Starburst ISV Partner Onboarding Framework
Building the operational backbone for a partner ecosystem
When I joined Starburst as the first dedicated partner SA, the ISV ecosystem had no formal onboarding process. New partners were brought in ad hoc, inconsistently, and slowly. I designed and built an end-to-end framework that standardized the entire partner journey — from initial request through to active co-sell — and scaled it across 20+ ISV partnerships.
The Partner Journey
The Playbook
The Assess phase covers everything from first contact to a clear go/no-go decision. Before this framework, new partner requests had no formal intake or evaluation process — every engagement started differently.
Partner Request Intake Process
Created a standardized intake form and routing process to capture new ISV partner interest. Every request was logged, assigned, and responded to consistently — eliminating the ad hoc, email-based process that existed before and ensuring no partner interest fell through the cracks.
Initial Meeting Content & Agenda
Developed a repeatable structure for the first partner call: company overview exchange, use case alignment, integration feasibility review, GTM fit assessment, and clear next steps. Any SA on the team could run a high-quality first meeting from day one — no institutional knowledge required.
Partner Qualification Criteria
Defined the signals that indicated a strong partner fit — customer overlap, technical integration potential, GTM alignment, and tier designation. Gave the team a consistent, defensible way to prioritize new partners and make fast go/no-go decisions.
The Onboard phase transforms a qualified partner into a fully enabled one. The centerpiece was the Partner Welcome Guide — a comprehensive resource that set expectations and dramatically accelerated time-to-productivity.
Partner Welcome & Onboarding Guide
A single authoritative resource delivered at the start of every new partnership. Covered everything a new ISV partner needed to get up and running — organized into clear sequential sections so partners could self-navigate their onboarding without requiring constant SA hand-holding.
Onboarding Timeline & Milestones
Defined a structured onboarding timeline with clear milestones — from technical certification and integration validation through to first co-sell opportunity. Set mutual expectations from day one and gave both sides a shared definition of what “onboarded” actually meant.
Expectations & Requirements
Documented what Starburst expected from partners (joint marketing commitments, technical certification, deal registration) and what partners could expect in return. Removing ambiguity here was one of the biggest contributors to the 25% reduction in activation time.
Self-Service Enablement Content
Built a library of self-service materials — technical documentation, integration guides, solution briefs, and demo assets — so partners could enable themselves independently. Reduced SA time spent on repetitive enablement requests and freed up capacity for higher-value work.
Support Resources
Mapped out the full support model for partners: who to contact for technical issues, how to escalate, what response SLAs to expect, and where to find live resources. Reduced friction during early integration work when partners most needed clear answers.
Account Alignment
Established the process for aligning partner accounts with the Starburst field team — mapping partner AEs to Starburst AEs, defining territory overlap, and ensuring both sides knew how to work together before the first joint opportunity arose. Field alignment was often the missing link between a technically enabled partner and an active co-sell partner.
The Activate phase is where partnership theory becomes pipeline. With a fully onboarded partner, the focus shifts to joint opportunity creation and deal execution — the activities that generate measurable ARR.
Deal Support Framework
Created the playbook for how partner teams could engage Starburst on joint deals — including deal registration, co-sell motion mechanics, opportunity coaching, and how to pull in SA resources for technical support on partner-sourced opportunities. Made it easy for partner reps to bring Starburst in early and often.
Co-sell Plays
Developed joint co-sell plays with key ISV partners — defining the ideal customer profile, common use cases, competitive positioning, and how each partner’s technology complemented Starburst in a winning solution. Plays were used by both Starburst field reps and partner sales teams.
GTM Execution
Partnered with Marketing and Sales to launch joint GTM campaigns, field events, and solution briefs that drove partner-sourced and partner-influenced pipeline. This phase was where the framework’s value became most measurable — and most visible to leadership.
Outcome
The framework cut partner activation time by 25% and scaled partner delivery across a growing ISV ecosystem managing 20+ active partnerships. It became the operational backbone for Starburst’s partner motion — enabling the team to own 75% of strategic software partnerships and drive $1M+ ARR in 2024 from a team of one.