Vince Menzione

Founder of Cloud Wave Partners LLC

I help technology leaders thrive in this era of rapid, tectonic change—mastering Microsoft, AWS, and Google partnerships to drive growth, innovation, and impact.

From scaling startups to leading $4.6B at Microsoft, I’ve learned one truth: success is built on meaningful connections—between people, ideas, and opportunities - trust is always a key ingredients.

Raised in a close-knit Italian family in New Jersey, my upbringing shaped my leadership principles. My grandfather arrived in the U.S. with only $20 in his pocket and built multiple sustainable businesses through grit and determination.

My dad fought in WWII and taught me that integrity and trust were omnipotent. These teachings were  the foundation upon which I built lasting success.

In college, I sold goods at flea markets and created a successful business organizing watch parties— creating opportunities by connecting people. After college, that drive took me to the front lines of wireless computing, where I helped scale a startup from $6M to $125M and led it to a successful public exit.

At General Dynamics, I turned around a struggling division, driving exponential growth, securing $20M in defense appropriations, and delivering a third of the company’s revenue—through partnerships built on collaboration and execution.

Then came nearly a decade at Microsoft, where I led the US Public Sector Partner business through one of the most significant transformations in tech. We grew revenue from $2.5B to $4.6B, shaped the modern cloud reseller model, and built high performing partner teams known for trust, alignment, and results.

But I saw a gap. Leaders didn’t just need strategy decks—they needed real focus, practical frameworks, and a trusted space to learn from one another.

In 2017, I founded Ultimate Partner® to be that compass for technology leaders navigating ecosystem-led growth. Through Ultimate Guide to Partnering®, now 270+ episodes strong, and Ultimate Partner LIVE events, I bring together top voices from Microsoft, AWS, Google, and across the partner ecosystem. I also developed the 8 Principles of Partnering Success, used to align strategy and drive measurable impact.

Our mission is simple: empower leaders and their organizations to grow with clarity, connection, and credibility—while building partnerships that scale with purpose.

Founder

Over six years ago, I embarked on a mission to empower partners struggling to navigate the complex world of tech giants like Microsoft, Google, and AWS. 

Having witnessed the industry from multiple perspectives – leading a $4.6 billion Ecosystem at Microsoft, spearheading partnerships for a billion-dollar company, and hosting 200 episodes of the Ultimate Guide to Partnering®, I’ve gained invaluable insights and crafted a manifesto of principles to guide your success.

In an era defined by tectonic shifts, such as the global pandemic, economic headwinds, and the rise of AI, the role of hyperscalers has become increasingly critical. With investments of billions of dollars in ecosystems, technology, and customer acquisition costs, they have secured over $200 billion in customer commitments to durable cloud budgets. We stand on the precipice of a marketplace moment where simplifying and streamlining economic models associated with co-selling and ecosystem-led growth will shape the decade ahead.

Yet, as vendors and organizations demand more from us while resources diminish, we ask, “Where do we go? How do we navigate these seismic shifts? How do we thrive during this decade of the ecosystem?”

If you’re a partner, you’re likely grappling with these questions. The watering holes of the past no longer offer the guidance required to transform into a Cloud GTM and embrace Ecosystem Led Growth. That’s why Ultimate Partner exists – to be your trusted compass amidst the noise.

Visit our website, tune into Ultimate Guide to Partnering and join The Ultimate Partner LIVE events.

Microsoft just placed a HUGE bet — and partners are at the center of it.

In my latest episode, Erwin Visser breaks down the real story behind Microsoft’s AI and SMEC strategy — what’s changing, what partners need to know, and how this shift will redefine co-sell, Copilot adoption, and the future of the ecosystem.

If you lead a partner business, this is the conversation you cannot afford to miss.

 🎧 Listen to the episode https://lnkd.in/ejU4Tr4z

 📩 Subscribe for deeper insights in the newsletter https://lnkd.in/e4BCMxQ3

 🧭 And join us inside UPX, where leaders get the clarity they need to win in this new era. https://lnkd.in/e-ZpX3pB

Let’s rise to the moment. The opportunity is here — and it’s partner-led.

Connecting tech leaders through community, media and events, creating high growth in hyperscaler ecosystems | Founder, Ultimate Partner® | Host, Ultimate Guide to Partnering® | Chief Connector UPX

View newsletter: Ultimate Guide to Partnering

What a thrilling week hosting partner leaders at Ultimate Partner LIVE in Reston, VA at the Carahsoft Training Center. Even if you couldn't be with us

Open article: Microsoft Co-Sell & AI: Erwin Visser on the $600B Growth Model by Vince Menzione • 3 min read

Microsoft Co-Sell & AI: Erwin Visser on the $600B Growth Model

M (Money)

M® is a global platform and an open source ecosystem for implementing secure, instant, autonomous, peer-to-peer transfers of value.

Jini™ (stealth mode)

Jini is a smart assistant that bridges people and AI. Jini grows smarter with every interaction, learning to understand not just what you ask, but also anticipating what you may need before you even realize it yourself — Just Jini It™. And it does payments too.

Jini's design is inspired by Apple's "Liquid Glass" aesthetic direction. Jini breaks the mold and aims to become the most advanced, affordable, and capable player on the market, setting new standards for what consumers can expect from AI technology.

Founder and CEO

GRAMM SAF venture (stealth mode)

In collaboration with the BioTfueL consortium (TotalEnergies, Axens, thyssenkrupp Uhde), a major global CCS company, two of the world's largest biomass players, three airlines and IATA, we are developing large-scale production of carbon-negative Sustainable Aviation Fuel to decarbonise the global aviation industry.

Multipass (multipass.co.uk)

We are building ONE™, the next-gen checkout platform that transforms user experience for both merchants and consumers by seamlessly fusing low-cost Open Banking payments, embedded loyalty and digital receipts into one tap. 

Our roadmap also includes ONEme®, an anonymous biometrics UI for the ultimate level of freedom: no card, no cash, no phone. Just you™.

Past achievements and success stories include:

Masterminded, secured funding and successfully delivered Multipass, the transformative multi-operator "Ticketing as a Service" platform based on contactless payments – developed in partnership with Visa, Mastercard, Worldpay, NXP and the UK rail and bus operators, including Abellio.

Invented, secured funding and successfully delivered Magic, a game-changing mobile payments platform that transformed in-store experience for both customers and merchants – developed in partnership with Worldpay, the world's largest payment processor.

Pioneered Wildcard, a secure wearables platform for mass market use cases: contactless payments, transit ticketing, access control and remote user authentication. Wildcard was implemented as:
-	The world's first smart car key with payment function, developed in partnership with Mastercard and Porsche.
-	The world’s first connected $50 “Swatch”.

Formed industrial consortia, secured funding and successfully delivered two complex R&D projects co-funded by the UK Government via Innovate UK programme.

Co-founder & CEO

NanoEnergy

Built an ex-MIT team to develop Microplasma Fuel Cells technology for Automotive Emissions Control.
Formed industrial partnerships with and secured funding from Navistar International (USA), Siemens VDO (Germany) and Johnson Matthey (UK). 
Negotiated licensing agreement with MIT. 
Initiated and led R&D programme that resulted in extensive IP portfolio.
Sold the company to Navistar.

Co-founder, CEO

ChoiceGroup

Co-founded and managed a diversified portfolio of companies:

Financial Publishing and Training company (MARCOM), in partnership with NM Rothschild and BPP. Won the prestigious "Ambassadors For London" Award. Sold the company to Lloyds of London Press.

UK's first real estate portal and residential property website (Property4London). Secured partnerships with all major property developers in Greater London.

Commodity and Trade Finance company (Ocean Trading House), in partnership with Glencore and Cargill.

Investor and Partner

I am a seasoned entrepreneurial CEO with a solid track record of turning disruptive ideas into commercial reality. The companies I have started and led touched lives of millions of people in many countries, and created value for investors and industry partners.

An inspirational leader and team builder, I have excellent balance between strategic vision and tactical execution, disruptive creativity and laser focus.

I dream big, think fast, listen well, talk straight, and always deliver results.

Skills include:
•	Digital payments
•	Open banking
•	Financial markets
•	Mass transit ticketing
•	Wearables

•	Execution, on time, on budget
•	Building teams and industry partnerships
•	Team leadership
•	Greenfield projects

Alexander Peschkoff

Massive news for the UK — and global — fintech: UK's regulator (#FCA) is launching the GBP Stablecoin Sandbox.  🤘

Timing couldn't be more perfect — for the country, the industry, and #M 😎  It happened sooner that we expected. Kudos, FCA team!

Mark Carney, Debbie Gamble, ICD.D and David Birch — Canada next?.. 

M®: Replatforming money 💥 🚀

Founder & CEO — Replatforming money | AI | Fintech | SAF | Father

Head of Innovation | FCA Chair | GFIN Justice of the Peace

🚀 Global First: Launching the UK’s Sterling Stablecoin Cohort in the FCA Regulatory Sandbox 🇬🇧💡

Today we’re announcing something genuinely new on the world stage.

As part of our mission to be a smarter, more growth-oriented regulator, the FCA has launched a dedicated sterling stablecoin cohort within our Regulatory Sandbox - the first of its kind globally.

This is a landmark moment for the UK.

A chance to test, learn, and build the future of digital money in a safe, controlled and innovation-friendly environment.

💷 What this actually means

For the first time, firms minting UK-issued sterling stablecoins will be able to:

🔹 Test real products and services in a live environment
🔹 Work closely with FCA Innovation Case Officers and subject-matter experts
🔹 Help us refine policy in an agile, evidence-driven way
🔹 Contribute directly to shaping the UK’s emerging stablecoin regime
🔹 Operate alongside the wider innovation architecture, including the Digital Securities Sandbox and our expanding AI-focused initiatives

This isn’t a one-way street.

It’s co-creation.

It’s innovation with industry not just for industry.

As David Geale set out today at the GDF event:

“We are announcing the launch of a stablecoin-specific cohort in our Regulatory Sandbox. It will support stablecoin issuers in testing UK-issued stablecoins, while helping us test our policy proposals in an agile fashion.

We are one of the first regulators in the world to do this, demonstrating our commitment to supporting innovation and being a smarter regulator.

This gives firms a unique opportunity to provide us with practical feedback and helps them test, grow and thrive in the UK.”

🌍 Why this matters

Stablecoins are rapidly becoming foundational to the future of payments, tokenisation, cross-border settlement, and digital assets.

By enabling early, real-world experimentation, we’re sending a clear signal:

The UK is serious about building a globally competitive, innovation-first regulatory environment.

🏁 What’s next

We are now live and inviting applications - further details are available on our Regulatory Sandbox webpage:

https://lnkd.in/dNPRnd_h

And in March, we will host in-person policy sprints on stablecoins to continue shaping this regime collaboratively.

If you’re interested in participating or learning more, reach out to the team, they’ll be happy to help.

Today isn’t just an regulatory innovation milestone.

It’s another step toward a financial system that’s more competitive, more innovative, and ready for the future.

Thanks to the entire team who worked together to deliver this - a true cross FCA effort!

Jane Moore Victoria McLoughlin Nick Smith Daniel Harrison Heidi B. Helene O. Sebastian R. Jessica Rusu Ian Phoenix  

#FCA #Stablecoin #DigitalAssets #SmartRegulation #GrowthAndCompetitiveness #RegulatorySandbox

Open article: Regulatory Sandbox: stablecoins cohort by fca.org.uk

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