗜 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲.

He talks about how partners building on 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 remove friction for customers by simplifying upgrades, integrations, and ongoing innovation. Instead of every customer reinventing the wheel, partners can deliver capabilities that evolve alongside Salesforce itself.

That matters even more in an agentic world - where success depends on adoption, iteration, and trust at enterprise scale.

As Brian puts it, customers make massive investments in Salesforce. Partners help them realize the ROI faster by plugging into a platform that already handles security, compliance, and upgrades.

For ISVs and services partners alike, the opportunity isn’t just to build AI - it’s to build 𝗼𝗻 𝗮 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁.

Andrew Kisslo Christopher Mercer Lenore Lang Shakeeb 'Shak' Malik Shane Galligan Steve Hamrick Vala Afshar Muddu Sudhakar Gary Larter Bruce Richardson

taplio

The Battle

Adam Michalski

Chip Rodgers

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreChip Rodgers's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Adam Michalski

Chip Rodgers

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Chip Rodgers's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreChip Rodgers's LinkedIn Performance