In a recent Ecosystem Aces podcast, Tony Li, VP of Partnerships & Business Development at LandingAI (formerly Starburst Data), joined Chip Rodgers, Chief Partner Officer at WorkSpan, to discuss the evolution of data partnerships, co-selling strategies, and the importance of building a partner-centric culture.
With over three years at Starburst Data, Tony has played a key role in developing strategic alliances with cloud providers, ISVs, and SIs. His insights into navigating co-opetition, driving partner enablement, and maximizing customer value offer a blueprint for scaling partnerships effectively.
Key Takeaways from the Conversation
🔹 Building a Holistic Partner Ecosystem – Starburst Data structures its partnerships into three categories:
• Cloud Partners (AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure) for seamless data integration.
• Technology Partners (ISVs like Tableau and Collibra) for complementary solutions.
• System Integrators & VARs (Accenture, Deloitte, CDW) for service implementation and support.
A balanced multi-partner approach ensures broader customer reach and solution depth.
🔹 Co-Selling for Greater Success – Starburst Data follows a structured co-sell strategy, focusing on:
• Enablement: Training sales and technical teams across partner organizations.
• Joint Solutions: Defining clear value propositions between Starburst and its ISV or SI partners.
• Go-to-Market Execution: Aligning messaging, co-marketing, and field engagement to accelerate adoption.
Deals involving multiple partners tend to close at a higher rate and are significantly larger.
🔹 Measuring Partner Success – To track effectiveness, Starburst monitors three key metrics:
• Training & Certification: A leading indicator of partner engagement and expertise.
• Sales Productivity: Measuring deal registrations, pipeline contributions, and revenue influence.
• Customer & Partner NPS: Gathering feedback on partner performance and internal partner support.
A data-driven approach ensures continuous optimization and alignment with customer needs.
🔹 The Power of “Partner 300%” – Tony introduced Partner 300%, an innovative framework ensuring:
• A cloud partner (AWS, Google Cloud, or Azure)
• An ISV technology partner (Tableau, Collibra, etc.)
• A system integrator (Accenture, Deloitte, etc.)
Deals structured with all three types of partners have shown higher conversion rates and 2x deal sizes.
Final Thoughts
Tony emphasized that partner ecosystems should be embedded in a company’s DNA from day one. Whether in data, AI, or cloud industries, the most successful companies prioritize partnerships at every level—product, sales, and marketing.
📢 Watch the full episode to learn more about Starburst Data’s partnership strategies and how to build a winning ecosystem! #EcosystemAces #DataPartnerships #CoSelling #StarburstData #PartnerEcosystem
Chip is passionate about building strong communities and ecosystems around enterprises to build excitement for the category, deliver value for customers, and grow the business. Prior to WorkSpan, Chip was with SAP for over 13 years, most recently growing the SAP Community Network to over 2 million engaged customers, partners, and developers. He has an MBA from the University of Chicago and an engineering degree from Northwestern.
