HRTech · SaaS · 2021
Building a partner channel for an HRTech scale-up
01 — Executive snapshot
Role
Head of Partnerships
Scope
0 → 1 channel program · APAC region
KPIs owned
- Partner-sourced ARR
- Active partners
- Win rate via partner
02 — The problem
Direct sales had hit a ceiling in mid-market. The company needed leverage without burning runway on more reps. Past partner attempts had failed because tiers, margins, and enablement were never formalised.
03 — Strategic approach
Designed a three-tier partner program (Referral, Reseller, Strategic) with predictable economics, a 6-week certification path, and a co-sell motion with named AEs on each side.
04 — Execution
Built partner agreement, margin grid, and conflict-resolution policy
Recruited 24 partners across 5 markets in the first two quarters
Launched a partner portal with deal registration and battle cards
Ran monthly QBRs with the top 8 partners on a shared pipeline
05 — Impact & results
Validated against agreed KPIs.
32%
Of new ARR sourced via partners within 9 months
24
Active certified partners across APAC
+22%
Win rate on partner-co-sold deals vs. direct
Evidence · indexed growth (illustrative)
Quarterly index (Q1 baseline = 100). Replace with actual evidence chart or anonymised screenshot.
06 — Key takeaway
"A channel only scales when the economics are predictable for the partner before they are predictable for you."
— Juan Firmansyah