The Complete Guide to Partnership Types
Audience: founders, partner managers, and GTM leaders building a scalable partner motion.
This guide explains each common partner type, when to use it, how value flows, typical commercials, key risks, and a quick activation playbook.
1) Global System Integrator (GSI)
What they are: Very large consulting/IT services firms (e.g., Accenture, Deloitte, Capgemini, Infosys) that design, build, and operate complex solutions for enterprises.
When it fits: Enterprise sales with long cycles, multi‑stakeholder programs, transformation projects, or multi‑product stacks.
Value: Massive reach into the largest accounts; credibility; ability to co‑sell and co‑deliver end‑to‑end programs.
Commercials: Sourced/influenced co‑sell, partner‑led services revenue, referral fees, or margin on resale; often formal alliance tiers and MDF.
Risks: Long enablement time; competing priorities; complex procurement; need for executive sponsorship and clear account mapping.
Activation playbook: Executive alignment → strategic value proposition (category story + roadmap) → lighthouse use cases → joint account plans → solution accelerators → field enablement and bid support.
2) Regional System Integrator (RSI)
What they are: Regional players similar to GSIs but focused on one geography or vertical; typically more nimble and specialized.
When it fits: You need local execution, faster deployment, or vertical expertise for mid‑market to enterprise customers.
Value: Speed, local relationships, and specialization; easier to activate than GSIs.
Commercials: Services‑led revenue, co‑sell/referral fees, occasional resale; pragmatic MDF for joint campaigns.
Risks: Capacity constraints; dependency on a few champions; territory overlap if not segmented clearly.
Activation playbook: Identify top verticals/regions → offer pre‑packaged plays and implementation blueprints → certify a small squad → run joint local events → share case studies.
3) Reseller / VAR
What they are: Companies that buy and resell your product (sometimes as agents/brokers), often adding a margin and light implementation.
When it fits: Broad coverage across regions/SMB; when you want distribution without building a direct sales presence.
Value: Extended sales reach and localized support.
Commercials: Discount + margin (tiered by volume), or agent commission on closed‑won; may include first‑line support fees.
Risks: Misaligned pricing/positioning; limited product education; channel conflict with direct teams.
Activation playbook: Clear discount/commission policy → price guardrails and deal registration → enablement kit (ICP, pricing, demos) → quarterly pipeline reviews → performance‑based tiering.
4) Solution Partner (Implementation / Consulting / MSP)
What they are: Service providers who package your product with consulting, integration, customization, training, and ongoing support.
When it fits: You need customers to adopt quickly, customize, or integrate across stacks; strong for mid‑market/enterprise onboarding.
Value: Faster time‑to‑value and deeper adoption; happier customers and expansion revenue.
Commercials: Services revenue for partner; referral/co‑sell incentives for sourced deals; recurring revenue for managed services.
Risks: Inconsistent delivery quality; over‑customization; capacity swings.
Activation playbook: Certification paths → solution templates/accelerators → shared success metrics (TTTV, activation, NPS) → post‑sale handoffs and QBRs.
5) Independent Software Vendor (ISV)
What they are: Software companies that integrate with or extend your platform; may co‑build connectors, plug‑ins, or complementary features.
When it fits: Your product is more valuable in a connected ecosystem (data sync, workflow automation, category adjacency).
Value: New use cases, reduced churn, and ecosystem gravity; co‑marketing and marketplace discovery.
Commercials: Typically none on the integration itself; revenue share if sold as an add‑on or via a marketplace; co‑marketing budgets.
Risks: Low‑usage integrations; maintenance burden when APIs change; overlapping roadmaps.
Activation playbook: Clear API docs and reference apps → certification and sample datasets → integration tiering (Essential/Featured/Strategic) → joint launch plan → usage telemetry.
6) OEM (Embedded / Hardware Partner)
What they are: Your technology is embedded into another product (software or hardware) and sold under their brand.
When it fits: You provide a core engine (analytics, AI, security, data) that adds value inside a partner’s solution.
Value: Scaled distribution and volume without direct selling; stable, often multi‑year contracts.
Commercials: Per‑unit or per‑instance licensing; royalties; minimum commits; support SLAs.
Risks: Low brand visibility; long certification cycles; dependency on one large partner.
Activation playbook: OEM‑grade SLAs and versioning → reference architecture and SDKs → security/compliance package → co‑roadmap and EOL policies.
7) Data Partner (DaaS)
What they are: Companies that provide datasets or data enrichment that improves your product (feeds, benchmarks, intelligence).
When it fits: Your value depends on breadth/quality of data or when enriched insights unlock premium features.
Value: Differentiated features, better recommendations, and outcomes; potential for co‑selling to shared accounts.
Commercials: Data licensing (flat, tiered, or usage‑based); reciprocal data exchange; rev share for co‑sold SKUs.
Risks: Data rights/lineage issues; latency/quality variance; regulatory constraints.
Activation playbook: Data spec + schemas → privacy and licensing review → SLAs for freshness/uptime → validations/QA → feature packaging and pricing.
8) Referral Partner
What they are: Individuals or companies that introduce qualified opportunities but don’t sell or deliver.
When it fits: Early‑stage pipeline building; niche markets; high‑trust introductions.
Value: Low CAC and high win‑rates from warm intros.
Commercials: Fixed bounty or a % of ACV on closed‑won (one‑time or time‑limited recurring).
Risks: Low predictability; compliance (anti‑bribery), and attribution disputes.
Activation playbook: Clear ICP and no‑go list → simple referral link/portal → transparent tracking and payout policy → “what good looks like” brief.
9) Affiliate (Influencer / Performance)
What they are: Digital publishers, creators, and comparison sites that drive traffic/leads via tracked links.
When it fits: Self‑serve or transactional B2B/B2C with clear online conversion.
Value: Scalable reach and measurable ROI; always‑on top‑of‑funnel.
Commercials: CPA/CPL/CPS with tiers; cookie or last‑click windows; platform or network fees.
Risks: Brand risk from low‑quality content; fraud or incentive gaming.
Activation playbook: Branded creative kit → clear messaging & landing pages → fraud monitoring → leaderboard and seasonal promos.
10) Brand Partner (Media / Event)
What they are: Peer brands with overlapping audiences for co‑marketing (webinars, events, content series, sponsorships).
When it fits: Awareness, thought leadership, and community building; especially for category creation.
Value: Audience borrowing, credibility lift, and lower cost per impression.
Commercials: Usually value‑exchange (content, lists, stages) or shared budgets; sometimes paid sponsorships.
Risks: Unequal effort; audience mismatch; unclear follow‑up on leads.
Activation playbook: Joint narrative and CTA → content calendar → shared reg lists and SLAs for follow‑up → post‑event attribution.
11) Distribution Partner (Distributor)
What they are: Intermediaries that buy in bulk and supply networks of resellers/VARs, handling logistics, credit, and enablement.
When it fits: Traditional IT channels, hardware, or when you need fast scale across many VARs.
Value: Rapid market penetration and reduced operational overhead for channel ops.
Commercials: Distributor margin; MDF programs; back‑end rebates for volume/velocity.
Risks: Distance from end customer; price erosion; competing vendor priorities.
Activation playbook: Clear SKU and pricing structure → deal‑reg alignment with VARs → distributor playbooks and SPIFs → quarterly business reviews.
12) Joint Venture Partner (JV)
What they are: A jointly owned entity to pursue a market, product, or region together.
When it fits: Large, strategic bets where combined capabilities create a defensible position.
Value: Shared risk, deeper commitment, and accelerated market entry.
Commercials: Equity split, governance model, IP ownership and licensing, capital contributions.
Risks: Governance complexity; cultural clashes; exit scenarios.
Activation playbook: JV charter and objectives → governance/board cadence → IP and data policies → multi‑year operating plan with KPIs.
13) Investment Partner (Investor / CVC/PE)
What they are: Financial investors or corporate venture arms providing capital and strategic access.
When it fits: Scale‑up phases, category expansion, or when CVC opens channels and co‑sell opportunities.
Value: Funding + distribution/credibility; intros to customers and partners.
Commercials: Equity, board rights, information rights; commercial agreements may be adjacent but separate.
Risks: Signaling risk; strategic misalignment; governance overhead.
Activation playbook: Strategic roadmap fit → commercial pilots with portfolio/BU → PR/analyst plan → quarterly partner‑sales sync.
14) Licensing Partner (Licensee / White‑label)
What they are: Another company licenses your tech/IP/brand to build and sell under their own brand or as a whitelabel component.
When it fits: You have defensible IP and want scale without direct selling; strong in regulated/vertical markets.
Value: Royalty revenue, new segments, and brand reach.
Commercials: Upfront fees + recurring royalties; territory/vertical exclusivity; minimum guarantees.
Risks: Brand dilution; limited end‑customer insight; channel conflict.
Activation playbook: Licensing terms and brand guidelines → technical validation and support plan → co‑roadmap checkpoints → compliance audits.
15) Marketplace Partner
What they are: Digital storefronts (e.g., AWS Marketplace, Salesforce AppExchange, Shopify) where customers can find, try, and buy.
When it fits: You benefit from ecosystem discovery, procurement shortcuts, or consolidated billing with spend commitments.
Value: Lower CAC, shorter procurement, and trust transfer from the host platform.
Commercials: Listing fees or rev‑share; private offers; co‑op marketing; technical validation.
Risks: Intense competition on the shelf; dependency on algorithm/rank; limited access to buyer data.
Activation playbook: Eligibility checklist and technical validation → enriched listings and reviews → ecosystem‑specific plays (co‑sell, private offers) → track attach and sourced ARR.
Picking Your Mix
Start with the partner types that complement your current GTM: referrals/solution partners for early activation, ISVs/marketplaces for ecosystem pull, resellers/distributors for coverage, and GSIs/RSIs as you move up‑market. Tie incentives to customer value (adoption, activation, retention) rather than just sourced revenue, and set clear rules of engagement to avoid channel conflict.
Core KPIs by type:
- Sourced/Influenced ARR (Referrals, ISVs, GSIs/RSIs, Brand)
- Time‑to‑Value & Activation Rate (Solution, MSP)
- Margin & Sell‑through (Reseller/Distributor)
- Attach/Expansion Rate (ISV/OEM/Data)
- Listing‑sourced ARR & Private Offers (Marketplaces)
