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

Studytube

- Als strategisch gesprekspartner betrokken bij contractverlengingen en strategisch overleg met L&D en HR leaders van onze bestaande klanten. 
- Samen met Customer Success verantwoordelijk voor het maximaliseren van ARR en NRR over ons volledige bestaande klantenbestand, door middel van cross-sell en up-sell. 
- Verantwoordelijk voor de migratie van enterprise Springest klanten naar de Studytube Suite, veelal complexe inkooptrajecten met diverse stakeholders.

Resultaten
- 2023 (tot december): 126% target attainment met een 45K MRR jaartarget
- 2022: 107% target attainment met een 35K MRR jaartarget
- Strategische deals met o.a. BAM, Eneco, Essent, Holland Casino, Athora. 
- Meerjarenverlengingen met o.a. ASR, Olympia, Adecco, Manpower, Van Wijnen, BAR organisatie, SSC ONS
- RFP's/aanbestedingen gewonnen voor o.a. Gemeente Nijmegen, ROC MN, BAM, Eneco, Gemeente Peel en Maas.

Strategisch Accountmanager

Springest

In this role I am accountable for making sure our corporate partnerships are successful and for aligning the (long-term) strategy of our clients. I act as an experienced business partner towards HR/Learning leaders within our corporate clients. This role helps me with expanding and extending contracts amongst our clients.

Renewed and expanded contracts with corporate clients like Eneco, T-Mobile, de Volksbank, VIVAT, ING, NS, Essent and Sweco.

Strategic Accountmanager

Selling our SaaS learning platform to corporate organisations in all markets. I have been accountable for both existing as potential clients and closed multiple new deals, extended contracts and increased scope of existing contracts. My main focus has been on existing clients. The deal sizes vary from smaller one-off deals to long duration enterprise contracts.

Worked in deal teams that successfully acquired new clients like ONVZ, RTL, het CAK, Achmea and van Lanschot Kempen.

Account Executive & Renewal Specialist

Within Springest, we work with the Getting Things Done framework (based on David Allen's book). In this role, on which I spend maximally a couple of hours per week, I am responsible for the following: 
- Coaching colleagues on how they can be more productive 
- Coaching colleagues on how to handle and decrease stress in their work 
- Making process and policy improvements 

Next to this, I also coached colleagues in their onboarding period and in their sales, communication and motivation performance. You can read the reviews my colleagues wrote about several training and coaching sessions here: https://internal.go.springest.nl/u/nick-winterswijk-3#reviews

Internal Coach

At Springest, we call this role Customer Success Manager, as you are responsible for the success of the learning platform and the relationship with our clients. 

After we signed a contract with a prospect, the implementation of our learning platform starts. Managing this implementation and the clients expectations, asks for a dedicated Customer Success Manager. In this role I am accountable for the happiness of some of our corporate clients, during the whole length of the contract. It's my goal to help these organisations maximize their potential and help them using our learning platform in an efficient way. 

Responsible for the client success and adoption of Aegon, T-Mobile, Van Lanschot Kempen, de Volksbank, Holland Casino and FD Mediagroep.

Customer Success Manager

I am accountable for helping organisations smoothen their L&D process. With our SaaS solution, Springest Go, this process will be automated. The learning platform (Springest Go) puts the end-user central and makes learning easier and more fun. I speak with L&D/HR and procurement professionals to help them achieve sustainable growth and vitality in their organisation.

Following-up leads, developing the pipeline and visiting clients to help them solve their problems are my main activities. Most of the time we can help organisations save costs on learning and (at the same time) stimulate their employees with our scalable learning platform. 

Next to this role, I hold several other roles. Roles do change from time to time: 

- Onboarding, Coaching & Training of team with Learning Advisors. This role includes onboarding, training, coaching, judging and improving the Learning Advisors and the applicants (that do a trial day). 
- Time management coach: In this role I coach circle members to work productive, keep their inbox/pipeline clean and work according to David Allen's book Getting Things Done. 
- In-company: Responsible for qualifying all inbound requests in order to sell tenders to providers. This role includes dealmaking with providers as well as delivering support. 
- Managed Training Services business development: Creating, developing and selling our Managed Training Services. 
- Facilitator: Facilitating our weekly "tactical & governance" meetings. I am responsible for keeping the pace in the meetings. I did this for two circles inside Springest.

Sales Development Representative & Sales coach

I am hired to be a Learning Advisor. In this role it's my goal to help people reach their full potential. During the time I filled/got several other roles. 

My purpose as Learning advisor is to help people reach their full potential. 

"Springest works according to the Holacracy method. Holacracy is a new management model for organisations, whereby authority is distributed in an organic, flat structure with ‘circles’ (teams) and ‘roles’ (defining the responsibilities each team member has). Due to its distributed authority system each employee is empowered to decide how to energise their ‘roles’ and bears the responsibility for its operation." (Source: http://about.springest.com/holacracy/)

Learning Advisor

Ahold Nederland

Als Teamleider Verkoopafhandeling ben je verantwoordelijk voor het aansturen en motiveren van een team kassa- en baliemedewerkers. Met hen (en de andere teams) zorg je ervoor dat de klanten bij de kassa en servicebalie uitstekend worden geholpen en tevreden de winkel uitlopen. (Bron: werk.ah.nl)

Sinds mijn terugkomst in Nederland, ben ik gelijk begonnen te werken als Teamleider Verkoopafhandeling bij Albert Heijn Veenendaal. Hier vul ik tijdelijk dit team aan en word ik ingewerkt om ook dit proces volledig te beheersen. In deze rol geef ik leiding aan teams van maximaal tien medewerkers en leg ik direct verantwoording af aan de Supermarktmanager en Assistent Supermarktmanager. Doordat ik nu ook binnen deze afdeling werk, krijg ik nog meer ervaring met leiding geven (dus ook in diverse teams). Deze functie is een opstap naar een volgende voltijdbaan, of als aanvulling op een mogelijke vervolgstudie.

Teamleider Verkoopafhandeling

"Leiding geven aan een team van vulploeg- en kwaliteitsmedewerkers; zorg dragen voor de juiste samenstelling van het team, persoonlijke groei en ontwikkeling van de mensen in het team; operationeel leiding geven aan de totale winkel. Verantwoordelijk voor een kwalitatief goede winkel, het functioneren van het team en de resultaten van de afdeling."​
(Bron: Hartger Olivier)

In de dynamische detailbranche draait het om aanpassingsvermogen. Binnen onze supermarkt is het als teamleider van belang om snel te kunnen schakelen. Je maakt wel degelijk een planning, maar wijzigt deze zodra dit vereist is. Daarnaast is het belangrijk om een helikopter-view te kunnen hanteren. Er speelt heel veel in de winkel, daarom is het altijd vereist om de rust te bewaren en prioriteiten te stellen. Zowel het "managen" van klanten (en de bijbehorende verwachtingen) als van medewerkers speelt dagelijks een grote rol.

Teamleider Verkoopklaar

In deze functie, tussen teamleider en vulploegmedewerker verkoopklaar in, assisteer ik de teamleider met zijn dagelijkse werkzaamheden. Ik geef leiding aan kleine teams binnen de vulploeg en zorg ervoor dat er net én zorgvuldig gewerkt wordt. In deze functie word ik opgeleid om op termijn teamleider te worden.

Teamleider in opleiding

In deze functie werkte ik in een team van vulploegmedewerkers. Mijn taken waren hierbij om snel en zorgvuldig vakken te vullen. Naast deze werkzaamheden was ik ook werkzaam als magazijnman.

Medewerker verkoopklaar

Reizen door Oceanië & Azië

Vanaf 23 februari 2016 maakte ik een rondreis door Nieuw-Zeeland, Australië en Azië. Tijdens mijn periode in Australië heb ik ook gewerkt als 'Lead Generator' bij YUGEN-power (een door-to-door sales functie). 

De keuze om te gaan reizen, is een bewuste keuze geweest (in plaats van eerst studeren of volledig voor een carrière te gaan). Mijn doelstellingen tijdens deze reis waren als volgt:

- Engelse taal verbeteren; 
- Werken in het buitenland (om te leren van andere culturen op de werkvloer); 
- Mijn blik verbreden; 
- Buiten mijn comfort-zone treden.

Wereldreis

Yu-Gen Power

Temporary job while backpacking Australia. Responsible for lead generation in the solar energy business. My core activities where: Generating leads from door-to-door and report results to teamleader. The skills I have developed in this job are: New business sales, acquisition, dealing with rejection, English language, objection handling and making appointments. Everyday I have attended sales trainings from 11.00-12.00 AM.

Door-to-door Sales rep

OTYS Recruiting Technology

OTYS develops software for recruitment agencies, search and selection, staffing agencies, jobboards and corporate recruiters. The OTYS solution helps them to find and attract candidates, post jobs, match and communicate and measure conversion of candidates to jobs. OTYS has more than 600 customers in The Netherlands, Belgium, England, Ireland and the United States. Recently, our company is (as the only recruitmentsoftware organization) nominated for the European Business Awards.
(Bron: Rozanne Drexler)

Na mijn stageperiode ben ik werkzaam gebleven als Marketing Assistent bij OTYS. Net zoals tijdens de praktijkperiode het geval was, draai ik volledig mee binnen de Marketingafdeling. Het doen van onderzoek, het bedenken van marketingacties, het telefonisch benaderen van klanten en het opstellen van diverse commerciële teksten behoort tot mijn taken. Daarnaast ben ik mede verantwoordelijk voor het organiseren en begeleiden van evenementen. 

Naast marketing, zet ik me bij OTYS ook geregeld in voor de afdelingen Consultancy en Sales. Hierbij geef ik advies aan klanten, geef ik uitleg over bepaalde functionaliteiten en probeer ik de klant én OTYS beter te maken.

Marketeer & Sales Support

OTYS develops software for recruitment agencies, search and selection, staffing agencies, jobboards and corporate recruiters. The OTYS solution helps them to find and attract candidates, post jobs, match and communicate and measure conversion of candidates to jobs. OTYS has more than 600 customers in The Netherlands, Belgium, England, Ireland and the United States. Recently, our company is (as the only recruitmentsoftware organization) nominated for the European Business Awards.
(Bron: Rozanne Drexler)

Bij OTYS was ik werkzaam op de marketingafdeling. Ik was verantwoordelijk voor Social Media voor het bedrijf. Het verzorgen en versturen van mailings behoorde ook tot mijn taken. Daarnaast organiseerde ik evenementen en coördineerde ik enkele interne evenementen. Ook het ondersteunen van de Sales afdeling viel binnen mijn takenpakket. Ook deed ik een marktonderzoek ten behoeve van mijn afstudeerscriptie.

Afstudeerstagiair Marketing

Randstad

Mijn taken bij deze stage waren onder meer: het doen van een marktonderzoek, het maken van een marktplan, Salesgesprekken voeren, Intakegesprekken houden, koude acquisitie gesprekken voeren en overige administratieve werkzaamheden. Mijn eindbeoordeling van deze stage was een 8.

Stagiair Marketing, Sales, Intercedent

We all experience "the war for talent": it's hard to attract and retain talent. Employees become more demanding towards the growth journey they see ahead of them. As employer you can only meet their requirements by creating a smooth employee experience, from hiring till offboarding. Learning & development plays a big role in this process.  

Simultaneously, the world, companies and jobs are changing faster than ever before. This means that companies need a dedicated and long term plan for strategic workforce management. Therefore, it's crucial to create insight in the skills you currently have in your workforce versus the skills the future requires you to have. 

With all this in mind: Studytube offers you the Learning Ecosystem that provides insight in skill gaps, automates manual steps in the learning process and ensures a smooth employee learning journey. Want to know more? Please reach out to me via 06-40691010 or nick.winterswijk@studytube.nl.

Skills: 
☑ Listening
☑ SaaS Sales
☑ Personal Leadership
☑ Growth Mindset
☑ Adaptability

Systems:
☑ Getting Things Done (GTD)
☑ Holacracy 
☑ KAIZEN
☑ Lean Startup
☑ Hubspot
☑ Asana

Personal interests:
☑ Reading
☑ Personal Development
☑ Cooking
☑ CrossFit
☑ Sustainability
☑ Politics
☑ Meditation

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Vince Menzione

Nick Winterswijk

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The Battle

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Nick Winterswijk

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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);}Vince Menzione's LinkedIn Performance

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