Meet Google Cloud's Marketplace Winners: Glean's 42X Growth (2 Days Until Our GCP Event)
Hi, it's Roman from Partner Insight. Welcome to my newsletter on winning Cloud GTM and partnership strategies.
With our biggest Google Cloud Marketplace virtual event less than 48 hours away and 250+ cloud leaders already registered, today we’ll break down the performance of top ISVs and partners on GCP marketplace: Glean – 42X YoY marketplace growth, Snyk – 71% GCP marketplace growth, WWT – 234% marketplace growth; and others.
You'll also discover the key strategies that separate top cloud marketplace performers from the rest—exemplified by Okta's journey to $1B in Marketplace sales.
But first, I’m excited to share a special invite from Dai Vu and introduce more exceptional speakers joining our Google Cloud Marketplace virtual event on March 13th.
Special invite from Dai Vu: “Accelerate Growth with GCP Marketplace in 2025” event
JUST IN: Dai Vu, Managing Director of Google Cloud Marketplace, fresh from the Gartner Tech Conference, highlights why you shouldn't miss our “Accelerate Growth with Google Cloud Marketplace in 2025” event this Thursday, March 13th!
“I wanted to bring to your attention a Partner Insight event on Thursday, March 13th, where we're going to have a very focused session on Google Cloud and Google Cloud Marketplace...
We'll hear perspectives and strategies from myself, Jay McBain, other Google leaders as well as our partner ecosystem.” - Dai Vu, just hours ago in Dallas
Join Dai Vu and 250+ cloud GTM leaders who've already registered for our FREE virtual event on March 13th to discover:
Insights behind Google Cloud Marketplace's triple-digit growth
Strategies on how to capture your share of the billions of transactions flowing through it annually
Just 2 days left until our biggest Google Cloud Marketplace event!
The momentum for our Google Cloud Marketplace event continues to build. In less than 48 hours, you'll gain insights from leaders who are redefining cloud GTM success:
Glean: From Minimal Traction to 42X YoY Growth in Marketplace Transactions
I'm thrilled that Isaiah Lott, Head of Alliances at Glean, will join our co-sell panel. Isaiah has led Glean's cloud partnerships from minimal marketplace traction in November 2023 to becoming a top 2 AI startup on GCP Marketplace, driving extraordinary results:
42X increase ($) in marketplace transactions YoY
6 of Glean's top 10 largest FY25 deals came through GCP Marketplace
2 of Glean’s 3 biggest deals were also via GCP Marketplace
Isaiah brings to our event his unique expertise at the intersection of Gen AI, go-to-market, and cloud marketplace strategy.
One of the fastest-growing AI startups, Glean scaled from $0 to $100M ARR in just 4 years and more than doubled its valuation to $4.6B in just ~6 months during its last year's funding round.
Isaiah’s credentials are equally impressive:
2024 Google Cloud Partner All-Stars Award Recipient
2024 AWS GenAI Partner of the Year Finalist
Previously, working at a16z (Andreessen Horowitz), he advised startups on GTM strategies across all 3 major clouds
Databricks: GCP Marketplace strategies that helped power 60% YoY growth
Drew Herd, Senior Director WW Business Development & Strategy at Databricks - Google Cloud will be speaking in our Co-Sell & Joint GTM panel.
When it comes to growth and strategic cloud marketplace execution, few companies showcase the impact better than Databricks.
Just three months ago, Databricks closed a massive $10B funding at $62B valuation, highlighting its remarkable growth trajectory:
$3B revenue run rate as of Jan ’25 (up from $2.4B in June ’24)
60%+ YoY revenue growth in Q3 ‘24
500+ customers generating $1M+ in annual revenue run-rate
Their cloud partnerships strategy is just as impressive, earning Databricks the 2024 Google Cloud Technology Partner of the Year Award for AI & ML—arguably the most strategic category in today’s AI-driven landscape.
On Google Cloud Marketplace
Databricks has mastered the PAYG (Pay-As-You-Go) model with a 14-day trial strategy, creating a frictionless path for enterprises to evaluate and deploy their Data Intelligence Platform.
This marketplace-first approach—including how to accelerate customer acquisition velocity and unlock Co-Sell opportunities—will be a key topic in our panel discussion.
Meet Drew Herd – The Architect of Databricks’ GCP Marketplace Strategy.
Drew Herd has an incredibly deep expertise in the Google Cloud ISV ecosystem, its GTM motions, and its ISV marketplace. He also brings 20+ years of experience of scaling global sales teams (70+ people, $200M+ revenue)
Snyk: Driving 71% GCP Marketplace Growth and $200M+ in overall Marketplace Revenue
Rebecca Spataro, Global Director of Cloud Alliances at Snyk, joins our "Scale with Channel Partners" panel with impressive marketplace credentials.
Since joining Snyk in 2020, her marketplace results are outstanding:
Led global co-sell and marketplace initiatives resulting in over $200 million in marketplace revenue
Achieved an impressive 71% year-over-year increase in Google Cloud Marketplace revenue
Orchestrated more than 1,500 marketplace transactions
As cybersecurity continues to be a top priority for enterprises, Rebecca's insights on how developer-oriented security solutions like Snyk can leverage cloud marketplaces for growth are increasingly valuable.
Rebecca will share her perspective on Snyk's 2025 focus of scaling through channel partners and how Google's MCPO program is critical to their continued growth strategy.
WWT: Google Cloud's Leading Marketplace Channel Partner with 234% YoY Growth
Joshua Bushman, Cloud Marketplace & Cost Management Global Lead at World Wide Technology (WWT), brings insights as Google's leading marketplace channel partner.
WWT finished 2024 as Google Cloud's leading marketplace channel partner with $250M+ in revenue.
Joshua received a Google Partner All Star award for sales, crediting his team of experts for the achievement. Their marketplace business shows consistent hypergrowth:
2023 YOY Revenue growth: 221%
2024 YOY Revenue growth: 236%
2025 YOY Revenue growth (year to date): 234%
2024 Net New business rate: 40%
Joshua brings critical insights on channel partners are becoming essential to marketplace success. As he notes,
"WWT has seen an explosion in customers utilizing the cloud marketplaces over the last several years.”
Top Industry Leaders Complete Our All-Star Lineup
These impressive speakers join our previously announced headliners:
Dai Vu, Managing Director of Google Cloud Marketplace & ISV GTM Initiatives, driving Google Cloud Marketplace's triple-digit growth
Jay McBain, Chief Analyst at Canalys, whose marketplace and partnerships predictions have shaped strategies across the tech sector
Oliver Schulz, Business Development Manager at Google Cloud Marketplace, specializing in AI Agents, GenAI, and Infrastructure.
John Jahnke, CEO of Tackle.io, will bring insights from helping 450+ software companies process over $12B through cloud marketplaces.
Marc Harpster, Resell Strategic Initiatives Lead at GCP, will lead our channel panel on capturing partner-led opportunities projected to hit billions soon.
Erica Ford, Sr. Director of Cloud Alliances at Fastly. Under Erica's leadership, Fastly's cloud partnerships have evolved from a niche segment into a strategic pillar.
📅 Join us on March 13th (9-11:30 am PST)
In just 2.5 hours, 10+ leading experts will share insights that could transform your strategy for Google Cloud Marketplace in 2025.
Get a chance to win 1 of 3 FREE SEATS in our acclaimed Cloud GTM Leader course! (more on this)
With only 2 days left, 250+ cloud leaders have already registered! Don’t miss your chance to join them:
Thanks to our partner, Tackle, the leading solution built to help enterprise software companies generate revenue through a data-driven Cloud GTM channel.
What Cloud Marketplace Winners Do Differently & Okta’s $1Bn in Marketplace Sales
What differentiates high performers on cloud marketplaces isn't (just) about product or tech integration. It's about committing to make Cloud GTM a major revenue channel. Here's an example:
First, what top performers do differently:
List their top products
Lead with most popular products on marketplace
Maintain consistent offerings and pricing across all channels
Streamline buyer experience with SaaS Free Trials (ideally progressing: PAYG → enterprise contracts)
Make marketplace a C-level priority
Treat it as strategic GTM, not "just another channel"
Set specific goals for % of revenue through cloud marketplace
Have CRO directly own and track marketplace targets
Measure marketplace specific KPIs
Compare sales cycle length (marketplace vs. direct)
Analyze deal sizes across channels
Track win rates (marketplace vs. direct)
Embrace all transaction types
Renewals
Net new business (sourced and influenced)
Channel partners
Why? Because accelerating a renewal or achieving 2X upsell through marketplace is incredibly valuable.
For partner-driven businesses, it’s crucial to learn how to turn channel partners into marketplace allies. This includes enabling key partners to resell on the marketplace or add services on top of your software.
Success is about making the marketplace an essential part of your GTM strategy.
Here's a telling example from Okta, 2024 AWS Marketplace Global Partner of the Year:
Just a week ago Okta passed $1 Billion in total AWS Marketplace sales. It took them 4 years, since their debut on the marketplace.
A year ago, Maureen Little, Global VP, Strategic Alliances at Okta, shared their transformation journey at our event:
Initially, Okta focused on direct sales with little emphasis on partners or marketplace. But they made a research on customer buying patterns, including different markets, which shifted their focus to cloud GTM and partners.
"We started looking and researching how our customers purchase... How are they buying? Where are they cutting costs? How are they using SIs and resellers?” she explained.
The next challenge? Convincing internal stakeholders to invest in cloud marketplaces and partners. It took several proposals to management and CFO, showing potential financial benefits and market opportunities.
In the end, Okta made an internal commitment to make the Amazon Web Services (AWS) marketplace a key GTM channel and set a revenue target.
“We had a fighting year, convincing everybody internally that this matters. Then we had the building year, and this was really the massive growth year” - Maureen Little stressed in the end of 2023.
Fast forward 15 months - the results speak volumes:
Okta just passed $1 Billion in aggregate sales via AWS Marketplace
Partner deals are now 3X larger than direct sales
40%+ revenue flows through partners
Okta won 2024 AWS Global Marketplace Partner of the Year - a testament to their traction
Okta's methodical approach from research to internal alignment to commitment and execution paid off spectacularly. I wrote more on Okta here.
Closing soon: Your Cloud GTM expertise needed (10 min survey, $25 gift card)
We're approaching the final stage of our first major Cloud GTM research on "Cloud Marketplace & Co-Sell: State of the Union in 2025," and your expertise would make a significant difference.
Having just taken the survey myself, I can confirm it takes 10-15 minutes to complete thoughtfully. Your insights will form the foundation of what may become an industry benchmark that we're planning a major educational campaign around.
This research explores critical questions:
Which marketplace strategies are delivering measurable revenue results
How successful companies structure their co-sell engagements
What realistic success metrics look like across different growth stages. etc.
Just to be clear:
Your information remains strictly confidential - all data will be used only in aggregate form
We will not share individual responses with sales teams (Clazar is our research partner)
High-level insights are valuable - no need to disclose sensitive details
For your valuable contribution, you'll receive:
$25 Starbucks gift card 🎁 (sent upon completion, requires a business email)
Exclusive early access to the complete findings before public release
Ability to benchmark your performance against industry peers
The survey closes soon, and your participation would significantly strengthen this resource for our entire Cloud GTM community.
Thank you for considering this final request to share your expertise!